John Hoover Quotes

105 Sourced Quotes

You can't let your I-Boss know you're training him.

John Hoover
Good Bosses are aware that sharing information in a thorough, timely manner makes people feel included, respected, and acknowledged for their ability to contribute.... And they are receptive to feedback.... all of the time. It is so remarkably easy that bosses who don't should undergo psychiatric examination and electroshock therapy if necessary.

John Hoover
Machiavellian Bosses view the universe as an enormous pyramid. There is one spot at the top and it belongs to them, by divine right.... It is not about you. And it will never be about you, except for the moment you are actually in their way.... they will leave no maneuver or weapon of mass destruction unused in their quest for the top.... They are not clueless, except for things that don't matter to them—like the health and well-being of other people or the goals and objectives of the organization.

John Hoover
Turning down a Machiavellian invitation... can be interpreted as resistance or a possible power move on your part.

John Hoover
The vast majority of your organization's leadership potential is probably locked up behind the bars of bureaucracy or staggering under the weight of organizational inertia.... The cultural dragon you're fighting feeds on old school notions about leadership that grew out of a Napoleonic, hierarchical military organizational model.

John Hoover
Don't feel dirty or guilty for kissing up. It's survival.

John Hoover
Be perky, attentive, appreciative... when he does what you want him to do. Ignore him, work slowly, or act generally rebellious when he is behaving in ways which displease you.

John Hoover
Many executives, us included, have benefited from upswings in the market, unexpected shifts in customer demands (in our favor), fortuitous timing, and luck of the draw. Of course, we called it brilliant executive leadership at the time.

John Hoover
Life is unmanageable if you try to control stupidity other than your own.... It's too big.

John Hoover
Deliberately scheme how you can be a positive influence in your working environment.

John Hoover
Telling Sadistic Bosses what they want to hear, like "... ouch," will only get them charged up to do more punishment... Try pretending you're a masochist. If your performance is convincing... you'll be out in a flash.

John Hoover
I've seen heads of families bypass talented, capable, loyal, dedicated, lifelong employees to hand their businesses over to a son or daughter... Typically, the first generation establishes the business, the second generation grows it, the third generation barely sustains it, and the fourth generation destroys what is left.

John Hoover
Invite you Buddy Boss to everything.... Share information openly... Request meetings... Beware of the confessional.... Your Buddy Boss will devote endless hours to hearing your confessions and making hers to you... a potential disconnect from getting any appreciable work done.... Set time limits.... Getting along with her... requires ignoring everything you're being paid to do... Dedicated workers get hit the hardest because they must work nights and weekends to do the things they would have done... With luck, you might be transferred to an Idiot Boss.

John Hoover
Any attempt you make to change your organization, its performance, or outcomes will be, by design, positive. Now, if we can only get things to consistently work the way we design them.... sometimes they do, often, they don't.

John Hoover
Paranoia can feed on itself and become a self-fulfilling prophecy. The Paranoid Boss spends his energy searching out and exposing the conspiracy against him.... the focus and leadership that should have been committed to departmental objectives is wasted and the whole operation goes in the tank—thus confirming the paranoid boss's contention...

John Hoover