How to Manage a Jerk Like Me

For four years, I spent my winter weekends working as a ski coach for kids at Stratton Mountain in Vermont.

Much as I love skiing and working with kids, the reality of this position was that it put me in the position of being a part-time hourly worker with a supervisor who has a supervisor who has a supervisor.

In other words, someone else told me what to do, and I grimace when other people tell me what to do. That's one reason why I'm a ghostwriter... no one complains if I type in my pajamas, or drip melted cheese on my keyboard

But at Stratton, Randy Szkola told me what to do. He was my supervisor... and I liked him!

This made me consider why it was that I listened to Randy, so that others might learn from his highly effective style.

Be a genuine expert: Randy uses telemark skis on a mountain jam-packed with the latest alpine gear. I skied behind him the day he hired me, and it took me a while to even notice that he was a telemark skier… he was that good.

In fifteen minutes each ski morning, Randy manages to separate 150 anxious kids from their even more anxious parents... and do it in a way that calms everyone down. He knows coaching in and out, and - this is really important - knows how to knock down minor problems before they become major issues.

There was no doubt in my mind that Randy is a better skier and coach than I am.

He motivated me to listen by alway being worth listening to.

Don't take yourself too seriously: My job was to coach kids between the ages of five and eight, and Randy never forgets the needs of these “customers”. He might show up at work with a top hat, a giant bow tie, or 200 Mardi Gras necklaces for the kids. Nothing was too silly for Randy if it made our customers happy.

Empower other people: My first year as a coach, Randy paid close attention. I clenched my teeth when he told me to be at lineup by 8:25 a.m.; we don’t start skiing until 8:45 and conditions at lineup can be -5 degrees and 30 mph winds. But I accepted his ways of taking care of our clients, and once I earned his confidence, Randy made it clear he trusted me. One day, when I told him about a problem that happened on the slopes, he said, “You fixed it, right?” I had, and he smiled.

Be proud of your team: Randy loves to say two things. The first is, “We’re the best team on the hill,” which is the way he lets you know what he expects: delight the kids, please the parents, have fun, be safe, and help each other. But the second one is what really makes a difference...

Offer sincere thanks: Randy thanked me every day I worked. I don’t mean most days. I mean every day.

Some days, I just spent six hours skiing powder and two kids made breakthroughs; it was like I won the lottery, and the bank teller thanked me for winning. Other days, two kids had been screaming in my ears all day long, and another spilled hot chocolate on my pants, which then froze on my leg when we went outside. No matter what happened, Randy thanked me.

And that’s how you manage people, even hard-to-manage people like me.

Bruce Kasanoff is a ghostwriter for entrepreneurs, executives, and social innovators. He is the author of NEVER TELL PEOPLE WHAT YOU DO: How To Advance Your Career.

An earlier version of this article appeared on Forbes.