TOPIC: Desi Bosses

Anonymous wrote: yes, possible. but then the employee must claim that he/she is taking time off to take care of the sick and is not sick himself/herself.

I agree. I am not sure what the reason is, why can't they be honest? Is it becuase if they take the day-off for their loved ones, then their leaves are consumed and they'd like to save the leaves for their India trip?

Usually it doesn't work that way, even though we all believe that it should. People usually get paid by the hour and if completing work is the criteria, they will start factoring more sick time in their estimates and commit to time frames that take twice as much time.

Estimates & Buffer-time is always the prerogative of the manager. They can't be too agressive in their time-lines wherein these the time-offs are not factored in. Ultimately the manger has to face the music when the timelines are not met.

More cost to the company

Well company policies does subscribe to work-life balance, time-offs, sick-leaves etc. So this cost is already factored in when an employee is hired at a macro-level.

what you have listed are the obvious.

Very true. I never got do my MBA but common-sense approach which they say is very uncommon worked wonders for me. I had a team that was hand-picked based on their skill-sets, work-attitude/ethic. the team was intact for almost 10years before the company got acquired and we had to split ways.

that their lies are being verified

let their conscious worry about their lies. focus on your role to get the work done as per expectations.

I don't believe it ever worked for you. You don't seem like a person who ever managed people.

But may be you can answer a general question about people "How to deal with resentful, arrogant, self-righteous but hollow people?"

sanjus wrote: I already mentioned these were some of the things that worked for me in either roles. Will it work for all? Surely not, Some situations are different and needs to be handled differently. There are thousands of books being written on this topic but sometimes it's the common-sense approach that works best in most situation.

Anonymous wrote: Let us get out of books and talk something real.

Sincerity & Trust/Faith was/is my Rule#1 - believing in people what they say. Don't need to be judgemental too soon. At the same time, I can't help people if they are skeptic - what goes around comes around.

Anonymous wrote: I don't believe it ever worked for you. You don't seem like a person who ever managed people.

What makes you think it is soon? I know your from AT picnic time.

What goes around comes around? Take the sunglasses out and try to read

sanjus wrote: Sincerity & Trust/Faith was/is my Rule#1 - believing in people what they say. Don't need to be judgemental too soon. At the same time, I can't help people if they are skeptic - what goes around comes around.

Anonymous wrote: I don't believe it ever worked for you. You don't seem like a person who ever managed people.

Desi+Woman Boss= Disaster

Indra Nooyi is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of PepsiCo & there are many many many more!

Nearly one third of India's total population is currently governed by a woman chief minister!

funny Kid wrote: Desi+Woman Boss= Disaster

Is Indra Nooyi or the chief minister your boss? If yes then you can justify them. We are not discussing successful women here right?

LOL. Good one.

When people cannot add value, the try to change subject )))

funny Kid wrote: Is Indra Nooyi or the chief minister your boss? If yes then you can justify them. We are not discussing successful women here right?

I would have been privileged to work for Indra Nooyi.

However, the point was: Desi+Woman Boss does not = Disaster. Yes, there would be individual cases/exceptions but exceptions are not the rules.

Although, now that I re-read your statement - I am not sure what your statement was in the first place:
1. Can't desis work for Women bosses?
2. Can't women bosses manage Desis?
3. Other not "so obvious" thoughts?

I personally think Women can be the best managers in any environment very easily if they can simply apply their "house-management" combined with organization/planning skills at work too. The dynamics they face & manage at home - managing kids, schooling, husband, parents, social network, culinary - they are best equipped with mulit-faceted skills. They just need to apply the same skills at work. There's a quite-a-parallel between the 2 environments - home & office.

funny Kid wrote: Is Indra Nooyi or the chief minister your boss? If yes then you can justify them. We are not discussing successful women here right?

Do you know what you are talking about? Superficial and artificial. There is no diff in women or men for management skills - that is the first principle and you do not know that....

sanjus wrote: I would have been privileged to work for Indra Nooyi.

However, the point was: Desi+Woman Boss does not = Disaster. Yes, there would be individual cases/exceptions but exceptions are not the rules.

Although, now that I re-read your statement - I am not sure what your statement was in the first place:
1. Can't desis work for Women bosses?
2. Can't women bosses manage Desis?
3. Other not "so obvious" thoughts?

I personally think Women can be the best managers in any environment very easily if they can simply apply their "house-management" combined with organization/planning skills at work too. The dynamics they face & manage at home - managing kids, schooling, husband, parents, social network, culinary - they are best equipped with mulit-faceted skills. They just need to apply the same skills at work. There's a quite-a-parallel between the 2 environments - home & office.

funny Kid wrote: Is Indra Nooyi or the chief minister your boss? If yes then you can justify them. We are not discussing successful women here right?

sanjus wrote: I personally think Women can be the best managers in any environment very easily if they can simply apply their "house-management" combined with organization/planning skills at work too. The dynamics they face & manage at home - managing kids, schooling, husband, parents, social network, culinary - they are best equipped with mulit-faceted skills. They just need to apply the same skills at work. There's a quite-a-parallel between the 2 environments - home & office.

I don't think that there is any similarity between the two. For example, in a home environment, you don't fire a non-performer and you do not reward the high achiever. Women can be clumsy too and it's not like every homemaker or even a working women does all things perfectly. So, they could miss out on cooking dinner one day and order a takeout. Some women can talk endlessly on phone while men are usually more to the point even when talking to friends. Also, these days men are equally involved in cooking and cleaning and other household chores ... gone are the days when a woman would serve the morning tea/coffee to her man in a tray with newspaper.

You raise some good points - let me see if I can write something along the lines

First of all, I never said All women are the best managers - however, if they try then "can be" if they apply the home-management/organization skills. There's a subtle difference.

Here's how:
1. just like in a family, you don't fire non-achievers, you should make a concerted efforts to help the non-achievers in your team realise their weakness and set realistic expectations so that they can be successful. Failure is natural when one sets the expectations above the bar either knowingly or unknowingly. As a manager, he/she is primarily responsible to evaluate the resources they are hiring vis-a-vis the job requirements. if the resource fails, then it basically reflects on the manager's ability to select qualified resource for the job and eventually the manager becomes a failure in the eyes of the top management for not hiring qualified resources.

2. Clumsy & non-perfect: Well, all of us are at times clumsy and non-perfect - that's what makes us unique individual human-beings.

3. Cooking Vs TakeOut: Getting work done inhouse vs Outsource. Depending on the work-load and the resource capability & other factors, every manager has to take those kind of decisions in today's economy.

4. Husbands doing Cleaning/Chores: Today's managers have to be willing to roll-up sleeves when the time demands. When the going gets tough, the tough gets going.

5. tea/coffee in a tray with newspaper: how many do really read the newspapers in this digital world? that's the reason they come up tablets, smart-phones etc

Anonymous wrote: I don't think that there is any similarity between the two. For example, in a home environment, you don't fire a non-performer and you do not reward the high achiever. Women can be clumsy too and it's not like every homemaker or even a working women does all things perfectly. So, they could miss out on cooking dinner one day and order a takeout. Some women can talk endlessly on phone while men are usually more to the point even when talking to friends. Also, these days men are equally involved in cooking and cleaning and other household chores ... gone are the days when a woman would serve the morning tea/coffee to her man in a tray with newspaper.

Family and business are different. Firing is a business decision - not a family decision. Seems like you would 'change' your wife if she is not good enough. Hiring is not always manager's decision as most of the time manager inherits team.

Learn to understand what is written. Do not take things in literally like you did for newspaper.

Did you ever work in corporate world? Stick with cooking.

sanjus wrote: You raise some good points - let me see if I can write something along the lines

First of all, I never said All women are the best managers - however, if they try then "can be" if they apply the home-management/organization skills. There's a subtle difference.

Here's how:
1. just like in a family, you don't fire non-achievers, you should make a concerted efforts to help the non-achievers in your team realise their weakness and set realistic expectations so that they can be successful. Failure is natural when one sets the expectations above the bar either knowingly or unknowingly. As a manager, he/she is primarily responsible to evaluate the resources they are hiring vis-a-vis the job requirements. if the resource fails, then it basically reflects on the manager's ability to select qualified resource for the job and eventually the manager becomes a failure in the eyes of the top management for not hiring qualified resources.

2. Clumsy & non-perfect: Well, all of us are at times clumsy and non-perfect - that's what makes us unique individual human-beings.

3. Cooking Vs TakeOut: Getting work done inhouse vs Outsource. Depending on the work-load and the resource capability & other factors, every manager has to take those kind of decisions in today's economy.

4. Husbands doing Cleaning/Chores: Today's managers have to be willing to roll-up sleeves when the time demands. When the going gets tough, the tough gets going.

5. tea/coffee in a tray with newspaper: how many do really read the newspapers in this digital world? that's the reason they come up tablets, smart-phones etc

Anonymous wrote: I don't think that there is any similarity between the two. For example, in a home environment, you don't fire a non-performer and you do not reward the high achiever. Women can be clumsy too and it's not like every homemaker or even a working women does all things perfectly. So, they could miss out on cooking dinner one day and order a takeout. Some women can talk endlessly on phone while men are usually more to the point even when talking to friends. Also, these days men are equally involved in cooking and cleaning and other household chores ... gone are the days when a woman would serve the morning tea/coffee to her man in a tray with newspaper.

Is it that difficult to contribute without needing to thrash a poster?

what can you do about A barking stray dog? better to ignore and march ahead like an elephant!

Now you'll see even more reactionary ranting!

Wow - someone really want's to settle some personal scores - for the criticism I wrote a few days backs about A blog/blogger! Well, you are free to post whatever filth in your mind over here - doesn't really bother me a bit. Hope you don't express the same filth on your loved ones. Good Luck and don't worry I won't run away from here and hide behind anonymous id's.

Anonymous wrote: Seems like you would 'change' your wife if she is not good enough.

b]i]a woman would serve the morning tea/coffee to her man in a tray with newspaper. :)[/quote[/i[/b]


In India yoou can ask ur 'ayah' to get the newspaper with tea & a smile

Seems like you would 'change' your wife if she is not good enough.[/quote][/quote]


Some silly donkey writing stupid stuff. Has no respect for women.

Sanjus,

I think you are mistaken here. Bloggers do not use this kind of language and do not believe in settling scores. I know from sure it is not that blogger. One hundred percent sure.

What if he proves beyond any possible doubt that the message is not from? There is a way to prove it.

I think both of you are attacking each other so keep others out.

sanjus wrote: Wow - someone really want's to settle some personal scores - for the criticism I wrote a few days backs about A blog/blogger! Well, you are free to post whatever filth in your mind over here - doesn't really bother me a bit. Hope you don't express the same filth on your loved ones. Good Luck and don't worry I won't run away from here and hide behind anonymous id's.

Anonymous wrote: Seems like you would 'change' your wife if she is not good enough.