Things I learned from my boss

Over the past week, I caught myself thinking that this job was a waste of time, on the grounds that I was learning nothing from my boss. Then I realized my fallacy. Learning is in the mind of the student, not the quality of the teacher. Also, as the sign on my cubicle wall says, "If you can't be a good example, you'll just have to be a horrible warning." And, as always, ::insert trite saying here::. My point is, I MUST be learning, even learning good, important things, even with a senile boss. So here's my list of what I have learned so far, since he became my boss in August. Mostly, it's how to manage a department and conduct yourself in a business situation. Actually, it's mostly disguised complaining. At least I took the trouble to disguise it this time, though! In no particular order, I have learned:

1. If you want your employees to respect you, speak clearly. Do not mumble. Do not make your direct reports stand around while you mumble into your (unorganized) paperwork. See also numbers 3 and 6.

2. Moderate the amount of information you provide based on the skill level of the employee. Know your direct reports well enough to understand their strengths and weaknesses. Challenge them, yes, but do not overwhelm a lower level employee with more background information than they can handle. See also numbers 5 and 6.

3. Be organized!* Keep your desk and space moderately tidy. Know where your paperwork is. Do not lose items your direct reports have turned in. Do not keep people waiting by your desk while you hunt through your paperwork because you don't know where an item is. Do not ask people to reprint items just because you lost them. See also number 7.

4. Discipline your direct reports when you are calm and level headed. If you are not feeling calm, give yourself a breather before calling them aside. Never accuse someone of causing your anger, even if they did, as it will make you sound abusive. Do not shake your finger in their face, nor threaten to fire them, as this will sour their attitude toward you and make them work inefficiently on purpose. See also numbers 7 and 10.

5. Know the job titles and duties of your direct reports. If you are unsure, never threaten to discipline someone by taking away a future promotion. You may become the office joke. See also number 4 and number 8.

6. Be concise. While giving directions, be clear, but limit yourself to describing the instructions at hand. Only repeat the instructions when it is clear they were not understood. Do not tell stories. Do not provide overwhelming information. Do not interrupt their work except to give directions. See also number 2.

7. Be prepared.* By preparing your work for your direct reports before meeting with them, you will be better able to convey clear directions. You will also make your directional meetings more efficient, therefore saving the firm's money. See also number 9.

8. Make appointments with members of other departments. If you walk in and interrupt their meetings to demand information or to pull one of your direct reports from the meeting, they will be annoyed. They will also make you the butt of their jokes. See also number 1, which may cause further laughter damage.

9. Save paper, money and the environment by reading your emails on the computer.* It is more efficient to read emails on the computer than it is to print then read. Also, you will save a lot of trees and file space by not keeping copies of all emails. See also number 3.

10. Keep your mind organized.* By thinking clearly, you will avoid repeating yourself, mumbling, and ineffient instructions. You will also guard yourself against people thinking you are senile or stupid. It helps if you think before you speak. See also numbers 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7 and 8.

*Technically, these are items I am already good at. I am simply stating them here because I did not previously recognize their full value, nor the damage the lack of these skills would have on my professional status.