From plowman to ballast: 7 types of subordinates

Dreaming of a career, employees ponder: salary increase or promotion – then will work better. A manager, in their turn, suffers: there are no apparent candidates for his furtherance. Two sides of the same coin: managerial averse and subordinative reverse are divided by the edge of mutual negligence considering long-term goals.
Imagine yourself a jockey that chooses victorious horse. What are the odds that you will pick a slack one thinking it will perform better than usually? Yes, work causes horses to waste away but you have already yoked yourself for salary.

The truth is that working for a company’s sake resembles more not races but equestrian vaulting: performance of gymnastics on horseback while in motion. Let us separately consider participants of formation skydiving.

Excellent pupil. Looks up to the boss with admiring and loving eyes ready to take any order without hearing them out.

– Who wants to work a bit more? – That is me!
– Cement factory… – I!
– Loading of coal… – Me!
– Cleaning stables… – May I?
– Besides that… – Here I am!

The subordinate is distinguished by a burning wish to be beneficial counting on further public praise. Studious, responsive, diligent in solving common problems. They are not a good fit for creative tasks, poor at managing colleagues, can manipulate one to obtain recognition, turn depressed and weepy in case of failures. Breathtakingly jealous when chef’s attention shifts onto others.

Suck-up. Prospers under tender beams of weak managers that raise self-esteem with flattery from others.

A suck-up is conscious of their precarious position and disgust that they cause to colleagues, which is why they spare no efforts. A current boss is the best for them since the next one might not need mawkish gentleness. Due to inability to use for their intended purpose, they are appointed as supervisors, assistants, deputies; and lugged up the career ladder as a servants. A suck-up is sometimes vindictive and dangerous if the role of a victim is inauthentic according to a psychological type and they obey out of necessity.

Animator. A jester, a rascal and sometimes a clown. They emerge in every company beginning with jokes during general meetings, toasts on corporate parties, organisation of collective trips out of town. A type of entertainment varies from decent to vulgar. They have a nickname; easily give sobriquets to other people with joy. Their advantage is opportunity to lay the truth wittily.

They will get away with things that other people are not allowed to do. To manage them is impossible – within a team they are cheerful and active, on a carpet – worthless and miserable like a fish out of convenient waters of parties.

Plowman. To dig right from here and till the midday – a piece of a cake, no redundant questions or objections, overwork and a vacation – there are no such concepts, personal life and sports – what are you talking about? In case of lacking time or resources – they are your last resort. There is no information on when they eat or sleep: it seems that a plowman lives at work.

A calm office superman with red eyes, a tired slouch, a rotund belly and big bottom. They limply get tasks, do the job joylessly, send results early in the morning and resignedly stay at work the next day. A plowman will not understand why a boss would let them go home – they cannot live without work, there is nothing to do at home. Without feeling sorry for themselves, they burn out emotionally denuding the corner they responsible for. Give them subordinates –will bury them with work or poor fellows will run away not having withstood a burden.

Public-spirited person. The only one who understands the unspoken table of ranks – and it is they who keep its records. Justifying existence the person creates and preserves traditions, collects money on childbirths, sick pays, corporate parties and funerals.

An event that is soon to take place has an impact of the Holy Grail on them – they flourish, square shoulders, start to walk like a boss while their voice turn clear and strong. They notify, give orders, demand. At an event the person keeps records and the score, argues with catering and transportation companies. Day or two more they feel confident and then start to fade, get weaker, everything goes wrong. They feel uncomfortable without a calendar occasion – unlearned how to be at work. One may use them as an assistant – both to the benefit of a boss and a subordinate in high spirits.

Ballast. An unnamed soldier, at good times there will be many of them aboard. Unknown names, silent persons, indistinct positions; what they do and what is their utility – nobody knows. They are the first to be laid off, thanks they are good to leave. Some advantages: pay them not much, they neither cause problems nor avoid simple work, difficult tasks are not delegated to them. A disadvantage: living portraits of irresponsibility and uselessness that make a team grow soft. They gather next to managers that increase budgets and personnel in hope that the more the quantity of people and the volume of resources of divisions under their direction, the more significant they are.

Usually an ingenuous fellow or a grey mouse behave so harmlessly that one cannot even force themselves to be hard on them though a subordinate of this type sits tight on the neck. Employees that have worked long frequently become ballast – it is necessary to conduct horizontal rotations.

Disobedient. An excellent example for sparring with semi-official routines – not satisfied with management, a job, a salary, their role. Providently resists early on.

Their presence means inevitable fights with windmills and anticipation of managerial difficulties. If you do not point out an external enemy like competitors, consultants – a disobedient one will corrupt a team with a perforated ulcer. One should delegate to a subordinate of this kind only unequivocally conveyed tasks, test reports to top management with them – if to say nasty things then it is better to do so usefully.

Skilful staffing and diagnosis of subordinates, adequate relations and competent development, existence of goals and intelligent tactics can turn the laxest team into an invincible cohort.

Author: Oleg Braginsky
Translation: Temir Barakov and Daniil Shmitt
Source: New Retail