The Cranky Middle Manager Show #312 The Future of the MBA Ken Starkey
And you thought it was just you…
Posted on 29. Oct, 2005 by Wayne in General
Here’s something to ponder…happy to pass it on. As a man between 35 and 45 I’d say something but I don’t want to be thought of as grumpy, self-important or difficult…..
Middle Managers ‘Grumpy, Self-important and Difficult’
06 Sep 2005
The ranks of middle management are populated by a disproportionate number of difficult, self-important middle-aged men who lack communication skills are not team players.
A survey of more than 250 senior professionals by UK training company PTP Training & Marketing has found that the overwhelming majority – some 98 per cent – have to deal with difficult work colleagues on a regular basis.
Men aged between 35 and 45 working at a mid management or admin levels are most likely to be viewed by colleagues as “difficult”, the survey suggested.
Half of those quizzed said they encounter difficult people on a daily basis with almost one in 10 claiming this was an hourly occurrence
But despite – or because of – the scale of the problem, only 15 per cent of managers admit to confronting the member of staff who is being difficult.
More than a third (36 per cent) of the sample believe the 35-45 age group are the worst culprits, while one in three (29 per cent) say the 45-55 year olds are the most difficult. A quarter pointed the finger at the 25-35 age group.
The under-25s and over 55s largely escaped the ‘difficult’ description.
But it would be unfair to suggest that men are overwhelmingly more difficult than women. Some 55 per cent of respondents said they felt men are more likely to be difficult compared to 45 per cent who pointed the finger at women.
What is clearer is that those working at mid management and mid admin levels are the most likely to present difficult behaviour compared to those working in a senior capacity.
A quarter of respondents consider the most difficult people are to be found at mid management level compared to just 16 per cent at senior level.
Similarly, almost one in five thought mid level administrators the most difficult compared with just over one in 10 senior level administrators.
Junior managers also scored highly in the “difficult” ranks earning 21 per cent of the vote while junior admin workers and non office and blue collar workers were seen as the least difficult people in a working environment.
While only 15 per cent of senior professionals confront the difficult people they meet, well over half the sample (55 per cent) claim they would try to help the difficult person by discussing any problems.
However, at the other end of the scale 30 per cent do nothing constructive and say they resort to “putting up with or ignoring” the difficult people in the office.
When asked why they think people are difficult at work the three most popular explanations are that “they are not team players”, “they are insecure and lack confidence in their own abilities” and “they are stressed and under a lot of pressure”.
Other responses include “dissatisfaction with work and status and feeling under-valued”, “no people or communication skills” and “too much self importance”.
PTP managing director Marc Holland said that senior managers need to possess the people skills to deal effectively with difficult people who can be a considerable barrier to office harmony, motivation and performance.
“It is important to be able to identify difficult personality types and be able to respond to them in a constructive way. A well-trained manager should be able to spot which personality types are likely to clash and can use their skills to diffuse situations, which could get out of hand and cause bad feeling and problems among staff,” he said.
“Good people skills are a vital management tool and can clearly help managers deal with specific issues associated with difficult people such as anger, upset and unresponsiveness.”
Author: Management Issues News
… And how was YOUR week? Sounds like there are some candidates for our “Worst Manager on the Planet” Contest to me…..
The Cranky Middle Manager Show # 20 The Ape in the Corner Office
Posted on 27. Oct, 2005 by Wayne in Podcast
The Cranky Middle Manager Show #020
Welcome everyone. This is our 20th show, and we have a very special interview today. Richard Conniff is the author of a very hot book that answers a lot of nagging questions about our bosses, “The Ape in the Corner Office”. We also are still looking for contestants for our “Worst Manager on the Planet” Contest.
Show Notes
0:00 Welcome to the all-natural edition of The Cranky Middle Manager Show.
1:19 Our show is dedicated to John Collins- liar, blackguard, drunkard, thief, who was reformed by an understanding manager. An inspiration to us all…assuming we’re liars, blackguards, drunkards and thieves- or manage some.
3:00 The first horror story from our Worst Manager on the Planet Contest. Drop me an email to tell your story or if you use SKYPE, you can leave a voicemail at wayneturmel. There are software prizes, autographed books and the chance to be semi-famous. All names will be changed to protect the innocent and their loved ones.
4:09 The quote of the week is from Plautus… fits right in with our nature theme today and since we talk a lot about weasels on the show, it’s good to hear mice get their props….
4:55 Welcome Richard Conniff, author of The Ape in the Corner Office. Nice guy, even if he doesn’t share my opinion of weasels…. but i’m not the only one to attribute traits to animals incorrectly. Especially when it comes to “800 pound gorillas”.
8:09 Here’s an example of where we are more social primates than rugged individualists. A biology lesson awaits you, but it’s less complicated than Six Sigma so relax…
10:44 Just because we’re a lot like critters, doesn’t mean we should act like them ALL the time…although it’s tempting. The list of potential HR violations is plenty long.
14:50 All the talk of Alpha Males aside, there’s a lot to be said for cooperation and getting along. Cooperation is even more common than hostility…or so he says. Work at my joint for a week and compare the data….
17:30 You have to love an author who follows his own advice…here’s a success story from his own workplace.
22:30 Negative behaviors can have positive impact…. in praise of gossip.
26:30 You knew it would come down to sex eventually… very PG but pretty amusing.
The Cranky Middle Manager Show #19 The Passive Aggressive Organization
Posted on 20. Oct, 2005 by Wayne in Podcast
The Cranky Middle Manager Show #19
Hello everyone. I’m very excited about this show for a few very good reasons:
- a great guest. Gary Neilson has a new book, “Results”, that talks about 7 types of organizations, including the one that got my attention- The Passive Aggressive Organization. Listen to it…or don’t….really, it’s fine.
-This is the first show done under the new Motorola-TPN sponsorship. If you know of any companies that might want to sponsor THIS show individually, we’d love to hear about it ….
-We launch the Worst Manager on the Planet contest. Lots of cool prizes and some fun to be had while purging yourself of past traumas. Look at the last post for details.
I hope you all participate….
Show Notes
0:00 We start the show with the first of several 2-part ads from Motorola… pretty clever stuff actually. Listen to the ending of the show to get the punchline…
1:30 This show is dedicated to Baron De Grimm, the first man to use the word “Bureaucracy” in print. He complained loud and long back in 1817… sure glad he got rid of that pesky bureaucracy so none of US have to deal with it….
2:15 The quote of the week is from Euripides…yeah I know… my mother used to tell me everything blows over in time, but it lacked a certain cachet… maybe it was the Canadian accent.
3:30 Welcome Gary Neilson. If you want to read a copy of the article that inspired this conversation you can read it here for free.
5:00 What’s a Passive Aggressive Organization? 27% of us work for one…
8:30 What do these organizations do to good people?
10:40 Other bad types….Outgrown, Overmanaged, Fits and Starts
14:00 Resilient, Military Precision and Just in Time… the good 3 types of organizations
21:20 Most organizations are made up of more than one trait. ..
22:00 …And there’s something you can do. How do you light a candle in the dark.
25:00 So what can you do?
- Make decisions and make them stick
- Make honest appraisals that really matter
27:00 Take the on-line organizational assessment at www.orgdna.com
Don’t forget to participate in The Worst Manager on the Planet Contest! Details are below in the last post but the short version is, drop me an email or leave me a voicemail via Skype at wayneturmel. Let’s share the misery!
Don’t let the weasels get you down.
We’re Looking For the Worst Manager On The Planet
Posted on 17. Oct, 2005 by Wayne in General
Folks, I know that people who listen to the Cranky Middle Manager are some of the best and most conscientious managers in the world…..but we’ve worked for some real lulus in our day. It’s time to have some fun and vent….
Who is the worst manager you ever worked for? Still twitch every time you think about it? Now you can get it off your chests and win cool prizes at the same time.
Thanks to our global span and our thousands of listeners we can now proudly announce, The Worst Manager on the Planet Contest.
Was it the insane hours? The temper tantrums? Rifling through your drawers – while you were wearing them?
Tell us all about it and you could win:
-4th Prize: An autographed copy of my book, “A Philistine’s Journal, An Average Guy Tackles the Classics and 6 downloads from Magnatunes.
3rd Prize: The above plus a collector’s item Podcast Network T-Shirt
2nd Prize: The book plus a copy of ActiveWords
1st Prize: The book, the T shirt and a license for MindManager6 software (an $800 value) plus a chance to chat with me on The Cranky Middle Manager Show.
The Grand Prize winner will win one of each and be announced on November 30,2005.
All winners will be chosen by me and whoever is sitting around when it’s time to file through them.
Don’t worry, we won’t publish the names or organizations of the guilty. We don’t want to get sued either.
How to Enter
You can enter by email or by SKYPE for those of you who use it. You can SKYPE me at wayneturmel and leave a voicemail or email your answers to wayne@achismarketing.com
Contest is open to everyone except employees of The Podcast Network and those who work for me. Contrary to watercooler gossip, I do know who you are.
WAYNE