People under time pressure don’t work better; they Just work faster

People   under   time   pressure   don’t   work   better; they  Just  work  faster. – Peopleware.

Really wise words, this applies even if you are appying it on yourself.

Down the memory lane – Managing your boss

Yesterday I was searching through the archives of my blog. I read the entry (which I was searching for) and I was really happy about it.

I am posting it in verbatim again, as it might help a few of my friends.

It’s pretty easy to be smart when you’re parroting smart people (Borrowed from Randy Pausch’s Last Lecture).

In plain english, none of these are my own thoughts 🙂

 

Do not get the title wrong, It is not about Apple Polishing (nicer than boot licking isn’t it) or political maneuvering. Its about working with your boss to get better results for yourself, your boss and the organization. Its about doing it, so that you do not have to keep running away from compaines every 6 months cribbing your boss is bad. Its about developing a good working relationship from your superior. I just happened to read an article from Harvard Business Review "Managing your Boss". Really an eye-opener.

 

Key takeaways:

• Bosses, like everyone else,
  • are imperfect and fallible.
  • They don’t have unlimited time, encyclopedic knowledge, or extrasensory perception;
  • nor are they evil enemies.
• Some superiors spell out their expectations very explicitly. But most do not. Ultimately, the burden falls on the subordinate to find out what the boss’s expectations are.
• At a minimum, you need to appreciate your boss’s goals and pressures.Without this information, you are flying blind, and problems are inevitable.
• Understand three key aspects, knowing yourself, knowing your boss, knowing the symbiosis between you both. Knowing yourself is something which you have the most control. If you tyring to change your boss, you are most likely trying it because you are unable to change yourself. Changing your boss is next to impossible, considering that you are unable to change yourself.

Managing your boss is not the same as pleasing him in or playing an yes minister always. As Johanna Rothman and Esther Derby state in "Behind the Closed Doors, Secrets of Great Management" – Manage Your Boss, Stand Up for Your Team

Harvard Business Review – Managing your Boss
The Secret Art of Managing Your Boss, part 1
The Secret Art of Managing Your Boss, part 2
The Secret Art of Managing Your Boss, part 3
The Secret Art of Managing Your Boss, part 4

Gleaned in full from: http://sendhil.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!30862CF919BD131A!618.entry

 

Happy New Year 2009

Happy New Year 2009 to all the patrons of this blog.