Why your boss could be more right than you think

Many people think that they can do better jobs than their managers. Some of them are right, most of them are just baloney. There is a reason why many managers occupy their offices at a certain point in time.

My first manager was a man named Lemuan Olamaiyan (name changed), the GM of an ICT solutions provider called Adwest Communications. This is the man who exuded power naturally. His words and actions are always measured. Personally, I have never heard him saying the wrong thing.

Adwest had executed some of the biggest ICT projects in Tanzania. The biggest of them all is probably Tanesco’s Fibre Optic Project: a 3200km project with 46 sites across 16 regions.

I was part of a team of four engineers that implemented the project, three were from Kenya. Before the project was launched, the company sent us to Tel Aviv for a month’s long training at ECI and RAD, telecoms solutions providers. I was extremely lucky to take part in that trip.

My team was led by one of the engineers from Kenya, a very capable young man. Once when we left for a break, we came back to observe that he had resolved all the issues that were troubling us before. The system showed that he was working well past midnight every day. Alone. You must respect a person that dedicated to his work.

In one trip en route to Singida we reached Manyoni at around 5pm and learnt that no vehicle had come from Singida since morning. The road was not tarmacked then and heavy rains had made it impassable. I advised the team that we spend the night in Manyoni, and head to Singida in the morning. I was overruled, so, we moved on.

A few hours down the line, we could not go any further. There was no food, no light, no place to sleep. The other guys took the cartons of Castle lager they had brought along and started drinking. I don’t drink. I had a book I could read – but there was no light. Moreover, sleeping in the car was impossible also: either you suffocate or you open windows for mosquitos to have a feast. But the other guys were having the time of their lives – alcohol has a way of numbing one’s senses I hear. Imagining that I could be comfortably sleeping in a hotel in Manyoni – my disposition was extremely sour. I probably killed their buzzes with my mumbling! We arrived in Singida at 2.30am.

The following morning the team came to my hotel but did not inform me that they had arrived as was the custom. So, while ready, I kept watching BBC World News in my room (yes, I am the king of nerds)! Ultimately, they departed without me (possibly claiming I was late).

When I found out what had happened, I was incensed. I knew that the team leader was not happy for my attempt to hold him responsible for his imprudent decision. I called Mr Olamaiyan and he brought another vehicle to pick me up. While I can now look back and appreciate how good that engineer was technically, my relationship with him permanently ended on that trip.

One problem remained – my boss didn’t take action against him. I am not sure what I expected then since the man was clearly indispensable. But I have this sense of justice – so I didn’t forgive that perceived injustice. I bid my time, got a job offer elsewhere and left the organisation.

Years later I found myself in a similar scenario, but the roles were reversed. I was now Mr Olamaiyan. I assigned a young engineer to work with a senior engineer to improve her technical skills. I had invested a lot of myself in her – her mother had come to talk to me a few weeks before she died, so I felt compelled to be there for her.

Then things started going awry. I asked her what was going on and she said nothing. A month later, the whole thing exploded. She came to my office angry and demanding action. But I only saw petty allegations, not substantial enough for me to lose such a great engineer! So, I took measures to manage her instead – including offering her a two weeks break from work. But she refused. She was visibly angry at me, became disruptive, and left the company sometime later.

I had a flashback of my past and felt, as they say, karma is a bitch.

While I saw my petty grievances, my manager saw a multi-million dollars project, and he was not going to jeopardise that to sooth my ego. No manager would. While communication could have been improved to help me appreciate the bigger picture, all that I had to do was to buckle up – life is often bumpy.

Those at the top usually have a slightly wider field of vision than the rest. They see both opportunities and threats. They know you need that equipment, but they have half a dozen other expenses to settle before they can give you the money for it. And, above everything, they see the many conflicting demands of different stakeholders. Sometimes their hands are simply tied up.

Your ego might not let you admit it, but your managers are usually right. So, buckle up!

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Charles Makakala is a Technology and Management Consultant based in Dar es Salaam