The Hindu Business Line : Games bosses play

Today’s corporate and business environment is unforgiving. Consistent results are the only survival guarantee. It is therefore important to learn to spot the games that people play, particularly the bosses, and then deal with them effectively. The best way to neutralise the games is to shift the focus to results. In the heat of the moment it is virtually impossible to calmly go about achieving targets; but that is the only way to succeed, indeed even survive, so we had better go about building the capability to do just that!

Why they play games?

People employ various mechanisms to protect their self-image in the painful process of living. Bosses play these “games” on a grand scale. They too are human beings in search of self-validation and acceptance and so, more often than not, are an anguished bundle of insecurities and fear.

It is important to understand that bosses are tasked with the total responsibility of achieving results. Their survival depends entirely on the results they achieve. While results can be faked with creative accounting, window dressing or obfuscation, the true state of affairs will eventually emerge.

Results or the lack thereof can never be concealed indefinitely. So it’s absolutely critical for bosses to demonstrate results. And they will do everything possible to ensure their survival through results. That is exactly what games are all about.

What are games?

As the Miriam Webster online dictionary says, “a procedure or strategy for gaining an end” or “any activity undertaken or regarded as a contest involving rivalry, strategy, or struggle” ( http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ games) is a game.

We can of course also refer to Game Theory and the Von Neumann Hypothesis to learn more about games. In the present context it is sufficient to understand that games are devices, methods, behavioural patterns and processes used to achieve pre-defined results.

Bosses use some games to catalyse results and others to cover up failures and setbacks. They use games sometimes to strengthen relationships and at other times to weaken coalitions. But at all times the objective is to perpetuate their survival through attainment of results.

Unfortunately, many times, games have unintended consequences which ultimately lead to an erosion in the trust and credibility that the boss enjoys.

The common games

What are the common games bosses play?

Pretending: Bosses tend to conceal their true feelings, concerns and priorities out of a fear that they’ll lose control if they reveal themselves completely. So they are masters at playing “pretending”. One variant is “pretending to be angry”. In this variant the bossraises his voice and uses threatening expressions and words in a show of force. The objective is to intimidate people into complying with policy and performance requirements.

When the organisation experiences this game often, it learns that the show of force is not accompanied by action; therefore people learn that non-compliance is fine once they have weathered the tongue-lashing during the game. In a perverse kind of way this game reinforces non-performance.

The negative variant is of course, much worse! In this variant the boss ‘pretends’ to be concerned for the employee without actually ‘feeling’ it from within. So, for example, there is a mechanical, meaningless cutting of birthday cakes, asking about the family and superficial enquiries about health.

Employees instantly recognise the insincerity lurking in the background and begin to doubt the real intentions of the boss; they realise that the initial enquiries are empty rituals.

Cutting down to size: It may so happen that a talented manager is making a reputation for himself in the organisation. Sometimes he may even be very well known outside the organisation. The manager’s growing stature may cause discomfort to the boss who may see an emerging threat to his own authority.

So, “cutting down to size” may be deployed. In this game, the boss may lay down policy guidelines that restrict the manager’s powers and freedom of action. He may even be prevented from interfacing with the outside world.

For example, his club subscriptions, participation in conferences or travel may all be curtailed under the pretext of giving him more internal responsibilities. Another example is the boss bypassing the talented manager and taking input and information from his subordinate

Carry your own monkey: This is a game that bosses must play! Most often, managers try to pass on tough decisions and responsibility for problem solving to their bosses. For example, dismissing an employee for non-performance is something no manager likes to do; the easiest thing is therefore to get the boss to do it. If the boss agrees to go ahead and do the unpleasant and painful task, the manager learns that in future too he can outsource difficulties to the boss.

If every manager does this to the boss the organisation is doomed. Instead of getting each manager to take full responsibility for his domain, he is constantly solving everybody else’s problems! In such a case the boss is guilty of dereliction of duty; he has failed to do his job which is all about setting direction and achieving targets and creating a capability to deliver sustainable results.

Carry your own monkey is a game that the boss plays when he returns the problem to its source and insists that the manager concerned solves it himself by taking recourse to organisational resources and limits to authority. Played consistently with clear rules, this game can transform the entire accountability — initiative landscape of the organisation.

You do the work and I’ll take the credit: Many bosses have a visceral need to be in the limelight and hog the credit! These are pseudo leaders who damage organisations terminally. They ensure that the only person on the dais is the boss himself, no matter what the contribution of others has been. They don’t acknowledge the effort and dedication of the team and expect everybody to soldier on regardless of recognition and appreciation.

Busy-busy: CEOs delight in giving an impression that they are occupied for 36 hours in a day! That way they can avoid responsibility for caring for those around them and for attending to important if unglamorous tasks like listening to grievances, new ideas or feedback.

So they are always busy with calls, meetings and travel! Soon people learn that the boss is not available. This is a fundamental mistake because the first law of leadership is that a leader has to be available and accessible to his team.

Snooker: Bosses send messages indirectly like in snooker where you pot one ball by striking another! They confide in one person in the expectation that a third person will get the message. The grave danger of playing this game is the distortion inherent in the communication process. So the third person could receive a message that is vastly different from what was intended.

Considering the unforeseen consequences involved bosses and their teams will be well-advised to understand the dangers of game-playing and resort to that most potent of all remedies: direct, face-to-face communication!

TheLonelyCEO@gmail.com

http://TheLonelyCEO.blogspot.com

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