Robert Campbell

Having spent over 45 years working in a supervisory or management role in the NHS and General Practice, I’ve seen the good and bad of fellow managers.

Worker

One of the first ‘traits’ I noticed when working at the age of 16, observing a boss who sat glued to a seat watching the workforce, wasn’t his ‘observational skills’, more his laziness. Was that what bosses did? I‘ve never had a job where I could just sit around, and I wonder how many GP Practice Managers get away with just being a ‘conductor’. I used the Power by Walk About technique; touring the building to say hello and deal with problems to face.

Perfectionist

The same chap was a stickler for perfection, whether it was timekeeping, accuracy or neatness. We started work at 9.00am and finished at 5.36pm precisely. Overall, this wasn’t a bad trait. One boss advised me to count a column of figures twice, once down and once up; simple advice but very telling.

Bluffer

Then I met the ‘bluffer’; the high-flying manager who gained his position by bluffing his way through interviews and his day-to-day work life. This became clear at meetings when he was unprepared. This manager had an aloofness that his colleagues were taken in by.

Bullying

I‘ve come across a few in my career, both male and female. Colleagues described one as a ‘professional bully’; always right and always looking over your shoulder. I learnt from another boss that confidently explaining a problem and offering a solution can impress and you can take people on board.  Another bully was always publicity seeking, but old news becomes stale, and the bully gets their comeuppance.

Fairness and Equality

Back to my first boss, after I had an asthma attack, he said he wouldn’t have employed me if he’d known I had a health problem. I think this was a form of harassment and inequality. Treating all staff equally and fairly is vital. The problem with an approach of fairness is that you’re often seen to be fairer to one individual than another.

Biased and Opinionated

Employment law to the benefit of the employee has changed dramatically during my career. One boss said to me that he wouldn’t employ an expectant mother. I did once refuse to employ someone who was technically not available for work, as she was receiving statutory sick pay and hadn’t been signed off to work. Family friendly hours has been a difficult one to contend with, as the accusation is made of being too soft for allowing flexible hours.

Time Management

There is the boss who won’t give you the time of day. Then there is the boss who has his own agenda, which doesn’t involve you.  It can be frustrating. One boss I worked for had a comfortable chair for him and a not-so-comfortable chair for his visitors. He would offer a sherry, finish it after a few minutes and walk to the door. The meeting was over. Now that’s time management.

Taking the Upper Hand

One boss I admired deliberately chose a chair that was higher than the rest of the chairs in his office. This meant that his head was always higher than yours. This reminded me of the famous ‘Class’ sketch where the two Ronnies and John Cleese fight it out for prominence. I think Ronnie Corbett wins by saying I do what I’m told.