Working with or working at?

Management styles are fascinating. I work with two individuals who stylistically are so different. The first, we'll call him Nick works with you. By that I mean he sits down with you and shares his thinking, asks for your opinion and together you work out a plan of attack that works for him, the organization and me. The second, who I'll nickname Marvin does the opposite. He makes decisions that involve your time and other commitments and tries to force them on you. His way or the highway is how it feels to me.

In another organization, I am faced with a woman manager who thinks she is Queen Bee. She doesn't bother to communicate with us peasants, merely issues edicts. Since I am a volunteer in this organization, I might just quit - unless something changes. I've talked with her boss and am playing a waiting game.

Leadership and management to be successful over the long haul needs to include respect, courtesy, and cooperation. The old authoritarian style just pisses people off and causes a lack of trust. People quit. they don't respond well to being talked at or ignored. They want to be talked with....