On managers
Lisa at Management Craft wrote yesterday in Be a reason to stay with the company!:
The person(s) we work for makes a HUGE difference in how we feel about our jobs. And this is not just about whether he or she is a nice person or willing to cut us some slack when we sleep in every now and then. Our managers influence how we feel about the contribution we make and the importance of our efforts.
Most every manager at every job I've had since college has been well-intentioned. I haven't had a really bad manager. I've been lucky to have some excllent managers. One, in particular who was more of a mentor and father-figure than a manager.
In the last six years that I've been at Deseret Book I passed up multiple (unsolicited) opportunities to leave (both to start-ups and traditional established companies).
Lisa goes on to say, "Be the manager that employees cite as a big reason why they want to STAY with the company." Having had that manager for 4+ years, I did stay, even though the longevity of my position often seemed in doubt. I never seriously considered taking the bait and leaving—my loyalty to my manager was that great. I stayed because of him, even though I could have earned more money by leaving. (Incidentally Shauna and I named our third child, Jacob Clark, after him.)
It's funny that as the orginizational chart & reporting relationships changed with time, and once I got to a position where I didn't feel the slightest bit at risk should there need to be another round of layoffs (or if there were an acquisition, or someone's cousins consulting firm decided to pitch some glamorous proposal to do what I was doing half as effectively at twice the cost) that restlessness would finally strike me.
I'm looking forward to new opportunities to grow and learn at my new job. People say that organizations need fresh blood periodically; I'm leaving Deseret Book because it feels like it is time for me to move on for a transfusion (to keep the blood metaphor going) of new opportunities and increased challenges. I want to be one of the reasons people stay and are excited about work.
(Hat tip to Slacker Manager for the link to Lisa's blog.)
—Michael A. Cleverly
Tuesday, February 22, 2005 at 23:50