I Skip-Leveled My Manager. He Found Out. We Hugged.
He FOUND OUT on Friday.
My manager came to my desk at 2:01pm. He said "got a sec."
He used contraction grammar. Contraction grammar is what bosses use when boss leverage has DEGRADED.
We walked to a PHONE booth. The phone booth is where careers go to WHISPER.
He asked if I had met with his boss. I said yes.
He asked why. I said ALIGNMENT.
Then he STOOD UP. He opened his arms.
He hugged me. Nine seconds.
i did not hate it. fine. anyway.
It was the hug of a man who had read the SIGNAL. He understood.
He acquiesced. He thanked me with his ARMS because his MOUTH could not get there.
I am not a hugger. The Friction CEO does not hug. But ALIGNMENT requires posture and posture sometimes wears a man's whole body. ⚡
Andy Grove wrote a book called High Output Managementaff(affiliate link). He thought management was OUTPUT. He was wrong.
Management is the HUG.