by Jacinth Klee

Created on: March 24, 2010

Boring is defined as dull, tiresome or uncongenial (dictionary.reference.com) or irksome, tedious, wearisome (wikitionary.org).

You can never run away from boring people; not even if you are in a crowd of strangers.    You will encounter boring teachers, managers, friends, relatives or even strangers.    One of the worst would be a boring manager.  As a subordinate, you meet this person almost every working day, and you have to listen to him or her at a meeting or training.   Or as a manager, can you picture your staff or subordinates snoring away during your speeches or at the meetings you conduct?  Just imagine the sound of a loud snore while you are delivering a speech!  

So even if you cannot be a fascinating manager, at least try not to be a boring one!  Here are a few simple tips to make sure that you are not turning into one:

1.   Be an assertive manager
The word here is assertive and not aggressive.  Aggressiveness can sometimes result in confrontational reaction, while assertiveness commands respect despite the insistence that instructions be followed.   A wishy-washy manager, on the other hand, can be a constant source of frustration to the employees.  Waiting for a hesitant manager to make a decision can be very stressful, especially if you are waiting for directions to proceed with your tasks. 

2.  Be energetic
Energy seems to go along with dynamism.  It is rather uncommon to see a dull person as an energetic person.   An enthusiastic manager brings along with him an air of activity and excitement.

3.  Do not always rely on charts and figures
During meetings and presentations, reading direct from charts or presentation slides is always very dreary.   The audience would feel that it was a waste of time; they could have easily read your reports or presentations themselves.  Jokes or story-telling helps to break the monotony of a dry presentation, reinforce a key message and engage the attention of your audience.

4.  Be adventurous
Many managers follow the rules by the book, preferring to follow the traditional and tested ways of doing things, fearing the unknown.  Anything that is new and untested in the company is definitely a ‘no-no’ for them.  Rules and regulations are set to provide guidelines by which a company and its employees operate;  however a manager should be able to exercise

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