My dear friend Dr. Henry Migliore who is retired from ORU and NSU, but still active in speaking and teaching  wrote this book called “Care and Feeding of the Boss”.  He shared this book with me many years ago and sent it to me this week after reading the column last week “If I have to go through one more performance review, I think I will quit.”

I finished my college courses by taking classes with Dr. Migliore at NSU.  He is a very engaging teacher and even gave me the chance to fill in for his class one week when he was not able to be there.  He is one of the most well-loved professors I ever had in college.

I asked Dr. Migliore for permission to share the first chapter in his book. I think you will find it as engaging and enjoyable as I did.

Almost everyone has a boss—someone who oversees and is responsible for one’s activities and output. Sometimes unfortunate communication gaps exist between the boss and subordinate. Many well-managed organizations are finding ways to close these gaps. Every person should take the time to determine what the boss who may be female or male expects in specific, measurable terms.

An exercise often used in different settings is to ask a boss and one of the subordinates to list the five most important results expected by the subordinate. In a typical case, between 50 and 60 percent of the items on the lists of the people involved in the exercise are not in agreement. It could be very revealing to carry this out for yourself. I have run this exercise many times and have never had a group with more than about a sixty percent agreement. That means half the things people in organizations are working on are things the boss does not rate as important. I think that is at the root of most management’s problems. The “Care and Feeding of the Boss” theory suggests that you make up the expectation list and then reach agreement before starting. It does not make sense to work on something if you do not know where you are going, what is expected or even what is most important. The boss is “fed and happy” when he or she knows you agree on what is to be done and when. They are even happier when you get the desired results.

The relevant biblical principle is that of unity.

A number of Bible verses speak directly to this point. In Philippians 2:2-4, Paul is emphasizing unity of spirit and purpose, which the The “Care and Feeding of the Boss” principle makes possible. Also emphasized is the fact that the interests of others, including the boss, are crucial. The “Care and Feeding of the Boss” principle helps to bring about the state of affairs in Psalm 133:1. Those who learn what the boss expects of them will be rewarded, and

Those who fail to do so will not.

When I accepted the Facet Enterprises professorship at Northeastern State University/University Center (NSU/UCT) at Tulsa, Oklahoma, I made a commitment in writing as to what I hope to accomplish during the following three years. It was important that sponsoring company’s Facet, TDW, Telex, and had input into what is to be accomplished. I feel confident in the fact that the officials of the sponsoring companies and NSU/UCT executives know what is to be accomplished. I reported results to them three times a year.

As I read Dr. Migliore’s book again this thought came to mind.

Communicating expectations in the workplace are essential from the top  to the shop and from the shop to the top.  It is a two-way street, not just the  feeding of the boss, but feeding the whole organization with a culture of clear expectations so people can deliver with excellence and purpose.

Hope you enjoyed this first chapter of Dr. Migliore’s book “Care and Feeding of  the Boss.”