Employees, Management - What Do You Know?
It really matters not if you are a blue collar worker or white collar worker. Everybody has someone to answer to, unless of course, you are the owner of the business or company. And if you are the owner, perhaps you can enlighten this author and tell his readers if your managers know more than the employees…or vice versa.
If you are a blue collar worker or white collar worker, you have been there. I am talking about the scenario when the person in charge approaches you and you are instructed to perform an assignment; one that you have done several times, repetitiously and correctly. But you are being instructed on how to do it anyhow.
As he or she rambles on about what you have to do to complete the assigned task, you already have it figured out in your head. The instructional voice rambles on and sounds as if it is coming from a Charlie Brown cartoon…wah wha wha wa wha.
Now it is not my intention to undermine your boss. He or she may very well be an extremely intelligent individual. So very intelligent and detail oriented to convey to you every step of the assigned task, from beginning to end.
Therein lies part of the problem. By the time your boss has finished instructing you, the assignment could just about be halfway completed, making you feel superior to the person with the bountiful vocabulary, because you know your job.
Perhaps your boss previously held the same position in the company as you currently have, or used to perform the same duties. Okay. This brings up a theory.
Your boss is so elated with his or her new position that he or she is compelled to flaunt their authority. Like I said, it is just a theory and I am not defending your boss.
But, therein lies another possible answer to the question on who knows more. Telling yourself that you can do the job better than they ever could, will significantly intensify the feeling that you know more than they do.
Whether it is wrong or not to believe an employee knows more than management is up to you. It is probably just human nature and not even worth any further research. Even the best companies with the best personnel have their conflicts sometimes, but they persevere. Occasionally it can be interesting and amusing.
But in the end, it is business first. Everybody has a job to do in making a business successful. We must continue to do our jobs the best we can and perform them the way we are expected to. In so doing, all of us achieve a level of success.
Tom Watson is the owner of Blue Collar USA, a new website dedicated to encouraging and motivating the hourly wage earner. New report “Changing Your Life – Motivation for the Blue Collar Worker”. Visit http://www.usabluecollar.com
Tags: blue collar worker, employees, management, white collar worker