From Sales to Ministry

One year ago today I started work here. I haven't worked there for over 7 months now. Most of the readers of this blog know about my decision to pursue a life in Christian ministry instead of business so I won't go into detail about this right now.

I remember my first day quite well even now. I showed up at 7am and met a lot of people. On Mondays we would have branch meetings. This consisted of all the sales managers on my team (most of which I didn't know yet) and the branch manager (who I had interviewed with). The meeting started at 7:30am.

It was the first day for me and one other girl. Our branch manager apologized to us for what we were going to hear...and what began was a expletive filled tirade about how poorly the team had been performing. It was lasted 15 minutes or so. He complained not so much the actual sales results but the work habits that were permeating the office. I didn't act shocked, but I was. I knew what I was getting into and that it was going to be a tough, no nonsense environment...but this was a strong welcome to the business world. Cuss words don't intimidate me but him yelling and throwing things was like the kind of things you see in movies. I thought wow...I guess it has begun already. That was my first day of after college "real world."

Have you ever had a rude awakening on the first day of a new job?

The Perfect Boss .2

So we looked at two different types of bosses. The micro manager and the macro manager. The question posed was: what is the most effective type of boss? Who makes their workers most efficient?

Although I said I tend to enjoy the macro managing boss, I don't think that boss is most effective for the average worker. Why?
1. Over time that type of boss allows their employees to find the loopholes in their job.
2. The employee gets complacent because their boss is never around to make sure they are always working hard.
In reality it is probably a combination (of macro and micro) that is most effective but I think you have to be a micro managing boss to get the most out of your employees.
I work with a guy who likes the type of boss who is macro managing, but he NEEDS the micro. Most people don't have a perfect work ethic, me included.

I certainly don't enjoy this type of boss because they stress me out. I am given no freedom and always feel like someone is looking over my shoulder. So while a micro manager may produce the most effective worker, they certainly do NOT produce the most satisfied worker.

All the comments on the previous post makes it pretty obvious that everyone wants to work for a macro managing boss. The importance of a satisfied worker should never be understated, but for effectiveness alone...I think the micro managing boss gets the most out of their workers (even though the employees might want to quit).

The Perfect Boss

Getting a business degree in college really shaped my thinking. I always have a management lens in every situation. I think there are basically two types of bosses.

1. Micro manager- completely hands on, doesn't show trust in employees.
2. Macro manager- more hands off, lets employees have control over their job.
I know these are big generalizations, but I think they fit the overall feel of each type of management.

I'm not going to question what type of boss people enjoy until the next post. For me I need someone who will show me how they want me to do the job (micromanage) the first few days, and then leave me alone and let me do a good job (macromanage).

The question here is what is the most effective type of management? What makes people work harder and work more efficiently?

My answer may surprise you. I'll give that later.