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Bosses: A Field Guide

Tags: Workplace, Recruitment & Selection, Human Resources, Workforce Management, Geoffrey James, Business, jungle, habitat, Selection, Boss

The office is a jungle. That's why intrepid employees need a field guide to help them spot and identify the most powerful creature in the workplace: the boss. Here are ten common examples of the species, along with care and feeding tips should you encounter a manager in the wild.

Field Guide to Bosses

 
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  •  
    1

    simpsond@...

    03/09/07 | Report as spam

    Bad Boss

    My boss's door is always open, it's just his mind that's closed!

  •  
    2

    alicew

    03/09/07 | Report as spam

    great

    great article1

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    3

    SHcontrol

    03/10/07 | Report as spam

    Great article

    really enjoyed the descriptives all the different bosses - wonder how others would perceive myself.

  •  
    4

    Passionate Leader

    03/23/07 | Report as spam

    Bosses- A Field Guide

    Cute - but relevant? Not sure - was more humorous than practical however did get a kick out of the artical and the descriptions of what they would be like.

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    5

    Proxax

    04/18/07 | Report as spam

    Gets as close as it can get

    All the types listed are true types. Have personally experienced the pros n cons of the following types;
    * The Climber
    * The Bureaucrat
    * The Fogey
    * our Hero
    and the
    * Lost Lamb...too many times really - Positioned by bosses to block a really powerful position in a remote office on the globe. Someone who will not act without their consent - In technology Co's usually the Software Programming guy or Sw Devp Project Manager who needed to spend a decade doing tech job but made country head/manager. Dummies fall for these type of promotion offers!

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    6

    tallndn

    05/08/07 | Report as spam

    Boss and messy desk

    I once had a boss whose obsession was that an employee with a cluttered desk probably wasn't effective. He walked by the office door of one of my peers and observed: "Messy desk, messy mind."

    To which the target of the comment replied: "I know you're right. I notice your desk is always empty?"

    Long silence. Then the boss, realizing he was talking to the division's lead producer, shrugged it off with humor - no retribution, but a good thought.

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    7

    dancer48

    07/26/07 | Report as spam

    Bosses: a field guide

    Love it. I have had many bosses like these and have passed this on to my working network.

    Great stuff

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    8

    HASamuel

    06/30/08 | Report as spam

    The Missing Link

    I have recently observed another example of the species, who would fall somewhere between the 'Dictator' and the 'Lost lamb'. I refer to the type who (a) has been overpromoted (mostly because of kissing the *** of his 'Climber' boss) and (b) is incompetent, but thinks he got the job because of his capability. As a scientific reference, see Wikipedia's entry on the Dunning-Kruger Effect. This is the worst kind of boss to have, because he can (and will) do absolutely anything to maintain his position.

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