The Un-Manager
In a phone call the other day I was called an un-manager and I was rather pleased, as one thing I am not is the sort of fire breathing dragon that breathes fear into her employees by merely by being in the same room.
So what is an Un Manager?
I had no idea, so I googled it… and guess what, I got a lot of French entries as UN is a French word, allegedly 
- Image via Wikipedia
The UN thing got me thinking, what is it to be UN something?
One of my fave blogs that I read on a regular basis is by Un Marketer, Scott Stratten… If you think I am mad, take a look over there, I am mild in comparison, and Scott - I am in Canada next week (11-17th Feb) I’ll buy you a coffee in Vancouver as a thanks for all the laughs and advice your blog brings. (As well as to see Canada V Norway at Ice Hockey, but I’d like you to think I was flying over on the off chance of a coffee…).
I love the video, if you can’t be bothered to read the post (shame on you…) then cringe to the video, it’ll make you smile 
(OK, I was tempted to LOL that, and if you watch the video you’ll know why I didn’t )
Is to be UN something to be against it? I don’t think it means that, I think it means something different and whilst I wear my UN Manager tag proudly, I will need to define a real meaning to what it is to be an Un Manager – am thinking books, TV shows and sales tour spin offs here folks, so will need to define it real fast and before a guru comes along and steals it (see am resisting the LOL’s and it’s hard as I am a naturally laughy and smiley person).
Be happy I have not got my Flip out and am singing you videos – I maybe not ‘Un’ enough…
PS any thoughts on what this un manager thingy is, I did mention tours books and tv shows didn’t I?
PPS sorry if you caught my obituary on twitter, it got published before I actually died, a bit in considerate that, eh, well now you have read it all – did it reflect me and my life?
About Sarah ArrowSarah Arrow is the managing editor of Birds on the Blog, in real life she is the communications director of a same day courier service. She is an enthusiastic UK based pro-blogger and co- author of the soon to be published Zero to Blogger
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11 Responses to The Un-Manager
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My interpretation of “un” is that it suggests active and possibly vigorous undoing of something…e.g. “to manage” is to do it positively and “to unmanage” is to make things difficult.
If you’re going to be even more negative and turn things into chaos, then I suppose you’d be a “demanager” or even a “dismanager.”
And as for passive, cuddly, gentle management … how about “nonmanager” – or even “sortofmanager” …?
Twitter: SuzeStMWrites
which one do I fit Suze? gentle or difficult
If I am totally honest, I am both 
My interpretation of “un” is that it suggests active and possibly vigorous undoing of something…e.g. “to manage” is to do it positively and “to unmanage” is to make things difficult.
If you’re going to be even more negative and turn things into chaos, then I suppose you’d be a “demanager” or even a “dismanager.”
And as for passive, cuddly, gentle management … how about “nonmanager” – or even “sortofmanager” …?
Twitter: SuzeStMWrites
which one do I fit Suze? gentle or difficult
If I am totally honest, I am both 
That was so good, Sarah… both your post and you leading me back to Scott’s Un Marketing blog. I almost didn’t play the video because it is still early here but I thought I would give my headset a try and I laughed (not LOL)
I’ve done a lot of UN in my life and you gave me pause for thought. Following herds has never worked well for me even though that may not be apparent when people first meet me.
Thanks Julie, Scott is officially a singer (possibly the only singer) worse than me – sorry you listened so early, I bet you have never been so awake
I am Lol’ing a lot less since watching the video…. is that a good thing?
That was so good, Sarah… both your post and you leading me back to Scott’s Un Marketing blog. I almost didn’t play the video because it is still early here but I thought I would give my headset a try and I laughed (not LOL)
I’ve done a lot of UN in my life and you gave me pause for thought. Following herds has never worked well for me even though that may not be apparent when people first meet me.
Thanks Julie, Scott is officially a singer (possibly the only singer) worse than me – sorry you listened so early, I bet you have never been so awake
I am Lol’ing a lot less since watching the video…. is that a good thing?
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Was that the conversation when I said your style of management was to let people get on with it
or a different one???
Guess that’s how I would view un- or non- (as Suze says) management.
I ducked out of the video l o n g before it reached the end: I feared for my ears…
Twitter: Linda_Mattacks
Was that the conversation when I said your style of management was to let people get on with it
or a different one???
Guess that’s how I would view un- or non- (as Suze says) management.
I ducked out of the video l o n g before it reached the end: I feared for my ears…
Twitter: Linda_Mattacks