Emotional Rollercoater
Does your boss sit impassively as you present new ideas or report on your work? Instead they might bounce around the room with excitement. What do you prefer or need from a boss?
Andy Murray held aloft the Wimbledon tennis trophy for the second time yesterday. Since Ivan Lendl returned as part of his coaching team, Andy has had a remarkable run of success. Prior to Wimbledon, Andy won Queens for a 5th consecutive year.
It’s very hard to see what Lendl is thinking as he sits impassively in the player’s box, during the matches. Even in post-match interviews he is hardly talkative. There are no wasted words from Mr Lendl.
He might raise a ‘thumbs up’ gesture or some gentle applause but he’s hardly demonstrative. This made me wonder if an absence of emotion/response/feedback is good from a boss/mentor/coach.
We’ve all seen football coaches perform cartwheels when their team score and they patrol their technical area like they are playing the match but I also know of many mangers who remain impassive when scoring or conceding.
I took a course that assessed my outward appearance and behaviour when 1) everything was going well and 2) when things were going down the toilet. There was no difference in my scores which meant that my colleagues wouldn’t have any idea what was happening ‘below the surface’. I’m in the Lendl camp! Not sure if this is good or bad.
A previous boss of mine would visit our site in a remote part of the Netherlands and he had the look of a man about to undergo a serious examination with his proctologist. Everyone on site could see it and responded negatively. The boss didn’t last long but I hope his proctologist gave him hell.
What do you look for it terms of feedback from your bosses?