People Wit

What if a boss has been put in charge by his family who own the business, but he is totally clueless about how to run things and doesn’t know it? Often, because of the boss’s family connections, employees may be afraid to clue the boss in, afraid the boss is untouchable and immune to any criticism because of family ties. But maybe that’s not the case, and maybe the boss and family would really like to know what he doesn’t know and how he could do a better job.

What to do :

1 . If you’ve got a boss who’s clueless, start by clueing him in. And if he’s still clueless and so is his family, inform the family to show how this cluelessness is affecting the bottom line.

2. People who don’t know often don’t know they don’t know, so your task is to find a way to gently let them know what they don’t know—or if they can’t face it that they don’t know, find another way to tell them what they need to know.

3. Just like you give a hungry dog a bone, give a boss who’s hungry for knowledge a clue. And if necessary, feed his family, too.

4. Just as it’s better to teach someone to fish than to give him a fish, it’s better to teach a clueless boss how to find the answers himself, rather than just telling him. And sometimes it takes teaching the village, such as when the boss’s family is clueless, too.

Source : Gini Graham Scott, Ph.D. Amacom Books. 2006