Reprise: Note From Boss To Employees

I wrote this "Note From Boss To Employees" back in 2007 and it remains my most-cited post. [There were boos as well as cheers along with some polite applause.] Here it is for those who missed it:

1. I am sometimes under enormous pressure from upper management; pressure that you seldom see. Anything that you can do to make my job easier will be greatly appreciated.


2. Your interests are important, but please remember that I also have to juggle the concerns and feelings of a bunch of other people, including individuals outside of the department.


3. I may not have been given a huge amount of training before being named to a supervisory position. As a result, I’ve had to learn through trial and error. That's not always bad. Many of my responsibilities can only be learned through practice.


4. If you are a former co-worker of mine, please recognize that supervising former peers is one of the toughest jobs any supervisor faces. The support that you give me is crucial.


5. I will make mistakes. Please give me the same understanding that you’d like me to give you when you blunder.


6. If I do something dumb or am on the verge of doing so, please tell me. Don’t hint. Tell me.


7. I don’t like unpleasant surprises. Let me in on bad news as soon as possible. (Things that you believe are obvious may not be that clear to me. On the other hand, you'd be surprised at how quickly the latest gossip reaches my ears.)


8. I expect you to take initiative. If you keep bouncing things to me, I’m going to wonder why I have you around.


9. You should ask questions if you don’t know what to do. On the other hand, you should not have to be taught the same thing over and over again.


10. Let’s respect each other’s time. We each have a job to do and the more we can reduce unnecessary interruptions, the happier we'll each be.


11. Don't let all of my talk about meeting goals and producing results lead you into unethical behavior. You always have my permission to be ethical.


12. If either of us has a problem with the other's performance, let's talk about it.