LATE SUMMER UPDATE
GREETINGS registered members of website bossesbossingbeingbossed.com
It is late summer here in Bizerkeley, the fog rolls in and then burns off, forest fires everywhere, and we are getting ready for Winter, and, hopefully, the rains. Time to reconnect with those registered at the website.
HOW ARE YOU USING THE SITE: there are many “goodies” on the website, exercises, power points on various management topics. The purpose of the website is to get you to think through how you want to manage, as well as reflect on the “irrationality” of most management thinking. Finally, the site offers a chance for personal coaching about your management style, and those who have signed up for this report that it is useful to have an objective coach to help you think about what you are trying to do and how you go about it.
THE SITE IS GROWING: in Spring the site had 180 registrants, then, for some reason it started to grow, 2 to 3 to 5 a day, until now it has some 450+ members. How this happened, why this happened, I am at a loss to explain.
GOODIES: over the years I have collected posters and cartoons that I used in my classes and I would like to make that available to you via google drive. Dilbert cartoons, also found on the website, some 1500 from past 4 years, useful to use as desktop or for presentation purposes.
There is also a website called DESPAIR.com which publishes posters and t-shirts and stuff “mocking management.”
Except that many of their posters, 250 presented here, ring true.
Again, useful to use as rotating desktop or for presentation purposes.
EXAMINONI TIME: I love watching “reality tv” because even though it is scripted, you also get a chance to study people at work. One series I love is called Below Deck which follows the staff of a yacht rented out to high paying clients in the Mediterranean. To watch the interactions between the ranks and the tensions is a joy. You can find it at: http://www.bravotv.com/below-deck-mediterranean/videos.
If you are in America; possibly also through ITunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/tv-season/below-deck-season-4/id1143639759. I use this as an “examinoni” and I am interested, as you watch each episode. If you were the Captain of the charter, who would you discipline, who would you forgive? It is an excellent way to test your management philosophy and I would welcome sharing your insights.
OUR CRAZY WORLD: Is it just me or does the world seem a little crazy. Here on the West Coast we are waiting for the North Korean rockets, on a neo-nazi march of UCBerkeley to come shortly. Around the world there is so much insanity, political upheaval, etc. It takes away your peace. But when I go to Facebook or LinkedIn and I see the pictures of couples, and weddings, and babies, and children growing up I begin to recognize two realities – in the real world folks are falling in love and partnering and starting families – while in the “fake news” world what is important is politics, or immigration or ISIS – and it is best to tune all this out because it takes away your joy.
IMPROVING YOUR BRAIN: Those of you who know me well, know I am a fan of brain games found at:
~ https://www.lumosity.com/
~ https://www.brainhq.com/welcome
I encourage all of you to try these sites out and test your skill and improve your brains. It is fun but it is also challenging.
MANAGEMENT SCHOOL: have you noticed how everyone is getting into the management training/credentials business? Not just IDP! Look around you – everyone is offering an MBA or management training, short courses, long courses, academically approved, “fly by nite”. There certainly are a lot of folks looking for credentials. From my perspective [and I am guilty of being a part of this}
- The faculty of these schools, however educated, are rarely business people. They have degrees but little or no experience in the world they are teaching about.
- Follow the money: the setup is to pay the faculty as little as possible while the administration gets the most. For example, there is a well known school in the Bay area, they pay faculty $6000 a course BUT each class is 60 students. Do the math: 60 students paying $60,000 tuition taking 8 courses = $3,600,000 income versus $48,000 for faculty.
- Everything is the same – accounting, finance, marketing, org behavior, economics – all teaching the same thing at the undergraduate level, the MBA level, etc. Perhaps you learn the language used in business – you do not learn management.
- Who are the faculty: I subscribe to a bunch of academic websites – Harvard, Standford, Wharton
and when I analyze their content I am amazed to find little to do with business and a great deal to do with political stuff – is not that interesting?
Now, practically, you may or may not need a credential – the question is, where do you get your education.
AND IS THAT NOT THE PURPOSE OF THIS WEBSITE……………
TO FOCUS ON MANAGING, TO FOCUS ON BOSSING, TO FOCUS ON YOUR ORGANISATION, AND TO GET YOU TO REFLECT ON WHAT YOU ARE TRYING TO DO: AS IT STATES ON THE WEBSITE:
- What does it mean for me
- To manage these people
- Doing this Job
- Under My Boss
- With this Budget
- Facing this competition
Now we are getting closer to understanding what bossing means!If you have comments or feedback, you can send them to me at
gdrix@aol.com
If you want the Dilbert stuff or the Despair stuff, contact me at:
gdrix@aol.com
And if you want coaching, check in out on the website.