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What problems do retired military officers (capt. of sub in navy) have to cope
with when dealing with workers in large plants? We have lost two supervisors
(and good ones too) due to a power hungry, and less than friendly ex-officer.
This has happened twice in the one year the ex-officer has been employed in the
same department. If you are on the opposite side of an issue, you seem to be in
danger of being fired. It will help if you can explain what we might expect from
this person when dealing with him.
Signed,
Drafted At Work
Dear Drafted:
For four years in a civilian organization, I too worked under the leadership of an ex-captain of a submarine. He was a quiet, deliberate, and strong-willed individual, and someone for whom I had great respect years after I had left that organization for another position. In another job, the next one I took, two ex-military men were at the top of this civilian organization. Their behavior was manipulative, vindictive, and one of them was dishonest.
From this distance I can not tell you what to expect when dealing with your retired officer who now is at the helm. Exit interviews with those two supervisors, who you imply voted with their feet due to this "power hungry, less than friendly officer," could tell you about whether it was this ex captain who prompted their departure. And those of you who are in a position to observe this ex-captain probably can compile a list of the unwritten rules he expects workers to follow.
The military mind is common in the management of large organizations. Decision making is faster under a chain of command than when restrained by political considerations and many parties who must be consulted. Most business and many not-for-profit organizations are structured along the military model. They are managed by managers who defer to and report to those above them. The concept of span of control is not far from under my watch. This is to suggest that the mindset of managers is influenced by the culture, a culture which expects commands, orders, and obedience. Today's Chief Executive Officers are expected to run a tight ship. You will find applause for tough executives in Business Week, Fortune, and Forbes--those who have been decisive in downsizing and restructuring, who say fix it, sell it, or shut it.
Your query asks how should the bossed cope with the boss who is an ex-military? The answer is simple. They should expect to be given assignments, to take them as orders, to obey and report to those in charge. In turn, they should know how to give order to those under them. Loyalty matters. Performance matters. Discipline matters. What the boss wants done matters. The carrot and the stick matter. Fear matters.
I say this with a straight face, yet acknowledging, as is illustrated in the two examples at the onset of my answer that not all ex-military are alike. The hierarchical nature of managing is rooted in the military model. Controls and accountability are by-words of management..
We would like to think that our democratic culture affords another model of managing, and it has done much to humanize the difficult job of managing. It is because we grew up in a democracy that the adversarial struggle of labor enabled collective bargaining and laws that regulated working conditions. Today's managers know that those whom they manage do not work best when commanded. Rather working for the best comes from having a real say in how one's job is performed and in sharing in the responsibilities and rewards of delighting the internal and external customer. Enlightened managers know that the guru of quality, W. Edwards Deming, was right when he said we must drive out fear. Doing so entails rethinking such things as the divisiveness of merit pay and disproportionate rewards for those to take for granted the perks of management..
I know you did not expect a sermon in answer to your question. This fat answer is meant to suggest that there is a serious problem with your retired officer "if you are on the opposite side of an issue, you seem to be in danger of being fired." I don't know what is your position at your workplace. If you are a manager of this ex-officer, you have some real re-training to do. If you are below him, you need to watch your back, and hopefully can have enough courage to confront him and help him see that his unfriendly demeanor and distaste for other's argument hurt more than it helps.
Perhaps, you might share with him some of the many Q&As in our Archive that pertain to the dark side of the workplace and on the other hand to the bright side that comes from team-spirited management--one in which argument is welcomed rather than feared . Do send us a note about what you see happens in the next few months, and tell us what, if anything, you see is making your workplace better or worse.
WEGO can not be ordered, begged or bought, but is a process of voice and listening in the workplace.
--Bill Gorden