Management Philosophy According to Dr. Dre?

As I often reflect on things I have experienced in my career, I cannot help but chuckle when I think back to a conversation with a director I temporarily reported to. During our first one-on-one, get-to-know-you meeting, I asked him to describe his management philosophy and his response to me was--the Dr. Dre philosophy. Now for those of you unfamiliar with Dr. Dre, his bio describes him as an American record producer, rapper, record executive and actor. Intrigued by his answer, I asked him to explain the Dr. Dre philosophy in further detail. He went on to tell me that it was quite simple, “You get me, I get you back.”

For the record, I should state that I do not have a problem with rappers, hip-hop or rap music. Truth be told, I kind of like it. But, I become a little concerned with one's management experience if you model your philosophies based solely on lyrics from a rap song or rap artist with "doctor" in their stage name. If you find yourself in that position, I feel compelled to offer a little constructive feedback:

• Do not assume just because someone’s stage name has "doctor" in it that they truly have a doctorate in management or leadership, or anything. Do a little initial research just to make sure.
• Don’t assume that informing your employee, “If you get me, I get you back,” will not be perceived as a threat.
• Try not to recite lyrics from rap songs in your initial one-on-one meeting with your employees. Try to wait until the second or third team meeting if you must.

Lastly, if any of the above describes your management style, please do us a favor and change careers immediately.