Happy 2009. Hope everyone enjoyed a few days off. Strategic Blend took the time away from the breakneck day to day to do two solid days of planning. We’re extremely excited about our first FULL year out of the gates, and we’re sure our clients will be pleased with the results.

Our meetings proved painful, thought provoking, exciting, but, mostly, it made me realize the power of planning. There may be nothing more powerful than strategy, thinking ahead three moves and the permutations associated with each possible event.

We have the possibility of making the first full time hire at Strategic Blend over the next year. This is great for us, but it also brings about the question WHO? Who do you hire?

In my experience, managers typically fall into THREE categories; King Makers, Know It Alls, and Hard Asses. (Sorry Managers out there… you’re one of these…)

King Makers:

King Makers are typically hyper-successful individuals. They’ve made their mark on their industry of choice. There’s not much left to conquer, but if someone else “makes it”, they want to be able to say they’ve had their hand in it. This is to say, these folks will take risks with their hires. They’re the guy who makes the 25 year old an executive, and if he leads the organization to greatness, he’s the first one to pipe up and take the credit for him. If you’ve been employed by this guy/gal, you know he’s not terribly interested in anything but your performance, because that’s all that will reflect on him. It doesn’t matter if you’re managing well, or showing improvement gradually, the King Maker needs you to hit a homerun….. and quickly. Generally King Makers just want to crown the next King, and get some additional credibility while doing it.

Know It Alls:

The Know It All just needs reassurance. He’s solid on his opinion, but he really just wants to hire a “Yes Man”. People who propose original thought need not apply. Know It All wants the regurgitation of his ideas… A prop for his/her ego. These people can be extremely successful, but would probably be more efficient if they just did it all themselves, as opposed to micromanaging the organization… Working for these folks you can be assured of two things, you’ll ALWAYS under their specific tutelage and watchful eye, and they’re not going to put up with you telling them they’re wrong.

Hard Asses:

These guys are difficult to work for, for the simple reason that they’re demanding. They’re also the most beneficial experiences I’ve had in my professional career. It’s up to the employee to propose solutions to problems as they arise; it actually behooves you to disagree with those in authority when working in these environments. The best part of working for the Hard Ass is that he’s invested in you, they are not claiming to have all the right answers, and the employee can benefit from having opposing views, and calling the Hard Ass out from time to time. They don’t want a “Yes Man” and they’re still hungry to accomplish more, not just trying to make a new King.

One of the greatest assets to any leader is to realize that they don’t have all the answers. I have a great deal of admiration for every Hard Ass boss I ever had, and I always felt like I was EARNING my paycheck, by bringing something to the table other than an agreement to everything that flowed out of their mouths.

If the thought of coming up with a new proposal, a new way of doing business, or a new solution is your idea of a good work environment…. we may need to talk later in 2009.