Word

Any smart manager who has to both chart the course and navigate through the mire would do well to consolidate a decent amount of social favours before attempting to crash headfirst into doing both. It would be vital to build personal relations with the team you are managing so that they actually see you as one of them.

Otherwise, it will be very easy for them to go against you when the going gets tough because you're simply posing as a big-ass scapegoat, straw dog target. Human nature is such that people band together when unhappy, and even more particularly so when ladies are involved.

Being seen as a member of the team gives you leverage and bargaining power and also makes your workers feel like they're attacking the group - and as a direct result, themselves - when they do intend to return a word of recalcitrance to you after you dump them a truckload of assignments to do.

At any rate, even if someone decides to run his or her mouth at lunch time about what a shitty boss you are, with enough goodwill around, there will be others at the lunch table who would stand up for you too. It is futile to hope that your plans will always work out and that everyone sailing along with you will stay happy.


Anyone seen the new Berocca advert? The one about the office being a jungle, therefore one must take Berocca to stay sharp and alert.

I think the ad is brilliant. It goes on to explain the role of the office vulture, office fox, office snake and office rat and what one must look out for when dealing with them. The concept is familiar, extremely true and very much unexplored other than existing in the vague vestiges of bitching and complaining around the matter but not about it.

You can almost sense the mental nods of approval when walking amongst the crowd that passes by these outdoor advertisements strategically placed in city-area MRT stations and, I'll bet, the CBD.