The Bent Archive

Introducing Cool Boss Moves

Cool Boss Moves is a new series where we share the tips, tricks, and strategies we stole from other great managers. This week: Be the volunteer.

Combined, we’ve worked for over two decades and managed hundreds of people. We’ve survived holiday seasons, hiring pushes, product launches. We’re not perfect and we’re not superheroes, but we do accomplish a lot of work. (We also know how validating it is to learn that someone shares one of your habits.) This is what works for us.

Is it too much to ask?

I don’t think it’s wrong at all to expect follow-ups from your team when something has slipped through the cracks. What I love most about this question, though, is that there’s not a single clear-cut answer. It’s one thing to ask your boss to respond to an email that’s been languishing in their inbox for three days. It’s another to have to ask again after a week, and again after two.

It’s probably not you

Don’t shrug off real change by blaming and shaming yourself. It’s probably not you, and that means the solution is probably not you, either. There are real next steps to take. Let’s find them.

Cutting corners

If you’re not, you’re also probably still wearing actual pants with buttons and a fly while sheltering in place.

Why won’t my team ask for help?

Any advice on how to better manage a team that doesn’t like to ask for help? Our company culture is mistake-friendly and solution-focused, and we reiterate that all the time. Why is my team still hiding mistakes or operating with an “I got this!” mentality when they, erm, don’t always got this?

How to write an email about COVID-19

Over these past few weeks, we’ve all received an onslaught of emails about the coronavirus, from our jobs, from our local governments, from the yoga studios we tried out for a week of free classes back in 2011. Today, we’re going to take a closer look at a few that have hit our and our readers’ inboxes.

A few more ways to say “I don’t know”

In case you want to mix it up a little…

You’re doing a great job

We both spend a lot of time on video calls. They are little portals of embarrassment. In our experience, the only way to lessen the awkwardness of remote meetings is to do them often, but also to acknowledge that they are truly weird and deeply embarrassing so no one feels like they are alone. This is why we created Video Conference Bingo.

What to do when you have a bad boss

It’s a question we get a lot, especially from readers who aren’t managers: How can I manage up to a disengaged boss? What’s the best way to advocate for myself and for my peers?

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