Advice on becoming a boss.

[Mobile Bay]

In a few days I will go from being a basic licensed engineer to supervising the work of other engineers. Completely different field. So I will literally be in charge of people who have been doing a job for 20 years that I know very little about.

My biggest fear is becoming a tyrant, like so many of my past bosses, which I why I do not work for them anymore.

I know I need to dress more professional and follow the rules tighter. To lead by example.

But I have not been this fearful of a transition since I gave up pest control and went back to MSU when I was almost 30 years old.

What advice does the six pack have to give me to help me be successful doing this?

 

[Bulldogbilly]

In a few days I will go from being a basic licensed engineer to supervising the work of other engineers. Completely different field. So I will literally be in charge of people who have been doing a job for 20 years that I know very little about.

My biggest fear is becoming a tyrant, like so many of my past bosses, which I why I do not work for them anymore.

I know I need to dress more professional and follow the rules tighter. To lead by example.

But I have not been this fearful of a transition since I gave up pest control and went back to MSU when I was almost 30 years old.

What advice does the six pack have to give me to help me be successful doing this?

Listen to, and respect, your team. Be confident in your decisions.

 

[Maroon Eagle]

Find out who the OCD engineers on the team are and ask them their thoughts re: tightening up (if the OCD folks think things are okay— you may not need to do that).

If you’ve got a crew with loads of experience they’re going to dislike what they think to be change just for the sake of change.

 

[Hugh's Burner Phone]

Walk in and tell everybody:

I am master gunnery sergeant Hartman. And my orders are clear...to weed out all non hackers who do not pack the gear to serve in my beloved corp.

Then walk up to the least senior person and tell them it looked like the best part of you ran down the crack of your mama's *** and ended up as a brown stain on the mattress. I think you've been cheated.

 

[Cantdoitsal]

In a few days I will go from being a basic licensed engineer to supervising the work of other engineers. Completely different field. So I will literally be in charge of people who have been doing a job for 20 years that I know very little about.

My biggest fear is becoming a tyrant, like so many of my past bosses, which I why I do not work for them anymore.

I know I need to dress more professional and follow the rules tighter. To lead by example.

But I have not been this fearful of a transition since I gave up pest control and went back to MSU when I was almost 30 years old.

What advice does the six pack have to give me to help me be successful doing this?

Been there and I wouldn't give myself a passing grade in hindsight. Being an A-Hole vs being a buddy can be a difficult up stream river to navigate.
..

 

[paindonthurt]

In a few days I will go from being a basic licensed engineer to supervising the work of other engineers. Completely different field. So I will literally be in charge of people who have been doing a job for 20 years that I know very little about.

My biggest fear is becoming a tyrant, like so many of my past bosses, which I why I do not work for them anymore.

I know I need to dress more professional and follow the rules tighter. To lead by example.

But I have not been this fearful of a transition since I gave up pest control and went back to MSU when I was almost 30 years old.

What advice does the six pack have to give me to help me be successful doing this?

Don’t ask them to do anything you wouldn’t do.

Listen to them. Actually listen and understand what they say before making a decision.

Think of ways to make their job easier while still being effective.

Judge them objectively and set objective and measurable goals. Tell them the goal ahead of time and be specific.

YOU CANT BE A GOOD LEADER IF YOU WERENT WILLING TO BE A GOOD FOLLOWER. It’s ok if they know more than you.

 

[IBleedMaroonDawg]

In a few days I will go from being a basic licensed engineer to supervising the work of other engineers. Completely different field. So I will literally be in charge of people who have been doing a job for 20 years that I know very little about.

My biggest fear is becoming a tyrant, like so many of my past bosses, which I why I do not work for them anymore.

I know I need to dress more professional and follow the rules tighter. To lead by example.

But I have not been this fearful of a transition since I gave up pest control and went back to MSU when I was almost 30 years old.

What advice does the six pack have to give me to help me be successful doing this?

Make sure you keep some lines of honest feedback open. I used this in weekly check-in and made them come up with something. Even if you don't always like it, you will find it is very valuable.

 

[BoDawg.sixpack]

Normally in a group that's at least eight people large, there's going to be one or two people with a chip on their shoulder who just don't want to get along with you or anyone else that doesn't agree with them. Identify those people and if you can get rid of them legally, do it. Replace them with qualified candidates who are spoken highly of by the references in their application. The sooner you do this the better off you and your department will be. If they want to think of you as a tyrant, oh well.

 

[Wesson Bulldog]

If asked a question and you're not sure of an answer, ask them what they think should be done.

 

[karlchilders.sixpack]

Use common sense (horse sense)
Don't be a micro manager. I hated them.

 

[Moondawgg]

 

[theoriginalSALTYdog]

In a few days I will go from being a basic licensed engineer to supervising the work of other engineers. Completely different field. So I will literally be in charge of people who have been doing a job for 20 years that I know very little about.

My biggest fear is becoming a tyrant, like so many of my past bosses, which I why I do not work for them anymore.

I know I need to dress more professional and follow the rules tighter. To lead by example.

But I have not been this fearful of a transition since I gave up pest control and went back to MSU when I was almost 30 years old.

What advice does the six pack have to give me to help me be successful doing this?

You obviously won't be like your predecessor so remember that people can accept change a bite at a time versus being force fed. Listen, stay humble, delegate and be a coach/advisor.

 

[hatfieldms]

In a few days I will go from being a basic licensed engineer to supervising the work of other engineers. Completely different field. So I will literally be in charge of people who have been doing a job for 20 years that I know very little about.

My biggest fear is becoming a tyrant, like so many of my past bosses, which I why I do not work for them anymore.

I know I need to dress more professional and follow the rules tighter. To lead by example.

But I have not been this fearful of a transition since I gave up pest control and went back to MSU when I was almost 30 years old.

What advice does the six pack have to give me to help me be successful doing this?

I have always let my team do their jobs and they know I am here if needed. I have always said if I have to micro manage someone then we have issues. If you have good employees they know what they are doing and do not need anyone breathing down their neck 247. This approach has always worked well and has also helped me keep employees from leaving when approached by other companies.

 

[wdawg44]

I have a child's brain but my first thought went to "like a boss" the song, for inspiration.

 

[Dawgbite]

The key is to work well through others. Kidding aside, I always found the most difficult employee I had, the guy nobody else liked, and made it my goal to relate to that person. If I could make a team player out of that guy, the rest of the guys were an afterthought. If that guy wouldn’t get on board then he had to go and that made everyone else happy so it was a win win situation.

 

[Podgy]

Be friendly but don't worry about being their friends. Trust and respect good employees. Make good decisions, be firm and consistent and expect others to comply and behave professionally. Don't second guess yourself often but accept good advice. Don't take things personally. Most people don't make good leaders and supervisors. Most people who lack leadership ability don't think they do. Be compassionate and understanding when needed. You're a boss so act like one. You're gonna have to make decisions that sometimes make you feel uncomfortable, including personnel decisions. I'm guessing you'll still have a bosses with expectations as well.

 

[T-TownDawgg]

When becoming a boss, if they lead you into a basement room with a big rug, start crawfishing.

 

[The Peeper]

It's a job, not a popularity contestfew days I will go from being a basic licensed engineer to supervising the work of other engineers. Completely different field. So I will literally be in charge of people who have been doing a job for 20 years that I know very little about.

My biggest fear is becoming a tyrant, like so many of my past bosses, which I why I do not work for them anymore.

I know I need to dress more professional and follow the rules tighter. To lead by example.

But I have not been this fearful of a transition since I gave up pest control and went back to MSU when I was almost 30 years old.

What advice does the six pack have to give me to help me be successful doing this

In a few days I will go from being a basic licensed engineer to supervising the work of other engineers. Completely different field. So I will literally be in charge of people who have been doing a job for 20 years that I know very little about.

My biggest fear is becoming a tyrant, like so many of my past bosses, which I why I do not work for them anymore.

I know I need to dress more professional and follow the rules tighter. To lead by example.

But I have not been this fearful of a transition since I gave up pest control and went back to MSU when I was almost 30 years old.

What advice does the six pack have to give me to help me be successful doing this?

It's a job, not a popularity contest. You're their boss first, not their friend. You can be both but you have to learn to separate the two. Carry on...

 

[greenbean.sixpack]

1. Hire a bunch of good-looking, single-mom secretaries
2. Fire the HR department
3. Party
4. Blackmail the owner
5. Profit

 

[ZombieKissinger]

Understand what the people who report to you want out of their careers, then give them a path to it with short-term and long-term goals. Tie their KPIs to your KPIs and make sure yours are tied to company OKRs. Work harder than the people who report to you; don’t brag about it, but make sure they’re aware. Delegate if you can, but make sure you understand how to do what you’re delegating, and make sure the people you’re delegating to believe you’re competent at the task you’re giving them. Don’t ask for feedback from subordinates unless you’re reasonably sure that it’ll be productive and something you can act on; do ask for feedback from peers and superiors. Keep learning. Figure out which competencies are actually valuable for each position you’re supervising then tie job descriptions to those competencies and base interviews/hires around those, then compare interview results to future performance to make sure you’re valuing the right things and hiring the right way. Always ask yourself why you’re doing things a certain way vs accepting how it’s always been done. Think practically. Take care of yourself. Take vacation and don’t respond while you’re off. Schedule emails if you’re sending after hours. Make sure your people don’t feel pressured to work around the clock, let them recharge. Celebrate successes. Have fun.

 

[dawgman42]

Get to learn your team. Do not think of them as folks you took over, but think of them as YOUR team. They are/will be your co-workers, and not your family; however, find out some basic things about each one of them and ways you can empathize with and show a genuine interest. See how much they like their current role and if they desire to do more personally and professionally. Be their leader, not their manager. As someone else said, don't micro manage them on day-to-day tasks, but also let them know your expectations. Don't tell them how to do things, but rather, ask their approach to solving a problem or dealing with a work-related issue; it will be AMAZING what you will learn from them.

There will be those--as others have said--that are stuck in their ways and won't necessarily go along with whatever style you bring to the table. That's ok. You do your best early on with some of the advice above (it's free and may be work exactly that much, too), and if they are still a problem, you should have other tools at your disposable with your leadership's assistance to re-assign them or make THEM decide if they will follow you or follow the path right out the door (hopefully the former).

 

[BELdog]

Read the book “Extreme Ownership” by Jocko Willink. He’s a former SEAL commander who now runs his own leadership training company. It’s not earth shattering stuff, but between that book and his others and listening to his podcast, you can’t help but become a better leader.

Listen to your people. Be receptive if they’re ideas. Give them ownership of their roles. Treat every move your team makes as if you are making that move yourself. If it’s successful, give them the credit. If it’s a failure, you take ownership of that failure because they are your people and you were at the wheel.

Choose your battles wisely. You need to build leadership capital. Being able to influence others is easier as you build up some capital with them. If you do something to break their trust, that’s just like making a withdrawal from your bank account. Same with asking them to complete a difficult task with little reward. There’s a finite amount in that account and if you ever over-draw, you’re 17ed. Learn the ways that you can add funds to that bank and be liberal in your deposits and withdraw as little as you can.

Those few things will garner you a great deal of respect.

 

[RBDog82]

Listen to Jocko Podcast. He’s got a great perspective on leadership.

 

[Yeti]

Don’t play monkey with the job..when a monkey climbs a poll the higher he goes the more of his *** he shows.

Listen, be compassionate they work with you not for you but you can’t be buddy buddy it’s a fine line you will figure it out. People are difficult different things motivate people. I like money some people who work for me just want decent pay but want recognition. All want respect and that’s earned on your end as well as theirs. Good luck

 

[AstroDog]

Basically, one of two methods.........Lead by Fear or Lead by Example. Would not recommend leading by overwhelming fear. Probably the best resource on being a boss is in the Holy Bible. Whether you're a Christian or not doesn't matter. The Bible has some of the best methods and practices on being a boss (it's call Master in the Bible). BTW.....All the U.S.'s legal system is also derived from the Bible and Judeo-Christian philosophy. I've read every management book possible and none come close to what is laid out in the Bible. Of course most managers get resources from a lot of different places and that's ok. You'll do fine.

 

[The Cooterpoot]

After meetings, slap everyone on the *** as they leave.

 

[PooPopsBaldHead]

You're going to be a manager of other engineers? As in you are going to have to tell them what to do and how to do it? Bwaaaaahhhhhaaaa.

Spending all day shoving bamboo shoots under my fingernails sounds more fun. God speed and load up on the Evan Williams Bottled in Bond.

Also, if you ever do have one of them admit they were wrong or don't understand something, go buy a lottery ticket asap.

 

[Trojanbulldog19]

Listen. Be consistent. Be on their team and fight for them with higher management. Be friendly but also but also stern when you have to be. You aren't there to be their friend but you aren't there to be their enemy. Don't talk down to your employees. Don't talk about your employees and don't pick sides. Listen to different ideas but you are the boss and leadership is expected to lead with your ideas also. Most important be yourself and authentic. Don't try to be someone you aren't. People won't respect you and you won't respect yourself.

 

[Trojanbulldog19]

Also look for classes on leadership and management Very helpful

 

[Fang1]

They’re now YOUR team and the teams success ( and less-than-success) will be yours. be sure to have conversations with them, individually and as a group, that aren’t ‘transactional’, they need to know that you actually care so when problems arise (professional and private) they don’t try to hide it and you know early. Ask questions to get them talking if they’re hesitant, then listen. Silence in a conversation is acceptable, you don’t need to ‘fill the silence’ as a boss, if it feels awkward - let it be awkward, they’ll usually start talking. Dont let little problems grow into big problems. Praise in public, critique in private. If you don’t know, dont try to fake it, kills trust. if they believe you’ll take care of them, they’ll take care of you.

You‘ll be fine

 

[Hugh's Burner Phone]

A more serious answer...at least have a passing knowledge of how to do your employees' jobs. Nothing pissed me off more than when I got an evaluation from somebody that couldn't even turn on the software I used to do my job. One of my evals with him he said I needed to do a better job. I asked him what I specifically needed to do. All he could say was I needed to do a better job. I asked him to pretend he was me. You come in to work tomorrow and sit at my desk. What do you do differently? All he could say was do your job better because he didn't have a 17ing clue how to do my job. I had a follow up evaluation six months later. He was just glowing saying how much better I was doing. So I asked him if he really thought my work was improved. He said oh yes it's much better. Looked him dead in the eye and said that's really odd as I haven't done anything different than I've always done. It was a good day when I left that company.

Second thing...beware the brown noser that would stab his own mama in the back to make himself look better and make you think this place couldn't possibly survive without him. It'll probably be the first person that comes in your office before you finish your first cup of coffee.

 

[Mobile Bay]

Walk in and tell everybody:

I am master gunnery sergeant Hartman. And my orders are clear...to weed out all non hackers who do not pack the gear to serve in my beloved corp.

Then walk up to the least senior person and tell them it looked like the best part of you ran down the crack of your mama's *** and ended up as a brown stain on the mattress. I think you've been cheated.

My dad hated that movie because how easy it made recruit training on Paris Island look. He was there in 1968.

 

[DeltaDawg22]

Get to know your team and their family. Everyone is going to be different so use their strengths and develop their weaknesses.

Agree with not being a micro manager. You are dealing with professionals and the more you treat them that way the more they will respect you.

Show respect and be fair to the team.
If you get a chance go look up Crucial Conversations. More than likely you will need to have a tough conversation along the way and this will help.

Last but not least Lead by Example. Don’t give your team members anything you wouldn’t do and be willing to step up when they need it. They will work as hard or harder when you are along side them.

 

[Podgy]

1. Hire a bunch of good-looking, single-mom secretaries
2. Fire the HR department
3. Party
4. Blackmail the owner
5. Profit

Where was this advice 15 years ago? My life would have been so much easier.

 

[DeltaDawg22]

Read the book “Extreme Ownership” by Jocko Willink. He’s a former SEAL commander who now runs his own leadership training company. It’s not earth shattering stuff, but between that book and his others and listening to his podcast, you can’t help but become a better leader.

Listen to your people. Be receptive if they’re ideas. Give them ownership of their roles. Treat every move your team makes as if you are making that move yourself. If it’s successful, give them the credit. If it’s a failure, you take ownership of that failure because they are your people and you were at the wheel.

Choose your battles wisely. You need to build leadership capital. Being able to influence others is easier as you build up some capital with them. If you do something to break their trust, that’s just like making a withdrawal from your bank account. Same with asking them to complete a difficult task with little reward. There’s a finite amount in that account and if you ever over-draw, you’re 17ed. Learn the ways that you can add funds to that bank and be liberal in your deposits and withdraw as little as you can.

Those few things will garner you a great deal of respect.

Great book. I got my team to read it. Would advice doing that as well.

 

[Mobile Bay]

1. Hire a bunch of good-looking, single-mom secretaries
2. Fire the HR department
3. Party
4. Blackmail the owner
5. Profit

My MILF boss will not go for number one. But I am OK with that since the boss I am leaving is also MILFtastic

 

[Mobile Bay]

Understand what the people who report to you want out of their careers, then give them a path to it with short-term and long-term goals. Tie their KPIs to your KPIs and make sure yours are tied to company OKRs. Work harder than the people who report to you; don’t brag about it, but make sure they’re aware. Delegate if you can, but make sure you understand how to do what you’re delegating, and make sure the people you’re delegating to believe you’re competent at the task you’re giving them. Don’t ask for feedback from subordinates unless you’re reasonably sure that it’ll be productive and something you can act on; do ask for feedback from peers and superiors. Keep learning. Figure out which competencies are actually valuable for each position you’re supervising then tie job descriptions to those competencies and base interviews/hires around those, then compare interview results to future performance to make sure you’re valuing the right things and hiring the right way. Always ask yourself why you’re doing things a certain way vs accepting how it’s always been done. Think practically. Take care of yourself. Take vacation and don’t respond while you’re off. Schedule emails if you’re sending after hours. Make sure your people don’t feel pressured to work around the clock, let them recharge. Celebrate successes. Have fun.

What in the tarnation is a KPI or an OKR?

 

[Dawghouse]

Realize first they are all people with families, goals, and dreams. You'll identify quickly the ones who could take your job and succeed.
You have 2 options, be fearful of them taking your job and stifle their productivity or build them up so they CAN take your job.

Assuming you're at a company that wants increases in productivity, you should be rewarded for building them up. If not, you still did the right thing and some other company will reward you. Be sure to document all your successes (via data).

my last "corporate" boss gave zero ***** about anyone below him. 10 years later he's in the same spot but most everyone under him has moved on to other companies with better titles and better pay than him.

You might not be able to make a difference but make sure they know you are fighting for them. Example, coach bitching at the ump and getting tossed even though it wasn't a terrible call. They'll work harder for someone they "think" is on their side against the man (those above you). Obviously don't embarrass your superiors in public but standing up for your team in a private conversation will go along way if they know you tried.

on that note, don't bad mouth your superiors to your team, ever. It'll eventually come back to bite you in the ***.

Understand, many of them are better than you at the task at hand. Your job isn't to be the smartest, it's to get your team to solve the problem in the most profitable manner. I worked for and respected several project managers who had absolutely no clue what we did (software development), but they knew what the end goal was and they made sure they cleared the path for us to get there. Always ask them for the solution even if you know the answer.

Don't lambast your employees in front of the team. If they make a mistake, correct them in private. If they continue, meet with them, with your boss. If it persists, you'll have what you need to fire them. If they correct the action then the rest of the team will be none the wiser and the employee won't be pissed at you because you embarrassed them in front of others.

if all else fails, do whatever you think nick saban would do. The man could teach a master class in leadership.

 

[Mobile Bay]

You're going to be a manager of other engineers? As in you are going to have to tell them what to do and how to do it? Bwaaaaahhhhhaaaa.

Spending all day shoving bamboo shoots under my fingernails sounds more fun. God speed and load up on the Evan Williams Bottled in Bond.

Also, if you ever do have one of them admit they were wrong or don't understand something, go buy a lottery ticket asap.

I know. I am a complete and utter idiot. Why in the hell did they pick me. I am a fool. Yet here I am.

 

[Mobile Bay]

A more serious answer...at least have a passing knowledge of how to do your employees' jobs. Nothing pissed me off more than when I got an evaluation from somebody that couldn't even turn on the software I used to do my job. One of my evals with him he said I needed to do a better job. I asked him what I specifically needed to do. All he could say was I needed to do a better job. I asked him to pretend he was me. You come in to work tomorrow and sit at my desk. What do you do differently? All he could say was do your job better because he didn't have a 17ing clue how to do my job. I had a follow up evaluation six months later. He was just glowing saying how much better I was doing. So I asked him if he really thought my work was improved. He said oh yes it's much better. Looked him dead in the eye and said that's really odd as I haven't done anything different than I've always done. It was a good day when I left that company.

Second thing...beware the brown noser that would stab his own mama in the back to make himself look better and make you think this place couldn't possibly survive without him. It'll probably be the first person that comes in your office before you finish your first cup of coffee.

No I ain't doing that ****. I couldn't imagine doing this new job without knowing it inside and out as soon as I can. That just isn't my way.