I'm the Boss, What Can I Do?

1. Acknowledge Your Ignorance: Most of the frustration Web managers face comes from the fact that their bosses think they know better than them, when they clearly don't. So step one, if you're the boss, is to acknowledge ignorance. This is hard. You're used to having everything your way, and, yes, you probably do know everything about radio, or TV or newspapers. But that doesn't mean you know anything about the Web. The first step is to just acknowledge that to yourself. To recognize that you either need to get involved and learn, or if you don't have time for that, you need to check everything with someone who knows what he/she is doing. Fortunately the person you hired to run the Web, the one who's half your age and seems to be on Twitter all the time, can help.

2. Listen: Recognize that you hired people to know about the Web. When they tell you that you're not quite on the mark, or they offer an alternative to your plan, or they start pointing to the stats to suggest that your idea may not be the best. Stop for a moment and listen. Remember, they're being polite because you're the boss. When they appear to be hinting that something may be wrong, they may well be thinking that something is really wrong. Listen to them.

3. Get Input into Senior Management: Senior management groups often lack someone who knows about the Web. This means they are making decisions in the dark. Does that mean you have to break up the management structure of the organization? Maybe. But the critical immediate issue is to get some knowledge into the room. Either senior managers have to learn about the Web. Or, when Web issues come up, they need to get a Web person into the room. Not so the senior managers can tell him/her what they think, but to listen to what he/she has to say.

4. Make Your Web People Feel Valued: On a bumper sticker, the main reason Web staff feel frustrated, is they feel their knowledge isn't valued. They come to meetings where they offer their best advice, and it is promptly ignored. The company hired them to implement a Web strategy. The company hired them for their special knowledge about the Internet. Why does management ignore what they have to say? Why do managers get angry when they offer a new point of view? Why doesn't the senior management that hired them, support them? If you're the boss, and you care, you'd better get out there and support them.

5. Recognize the Scale of the Task: This requires some knowledge, or some listening. It's much harder to make good Web content than it is to make good radio. Sure anyone can publish their thoughts on a free blog. But that doesn't mean making good Web content is easy. It takes time and hard work, and there's a lot that can go wrong, and a lot that will need testing and perfecting. So if you hear yourself starting a sentence, "can't we just..." think again.

6. Remember, Only Senior Management Can Change Culture: It doesn't matter how much your Web people campaign to do things in new ways, and to change the culture of your organization: without the General Manager's and the senior managers' support, it isn't going to happen. Why? Because the Web guys are the new team on the block. Without senior management embracing what the Web team has to say and actively getting out there to support it, nothing in your organization is going to change. And the Web guys know in the end you'll blame them for that. But wake up. You're the boss. Who's really to blame?