There are examples of the human desire for strong leadership all over our civilization. From the historic examples of strongmen taking over countries, large and small, during an absence of leadership to the latest Universal Pictures feature Minions.
Think about it. The Minions represent almost every employee since the dawn of time. They just want to find an organization with strong leadership that fulfills their internal desire to do evil – and to do it well. That is what most all employees want – except maybe the “to do evil” part.
(Note: Not every employee has evil desires – just the good ones. You know, the employees that leave your organization during a large project for better hours, more money and greater opportunities. The ungrateful creeps!)
Seriously, there is data to back up the belief that most of us will be good Minions when we have a good big boss.
Gallup, for example, has done a lot of research on the benefits of good leadership in the workplace. There is a whole section of their website dedicated to leadership. They have found that anything from workplace production to engagement can often be traced back to the leadership abilities of managers.
And get this, Gallup defines a good job as one with 30+ hours of work a week with a consistent paycheck from an employer. But they define a GREAT job as a job in which you believe your boss cares about your development.
The Minions would agree with Gallup.
This blog did reach out to the Minions for comment on this article, but due to difficulties surrounding language we were unable to obtain that union’s thoughts on what makes a great evil boss. (Yes. The Minions are a registered 501(c)5. We think.) So instead, we asked some evil bosses from our network to share a few thoughts on what makes a great leader – or big boss.
Bryan Breckenridge, the Executive Director at Box.org, believes that the best [evil bosses] connect with and maximize the inward and outward aspects of their team members.
“They lead mindfully with compassion and honesty to generate trust and commitment,” wrote Breckenridge in an email. “They also offer their teams the vision, structure, support and motivation to achieve team and individual success goals.”
When asked what qualities make for a great big boss – evil or otherwise – Hap Connors, VP for Government and Public Affairs at the Center for Innovative Technology related that most Minions look for a leader “who trusts them to do the job they were hired to do (v. micromanaging them) and to whom they can come with issues or questions that they know will be kept in confidence and met with understanding; and someone who has a vision and belief in people that inspires and raises everyone to a new level of being and performance.”
Jeremy Peters, Chief Executive Officer for the National Association of Conservation Districts, echoed the thoughts of the aforementioned evil bosses (executives).
“[Big bosses] bring a sense of direction and accomplishment that can be inspirational for employees,” wrote Peters. “I think most people want to feel their work making a difference and contributing to something meaningful and lasting. When I think of true leaders I have worked for, I recall being inspired to bring my best effort because I knew they were bringing their best every day to accomplish big goals and objectives.”
The Minions have been around for millenia. They’ve had their share of evil bosses from T. rex to Napoleon. Their knowledge of what makes a good (evil) boss is unmatched, but their desire to be lead is the same as our own. And if their story is any indicator, it can be hard to find great leadership.
