# Bosses, how do you lead? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 6, 2011, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bosses-how-do-you-lead/605294 "2011-12-06T20:27:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2011, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bosses-how-do-you-lead/605294/21 "2011-12-07T18:13:20Z")
> [@Ace309](#): > > Is anyone going to be willing to claim to be a “do as I say, not as I do” type? > > I sort of expected to be justifying my “managing by walking around” schtick here. That would be me. I own the business. If I want to have a few drinks with lunch, that is my prerogative. My employees, no. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2011, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bosses-how-do-you-lead/605294/22 "2011-12-08T04:38:29Z")
> [@Pai325](#): > > I think I’ve worked for msmith537! And I’m sure I’ve been disappointed by your inability to execute my ill-conceived, vague, ambigous instructions within the unreasonable timeframes I’ve set for you. ---
**Author:** ![FoundWaldo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dfb087/32.png) [@FoundWaldo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoundWaldo)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2011, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bosses-how-do-you-lead/605294/23 "2011-12-08T04:42:36Z")
I voted “results” because, while I like to set a good example for people, I don’t actually do they work they’re doing. I did in the past, but as a manager my time is consumed by other things. So it’s hard to literally lead by example. ---
**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2011, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bosses-how-do-you-lead/605294/24 "2011-12-08T05:15:11Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > And I’m sure I’ve been disappointed by your inability to execute my ill-conceived, vague, ambigous instructions within the unreasonable timeframes I’ve set for you. Are you bald in the middle with a tuff of pointy hair on each side? ---
**Author:** ![voguevixen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5ac83/32.png) [@voguevixen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voguevixen)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2011, 8:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bosses-how-do-you-lead/605294/25 "2011-12-08T08:22:19Z")
There’s a lot of truth in these posts. Especially the “hire the right people” part. (That takes a knack I think, but I learned it quickly. Of course there are some “no brainers” like the guy who showed up to his interview wearing a baseball cap with a pot leaf on it. REALLY??? I mean this is San Francisco, so we’re pretty liberal, but a JOB INTERVIEW? Jeez, at least go through the motions!) I chose “other” though because I was sort of the manager who lead by…I dunno how to describe it. More of a “Yay we’re all on the same team and this is what we’re going to do today!” system. My employees were working for minimum wage and I tried to make things as least-miserable for them as I could. > [@msmith537](#): > > Wow, everyone here is such great bosses! Haha. Actually, I once lost an EXTREMELY valuable and apt employee due to a family move (I ran a movie theater and most of my employees were teens still living with their parents.) He was in my office talking about it with me and at the end before he left he said “…and thanks for being a really fun boss.” That was probably the highlight/most rewarding moment of any of my careers ---
**Author:** ![pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudotriton_ruber_ruber)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2011, 10:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bosses-how-do-you-lead/605294/26 "2011-12-08T10:18:33Z")
I hire smart people, and I tell them that they’re going to be given a lot of leeway, especially in areas that they know better than I do, and that’s it’s their job to see that I understand what they’re doing but I will very rarely tell them to do it another way. Then I step back and try to stay abreast of what’s going on. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2011, 10:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bosses-how-do-you-lead/605294/27 "2011-12-08T10:40:29Z")
> [@Nobody](#): > > Are you bald in the middle with a tuff of pointy hair on each side? No, I actually have great hair. It should silver nicely once I become a senior executive. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2011, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bosses-how-do-you-lead/605294/28 "2011-12-08T16:41:18Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > No, I actually have great hair. It should silver nicely once I become a senior executive. I think that was a question about the hair on your head, not your back 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e4f/32.png) [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_is_the_new_Analog)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2011, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bosses-how-do-you-lead/605294/29 "2011-12-09T01:47:11Z")
I’m not a lead in my current job…but was at my last one. Based on the feedback I received, and my own plans, I’m a lead-by-example guy. I never asked my team to work harder than I did, and I tried to make sure they had at least some work they actively enjoyed doing. Of course, my old team was so talented, they made it easy for me to lead them. If all teams were like that, I’d like being management. -D/a [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bosses-how-do-you-lead/605294.md?page=1)