The FINANCIAL — What kind of bosses do employees working at Georgian companies prefer? And who are the ideal employees for bosses? The FINANCIAL asked the CEO’s of leading Georgian companies to speak about their staff’s effectiveness, and employees about their bosses, sometimes called Zeus, after the name of the Roman God. The FINANCIAL’s study shows that most employees want to be encouraged by their bosses, while the chiefs’ main demand is “to follow the rules”, which can be friendly and strict at the same time.
“If we do our job well my boss always notices that,” says Nino Samadashvili, 25, employee at a company located in Tbilisi.
“Fairness is one of her good features, but the best is that she often ‘inspires’ us with bonuses,” but, says Liza Muradian, employee at another Georgian company, it’s not easy to be a boss, especially a good one.
“Actually the views of my employees about my personal manners of management are as important for me as the results of their work,” Tato Maxaradze, Financial Director of Pepsi.
“I am most comfortable in a strict, formal environment,” David Lee, General Director of Magticom, one of the leading telecommunication companies in Georgia says.
Mr. Lee who served for nine years as a military serviceman today chairs the American Chamber of Commerce in Georgia, representing the biggest companies operating in the region. In Magticom he manages more than 1,000 professionals.
“The rules for staff at Magticom are strict,” David Lee confesses.
“My background includes being an officer for about nine years. As my first job was in the military I am most comfortable working in a strict, formal environment,” says Lee.
“Strict does not mean nasty or intolerable. It just means being clear about what the rules are. We just expect people in the team to follow the rules” David Lee told The FINANCIAL.
“Every employee may have one grievance – an impossible or eccentric boss!” Tony Jacowski, EzineArticles expert author writes. “They have, somehow, become common factors in grumbling employees’ lives. But dealing with them is a professional necessity and it is essential to understand that although they have a common thread joining them together, there are different specialty traits to their eccentric natures.”
“Actually Magticom is very friendly place. Here you can be friendly and strict. If we talk about companies like banks, construction, oil companies, the work itself is very serious. Large companies understand the point of rules. The people must themselves be more flexible. The employees must be job oriented and thus make the company successful,” says Mr. Lee.
“I try to be an inclusive boss. I try to make sure that all of my staff participate in things and have the chance to work and then I try to recognize when they are doing a particularly good job,” John Tefft, U.S. Ambassador to Georgia, told The FINANCIAL.
John F. Tefft has been a career Foreign Service Officer for thirty-three years. Before assuming his current position, Tefft served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs and was responsible for U.S. relations with Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova.
Mr. Tefft says he is not sure he always succeeds in recognizing staff’s good work. “But still, when people are doing a good job I always try to thank them because I think people need that,” Tefft says. The Ambassador himself has received a number of awards, including the State Department Distinguished Honour Award in 1992 and the DCM of the Year Award for his service in Moscow in 1999. He received Presidential Meritorious Service Awards in 2001 and 2005.
“I try to make sure that when we talk about problems I listen to everybody’s ideas. People are part of the implementation process and people get recognition after they do good work. Everyone deserves recognition for good work. What kind of a boss am I? Ask my colleagues,” the U.S. Ambassador to Georgia says.
“He is an encouraging boss,” Gigi Tsiklauri, the Ambassador’s interpreter told The FINANCIAL.
“Each employee should realize their functions and obligations, and try to accomplish the task which he or she aims to do. To help this the boss should give encouragement, expressed in different forms. This is one of the most important things. I can’t say that softness or laxity in a boss is the best characteristic. Although they can be harmonically mixed with other factors,” Tsiklauri says.
“In my opinion a really good and successful boss is a person who can first of all manage himself, his own emotions and ambitions, and after that be able to manage his staff. A successful boss should be a leader,” employee Liza Muradian says.
“I used to work for two bosses at the same time. But speaking honestly I considered just one of them the real boss, a person who never been your friend nor your enemy. A person with a serious attitude to work, though exacting all demands with a smile, and in a calm voice! However nobody dared to take advantage of that smile, everybody knew she would never excuse any mistake damaging the company’s work. The second boss had a very serious and strict appearance, trying to deal with problems by screaming and quarrelling but everybody knew it was just a mask she was wearing. In fact she was just a very weak and ambitious person.”
“Being a strict boss is not my goal,” Maxaradze, Pepsi, says. According to him more than 250 employees are under his management.
Makharadze says that every person needs a different individual approach. “Not everyone appreciates your loyalty. That’s why I have to change my tactics depending on the person.”
“Strictness is important. The stricter the rules are, as better the works goes. Fear plus respect is the ideal combination,” Nana Mukeria, HR of Magticom, told The FINANCIAL.
“I was dancing for about 25 years in Suxishvilis’ National Ballet and I now realize that without Nino Ramishvili’s strictness, it would have been impossible to achieve such success as Sukhishvili has,” Mukeria said.
“Our chief demand is to work in working hours,” Mukeria said.
As for the USA advice is constantly being published by physiologists on how to avoid brutal bosses. A special web page compares these recommendations – www.badbossology.com. Here one can find numerous kinds of advice on how to deal with a difficult boss.
There are as many types of human characters as there are people and bosses are no exception.
Written By Madona Gasanova
