Third in a Series

Do you have a boss who appears to be on a constant quest to find the perfect answer or solution to a business problem — even the most simple of problems? Does he/she stay in the office glued to a computer all day without even looking up? Does your boss rarely talk with other human beings and get so preoccupied and involved with work that all sense of time is lost? Are your mistakes corrected at embarrassing and often inopportune times in front of others? Does your boss refuse to agree to anything until you’ve exhausted yourself trying to explain and justify every aspect of your position or idea? If so, you may have an “Air” boss.

Air Bosses view the world around them and see possibilities and meanings and relationships. They want to develop perfect solutions for implementing their ideas, thoughts and visions for the future benefit of their organizations. And, they prefer futures without employees or clients mucking up those solutions! Air Bosses believe it is the lack of imagination, understanding, and intellect on the part of employees and other manages that too often prevents the achievement of their visions.

Air Bosses believe the most important skill an employee possesses is technical competence. Personal intelligence and the ability to apply such intelligence to work tasks are paramount to success in the world of the Air Boss. Logically, they want to see how employee skills and aptitudes contribute to the vision they have carved out for their team, department, or organization. Do you know your organization’s vision? If not, you may have a problem with your Air Boss since they want ideas, strategies and projects that will directly, or at least indirectly, support their vision.

Air Bosses often will put off making a decision until the last minute. Why? They believe there is more data still out there waiting to be discovered that might influence or change their final decisions. Have you ever submitted charts, graphs, studies, power point presentations, white papers, and other research only to find that your Air Boss still can’t or won’t make a decision? Now you know why.

A challenge for the Air Boss today is the short-term, “turn it around quickly,” working environment where time is money and tasks must be quickly delegated to avoid clogging production at the top of an ever-shrinking supply chain. Few companies have the luxury to wait for the perfect opportunity before “pulling the trigger” on a decision. Today’s effective manager must be able to make important decisions based on information at hand and then live with the consequences. While Air Bosses can make quick decisions, they prefer not to be pressured to do so.

How to Become More Effective in Working with an Air Boss? 10 Hints!

1) Use facts and data when making presentations and submitting proposals. Air Bosses will not accept “gut feelings” or “opinions” as adequate justification for recommendations, findings, or proposals:

2) Strive to become technically competent no matter what your title or where you work in the organization. Air Bosses believe that personal competence is the highest of all values;

3) Take on more and more challenging assignments that stretch and enhance your technical skills and abilities. Air Bosses will judge your efforts as increasingly valuable and view you as a corporate asset;

4) Participate in tasks that contribute to the overall knowledge of the company (e.g. research, surveys, and focus groups). Air Bosses perceive additional data and knowledge as key contributions to the future success of the organization;

5) Check and recheck written documents for accuracy and logic. Unlike the Earth Boss who might circle a misspelled word, the Air Boss will challenge the thinking behind your report, briefing, or technical paper to better understand your point, position, or recommendation;

6) Attempt to curb your emotional reactions in the workplace. Air Bosses interpret emotional outbursts as signs of personal weakness and a lack of professionalism;

7) Handle employee conflicts yourself, whenever possible. Air Bosses expect working professionals to be able to solve their own problems without drawing them into the fray;

8) Expect there will be gaps in virtually any instructions you receive. Air Bosses often fail to provide crucial information because they assume the competent and professional employee already possesses, or can quickly find, the information they need. They assume that if such data is really critical to the successful completion of an assignment or task, you will have already taken steps to obtain it;

9) Publicly demonstrate your competence, when given the opportunity. Air Bosses are positively influenced by employees whose competence can be demonstrated openly; and,

10) Expect that strategic plans, mission statements, and vision statements are vague and lacking specificity. Air Bosses often do not provide details and specifics on how their idea of their organization’s future will be achieved.

Still Having Problems?

As your awareness of temperament increases, you will begin to appreciate the strengths that other Dominant temperaments bring to the workplace. The road to more effectively connecting with your Air Boss begins with the realization that he/she brings many abilities and skills to your organization (many that you do not bring!).

Air Bosses provide their institutions with visions for the future and ensures that qualified people are involved in achieving them. They survey current practices, products, services, and clients and imagine what their organizations will be required to do, and be, 5 – 10 years down the line in order to be relevant and successful.

Air Bosses raise the intellectual standards of their companies by demonstrating and expecting superior performance from employees and management. They support research and other efforts to enhance intellectual knowledge. They use data and information and rely on personal logic for handling work situations, particularly employee conflicts — unless they can avoid them altogether! They do not go overboard on rule making nor rule following. Rather, they defer to competency-based results.

Air Bosses believe the strength of their organizations is measured only by the intellectual capabilities of the people who work in them.

In this series of articles we will examine the behaviors that are typically associated with bosses (i.e., department heads, directors, managers, supervisors, and team leaders) holding each Dominant temperament and strategize how we can work with them more effectively. I’ve written a number of books on the subject of temperament.