Ryan Holiday shared a slide show with me from author Robert Greene and some guy named 50 Cent. The slide show, 10 Lessons in Fearlessness (embedded below), features 10 short lessons adapted from the book “The 50th Law.” There’s a lot of value within, and one of the slides addresses something I’ve been encountering and thinking about a lot lately.
“Complaining and haranguing people to work harder has a counterproductive effect. You must adopt the opposite style: Imbue your troops with the proper spirit through your actions, not words. They see you working harder than anyone, holding yourself to highest standards, taking risks with confidence, and making tough decisions. This inspires and binds the group together. In these democratic times you must practice what you preach.”
Do you work harder than your boss(es) ? Is the hierarchical tier in a company actually an inverse of the amount of work being done?
As regular readers of this blog know I consistently discuss and exchange ideas with a multitude of young employees in various types of organizations. I hear about it a bit less frequently in smaller organizations, but in the corporate world it’s virtually unanimous.
Why is this?
Is it a matter of perception?
Many times the type of work is different. While a front line employee might be analyzing trends, doing research, crunching numbers, writing copy, etc. their superiors might be having frequent meetings. Do entry-level employees perceive phone calls and meetings as easier work than the work they’re doing because it’s less mundane and tiresome?
Are those meetings usually good partnership opportunities and sales leads or is it a lot of posturing?
[Either way if a manager wants to get more out of their employees the work they do and the perceived value they create has to demonstrate to their subordinates that they are working hard, creating new business, etc. and not just bossing them around and exchanging war stories with leaders from other organizations. Yes?]
Have they earned the right to have an ‘easier’ job?
Aside from the explanation that the entry level employees just don’t ‘get it,’ and they don’t care, managers will also resort to claiming they’ve earned the right. And maybe they have. Wouldn’t you want to come in, send a few tweets, read a few articles, have a 2 hour lunch, review two quick projects and offer a tiny bit of advice, mix in a phone call and call it a day once you became a boss?
[If you’re reading this and nodding good for you, but I can assure you that your employees will have a lot more respect for someone that takes Greene’s advice. If Don Draper gave his junior copywriters a bulleted list of things he wanted to see in an ad campaign before they ever started, they’d certainly bring him something significantly better than if they operate under their own assumptions.
What’s more annoying than re-working something 15 times because you couldn’t get your superior to sit still long enough to read your draft? Or a middle manager telling you to change something after reading two sentences and then going back into their office and closing the door? I have an idea: READ THE WHOLE DAMN DOCUMENT AND LET ME KNOW WHAT WORKS AND WHAT DOESN’T AND I’LL FIX IT ONCE INSTEAD AND SAVE US BOTH FOUR HOURS AND SEVEN REVISIONS. Save the learning experience BS for better economic times when we actually have hours to waste.]
One day when you have your own company (or today if you already do) consider crafting strategy with an employee, and instead of just asking them questions to “get them thinking,” contribute your own ideas and insights; after all, you’re the one with the experience. If your entry level employees can write 2 proposals a day, try writing 3. If you’re the boss and you can write 3 not only will they respect you, but they’ll amplify their own efforts.
* I haven’t been in the work force long enough to state these claims with any definitiveness. That’s not the intention here. Rather t have a discussion and learn from one another. Do you perceive that the people above you do less work than you, particularly if you work in a big organization? If so, is it on account of one of the reasons above? If you’re a leader, what do you do to demonstrate to your subordinates that you’re in the trenches also?
Check out the slideshow and see what else you can learn from Robert and Fifty’:
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Seth Elliott says
November 2, 2009 at 8:04 amIntriguing thoughts here. I think that “face-time” needs to actively addressed in this context.
When I was an Associate at an investment bank, we often discussed the amount of face-time required in regards to advancement and bonus structure. In general, the requirements for face-time (and the need to consider it)is unsurprisingly correlated with the hierarchical pyramid in a workplace.
However, maybe that’s wrong…perhaps middle managers (and upper managers) need to consider face-time for its effects on subordinates. That seems to be one of the core suggestions here – and it appears logical. If middle and upper management is “putting in the time” in a fashion that can be observed by front line employees – it sends a very strong motivational message.
.-= Seth Elliott´s last undefined ..If you register your site for free at =-.
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admin Reply:
November 2nd, 2009 at 10:15 am
@Seth – I think I agree with Wilfriend below at least with respect to the fact that it’s a relatively complex issue. An entry level sales employee doesn’t want to sit at a desk cold-calling for 8 hours (and they shouldn’t have to).
If someone can sell 5x their salary in widgets working 20 hours a week from home then by all means, BUT that same employee should probably understand that just because their superior doesn’t put in 40 hours face time doesn’t mean they’re not working 40 hours. Though, sometimes it probably does.
Again, a lot of it boils down to perception. If your subordinates BELIEVE you’re working hard and contributing value, they’ll be more inclined to work hard instead of checking Facebook photos from Halloween parties? At least that’s the impression I get from conversations I’ve had.
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Wilfriend says
November 2, 2009 at 9:50 amI think article presents only one side of the story. To me its the complexity, comprehensiveness, and ambiguity of the problems your boss can deal with is more important.
Just my 2 cents
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admin Reply:
November 2nd, 2009 at 10:17 am
@Wilfriend – All valid points re: complexity, comprehensiveness, and ambiguity. I tried (perhaps unsuccessfully) to allude to that with the perception argument. What are some ways a leader can demonstrate to his team that he’s working hard, creating value, and generating revenue even when their everyday tasks don’t necessarily convey that?
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Yura says
November 2, 2009 at 10:08 amActually, the front line work is indeed more physically demanding, while the CEO work is more mentally demanding.
Ideally, leaders need to spend their time using their experience to make decisions, while front-line workers do the work to get the results they wouldn’t have otherwise received.
Practically, of course, a leader has to be good at stuff. But as it is, an employee is usually at a place beyond his capabilities (there’s some law on that, because you are promoted, when you are good at something, but not promoted, when you are not good at something).
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admin Reply:
November 2nd, 2009 at 10:25 am
@Yura – That feels like a logical explanation. I don’t think anyone can actually WORK 40 hours a week. (Sure you do some weeks, but at some point you need time to rest and replenish.) It’s just not in our nature to do that consistently. Kyle Neath has a solid post about this on his blog Warpspire here –> “It’s Not Just About How Many Hours You Work.”
To an entry level worker though they could perceive themselves to be doing 35 hours of work, and a senior leader doing 16 hours of work because they don’t always see decision making processes, etc. What’s TANGIBLE can sometimes be important I suspect, OR at least the way upper management communicates the value of what they do to their subordinates.
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Stuart Foster says
November 2, 2009 at 11:18 amPersonally, I would have used more Jay-Z in my presentation…
Just sayin’
.-= Stuart Foster´s last blog ..Rotnem Philosophy =-.
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citygirlgvl says
November 2, 2009 at 5:02 pmI definitely work harder than my boss. My problem is that he doesn’t agree that me being there to keep things running when he’s not, has any significant value. He should be paying for the peace of mind he has when he’s not there. He knows he can trust me and that I will show up everyday and get the job done.
He hasn’t given me any raise in several years and even took away my sick days this year, citing “the economy”. Perhaps if he spent more time working, the business would be making more money. I’m not the sales department, he is. I resent the disrespect and lack of effort on his part. I have been actively looking for a new position, and when I find one I’ll leave with no regrets…knowing that he let me down. I’ve been there for eleven years, and his behavior is showing me the door.
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Beth says
November 3, 2009 at 9:08 amHello! Great post Ryan! I really think that this is a very interesting concept, and it definitely comes into play at the nonprofit where I work. In my field of fundraising, I see my boss knowing next to nothing about his field, and simply cruising along for the ride, while I do almost everything.I really think it’s important to address this problem, because I know that in my experience, it leads to a lot of turnover – and ultimately – a lack of productivity due to sheer frustration. I definitely think it is imperative for supervisors to think about their own experience in relation to those that work for them…it is part of being a well paid manager!
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admin Reply:
November 3rd, 2009 at 1:17 pm
@Beth – It’s unfortunate you’ve found yourself in that situation, and I’m sorry you’ve had to deal with that as I know it can be very frustrating, particularly if said boss is getting the credit for your hard work. I completely agree your suggestion that the manager try to think about it from an employees perspective.
I think my sympathies lie with the employees who feel trapped and that they can’t leave because of the economy. The manager’s will get what’s coming to them I suspect. Though, let’s be honest, this world isn’t always fair, in fact it rarely is.
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admin says
November 3, 2009 at 11:39 amAs part of this discussion, just wanted to add this thought from Jason Keath in response to the post, “I imagine most people do. The question is do you work harder than your boss worked to get to where they are.”
I think this is a great perspective. One could argue that there are a handful of bosses that ‘just got lucky,’ and this is certainly true, but they’re likely the minority. At least I hope so.
BUT the question remains, what can they do to communicate to their subordinates that they’re working hard, or at least have a good handle on what’s going on to ensure they get the most productivity and effort out of them?
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Monica O'Brien says
November 3, 2009 at 2:22 pmThat chart is insane to me. I’m reading this book called Top Jobs, and the life of a CEO is one that I would never want. Sure, it seems like they just go around and inspect or give speeches all day, but those people actually spend almost every waking moment working.
It’s easy to sit in the trenches and see how your manager knows nothing and does nothing, and I’m sure it’s true for many of us. But the chart above seems grossly mis-stated to me.
.-= Monica O’Brien´s last blog ..Integrating email marketing with social media =-.
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admin Reply:
November 3rd, 2009 at 2:46 pm
@Mon – Surprised it took you to call me out on those graphs. I do think they’re probably a gross misrepresentation posted to entice conversation. I think you’ll encounter middle managers not doing their job more often than CEOs (especially in big companies.)
There are definitely mom and pop shops though where the CEOs do a LITTLE work, hire their offspring at $80K so they can yell at the plebeians, and don’t care about profitability as long as they can pay themselves, write a bunch of stuff off, and get their name in the paper/do a few interviews.
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Ronnie says
November 5, 2009 at 8:31 pmInteresting article, liked how you tied in the 50th law. Great book.
I would change the title from “Do you work harder than your boss” to “Are you more productive than your boss”. Could be just me, but I think different people have different perceptions of working hard. And just because your working hard does not mean you’re working productively. I have friends that look like the laziest students, yet they ace their exams, create valuable work, and bring interesting discussion to lectures.
Also, not all employees are cutout to be a CEO. Or a leader. Most employees probably couldnt handle making tough decisions CEOs must make, leading people toward a collective purpose, etc. There is simply a different skill set that a CEO position demands from a an employee postion.
However, I do agree with your thoughts on leading by example, asking your employees to think outside the box, etc. Especially with my generation, whatever you want to call it (Gen-y, millenials) collaboration between employee and leaders will be crucial. May not be as effective with older generations, but will be with the generation coming in.
.-= Ronnie´s last blog ..Optimize Your Growth as an Individual =-.
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