Manager in the Past
"I can see the past clearly, now what do I do?"- a great question
First of all notice that this post and the future two posts will deal with management and not "leadership". To me those are two different skill sets. These posts will be based on a Forbes article I read titled, The evolution of the Manager and What it Means to You by David Sturt and Todd Nordstrom.
If we were to look back into management theory, what would a manager of a typical department do and behave like 50 years ago? What would be some descriptive terms that we would use? How did they make their employees feel, act, and do?
First word that we would use is Authority. The boss was the boss back then. He, and it was usually only he, had complete authority to hire and fire people who worked for them. They knew they were the boss and their employees knew they were the boss.
Based on the authority that the owners granted them, they Oversaw Compliance of the workforce. There was no challenging the boss. You were not asked for your "feedback". You were told to do X and to get going. The boss was there to make sure you complied.
First of all notice that this post and the future two posts will deal with management and not "leadership". To me those are two different skill sets. These posts will be based on a Forbes article I read titled, The evolution of the Manager and What it Means to You by David Sturt and Todd Nordstrom.
If we were to look back into management theory, what would a manager of a typical department do and behave like 50 years ago? What would be some descriptive terms that we would use? How did they make their employees feel, act, and do?
First word that we would use is Authority. The boss was the boss back then. He, and it was usually only he, had complete authority to hire and fire people who worked for them. They knew they were the boss and their employees knew they were the boss.
Based on the authority that the owners granted them, they Oversaw Compliance of the workforce. There was no challenging the boss. You were not asked for your "feedback". You were told to do X and to get going. The boss was there to make sure you complied.
The compliance that the boss demanded often Focused on Correction. Since the boss knew best, he would tell you how to correct your mistakes and to make sure you did it correct. Repeat corrections led to you being let go.
In order to make sure that the corrections were followed the boss had to constantly Look Over Your Shoulder. You were given a very tight leash and you were treated as such. You had to do what you were told. Or you were corrected or let go.
Since the boss was the authority figure, he Enforced Policy. There might not have been a reason for the rule, it was just company policy. The boss did not have to explain the policy to you. All he had to do was enforce it.
Since the boss was the authority figure, he Enforced Policy. There might not have been a reason for the rule, it was just company policy. The boss did not have to explain the policy to you. All he had to do was enforce it.
Another one of the functions of a boss was to Manages Voices. Your voice, like a kid, was to be kept low and to yourself. There was no talking back. There was no challenging the boss.
Behavior of bosses and employees in the past Demanded Subordination. It was complete subordination. The boss demanded it and the employees gave it. No question asked.I would use two words to describe the manager of that time: Positional Leader.
Today's question is:
"Do you know anyone that behaves this way today?"
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