The September Harvard Business Review includes my "The Boss as Human Shield," which presents some of the main points in Chapter 6 of Good Boss, Bad Boss. From what I can tell, HBR puts up articles on their website for the month the issue is on the stands, but then sells them for six bucks or after that (also, they do this weird thing where they pay $100 for the article... and you get no royalties after that.. really a brilliant financial model as they are so skilled at selling their articles in so many ways). So you can read the whole article there now and, if you like, leave a comment. The core idea of the article -- like Chapter 6 -- is the best bosses lead people who construe that he or she has "got my back." Here are the opening paragraphs of "The Boss as Human Shield:"
William Coyne headed research and development at 3M—the company behind Ace bandages, Post-it notes, Scotch tape, and other inventions—for over a decade. Shortly after retiring, Coyne spoke to a group of hundreds of executives about innovation at 3M and his own management style. He said he’d started at 3M as a researcher and learned firsthand how well-meaning but nosy executives who proffer too many questions and suggestions can undermine creative work. So when he became head of R&D, he was determined to allow his teams to work for long stretches, unfettered by intrusions from higher-ups. Coyne understood his colleagues’ curiosity; if successful, an R&D project could generate millions in new revenue. But he limited their interference (and his own) because, he said, “After you plant a seed in the ground, you don’t dig it up every week to see how it is doing.”Coyne knew that the performance of his employees—as well as his
career and the company’s success—depended on shielding them from
threats. This notion that management “buffers” the core work of the
company from uncertainty and external perturbations is an old theme in
organizational theory, going back at least to James D. Thompson’s 1967
classic
Check the rest out and let me know what you think --and what some of the other ways are that great bosses protect their people.
In the past I have managed direct reports and acted as a human shield. I had a team of systems administrators supporting outdated technology that failed to meet our business needs. Systems would fail and the executive team would quickly point fingers at my team for failures. I buffered the finger pointing and also worked with my team to develop proposals that would solve the root causes of the systems failures. I know I had the loyalty and appreciation of my team.
That said, when working on employee development, I have also found that at times I have to give them the opportunity to face the heat head on and respond to it in constructive ways. This experience helps build their management competencies. There is a balance between both strategies and knowing when I need to shield or encourage professional growth. Thank you for sharing your article.
Posted by: Ellen O'Rourke | August 28, 2010 at 10:43 AM
Howdy Bob, I haven't read the book, but now I might. A lot of these examples are very similar things I've discussed while away at lunch with co-workers etc. You ask if there may be other ways not included in this 7 that a boss might be able to protect his or her people. I've personally always appreciated the boss who seems to let me in on things... maybe seem to share secrets. Its a way to show that they're really on my side on many matters. It also makes them less robotic and more human.
Just a thought.
Posted by: Jake Nady | August 27, 2010 at 10:11 PM
Good info. This was one of my more favorite chapters when I read the review copy.
I actually cited it in a discussion on my blog about narcissistic bosses. You've got a citation and it's not even published yet.
Thanks Bob.
db
Posted by: davidburkus | August 27, 2010 at 07:14 AM