how to work with a SLAVE DRIVER

Wow quite so long didnt update the blog.

More stories.... doing too much , pushing too hard?

How do you know if you work for a Slave Driver? Easy – he’s the boss who likes to schedule meetings on a Saturday afternoon, who wants to review your memo at 7:00 am on a Monday morning, and doesn’t seem to bat an eye about calling you on your vacation to discuss an upcoming project. Hard working? Sure, but the Slave Driver takes it to a scary new level, where it seems there is little else that matters more to him than work – and you’re expected to follow suit.

Manage the Slave Driver: Start by taking a look around the office: Do you work in a company that celebrates a ‘work hard/Type A personality’ type of culture? Have you noticed that many of your colleagues work weekends, come in early, or stay late? If that’s the case, accept the fact that you’re part of a company or industry where working long hours is par for the course and your Slave Driver boss is simply one of many around the office. On the other hand, if you and your boss are usually the only ones burning the midnight oil, you may have some room to negotiate.

Try this: If you’ve truly got a Slave Driver on your hands, you owe it to yourself to take a stand. Still, tread very, very carefully when telling your boss ‘no’ in any way, shape, or form.  Even if your boss is being unreasonable, the last thing you want to do is gain the reputation of being unreliable, lazy, or not holding up your end of things.

[Note to newbies: Keep in mind that there are always situations that require more of your time and energy, no matter what the job, and many of us do put in longer hours earlier into our careers, during crunch time, or when economies are tough. This isn’t only because we’re sometimes expected to ‘pay our dues’ as newer employees, but also because it takes time – sometimes, lots of time - to figure out how to really do our jobs well. After all, if you’re new, you’re new – of course it will take extra hours to understand what’s what. As New Professionals, it may be a very smart move to put in more time than everyone else, Slave Driver boss or not.]

The Heroic Slavedriver

FAILURE BEHAVIOR: 

DOING TOO MUCH, PUSHING TOO HARD. You, the heroic slavedriver, compulsively do too much, push too hard - not only yourself but all your reports. Nothing is ever enough. You're always calling for more or better or faster - obsessively. And you're often oblivious to it. The unattainable motivates you, not money.

IDENTIFY IT: People will not work for you. You stress people to 'burn-out'.  Talented people leave the company. They realize they are going to be driven into the ground if they don't get out. The pattern shows over time. Word spreads.

Routine upward feedback performance evaluations will identify you.

FIX IT: Do not eliminate this behavior pattern, - which is highly rewarded and therefore strongly reinforcing - moderate it.  Don't turn off, just judiciously 'ease off the throttle'. Assign an assistant the responsibility to act as an observer and feedback provider who tells you immediately when you go over the top.

Some can not change. This behavior is their way of life. They work incessantly. That is the way they normally function. They may best be encouraged to operate as self-employed independent contractors.

BENEFIT: This behavior pattern, when properly modified, has great potential for enormous career success. The heroic slavedriver is highly valuable and very successful in many industries, particularly where machinery rather than people are the key assets of the company or where brawn is more important than brains. Where the company's assets are primarily intellectual, that is, people, it is even more important that you understand others. When you do then you and your group become even higher performance people.