Toil and Fun

Inc.com features an article about the "8 Core Beliefs of Extraordinary Bosses."  of course, dash9 will read such an article given how extraordinary a boss that he is.  dash9 agrees with the advice from this article.  for example:

"Work should be fun, not mere toil.
 Average bosses buy into the notion that work is, at best, a necessary evil. They fully expect employees to resent having to work, and therefore tend to subconsciously define themselves as oppressors and their employees as victims. Everyone then behaves accordingly.

Extraordinary bosses see work as something that should be inherently enjoyable–and believe therefore that the most important job of manager is, as far as possible, to put people in jobs that can and will make them truly happy."

dash9 could not agree more.  he ensures that all of his subordinates see their work as toil and view it as evil (the "necessary" part is unnecessary).  this, in turn, makes work very fun for dash9.

Individuality

"understand individual differences" is advice that reminds managers to acknowledge and celebrate their subordinates' diverse ways of communicating, working, etc.  dash9 embraces this advice by requiring his subordinates to use diverse ways to express their admiration for him.

facebook and twitter

management gurus mention that it's important to take an interest in your subordinates, even at a personal level.  dash9 requires his subordinates to accept his friend requests on facebook and follow requests on twitter.  after all, why confine making subordinates feel awkward to the work environment only?

humor in the workplace

it's quite common to read advice about encouraging managers to introduce some humor into the workplace.  however, it's also apparently true that one of the most stressful aspects of subordinates' jobs is not knowing how to react to their manager's humor.  dash9 makes it easy for subordinates by demanding that they laugh at all of his jokes.  and he never clarifies when he is joking.  what's the reaction for laughing at the wrong time?  note the previous post about morale and beatings.

morale and beatings

you may have heard about the phrase: "the beatings will continue until morale improves." this phrase is silly.  why care about your subordinates' morale?  dash9 prefers the phrase: "the beatings will continue until dash9's morale improves."

subordinate's presentations

management consultants recommend that subordinates should get opportunities to present.  dash9 always likes to include subordinates in his presentations.  in this way, if the presentation goes well, dash9 takes all the credit; if the presentation goes badly, dash9 blames his subordinates.