A Bad Manager 16

[casseopeia]

I have a bad, bad manager. I have decided that I will most likely leave the company as soon as I can, but need to survive until that is possible. This senior manager is almost 70 years old. I've worked with people older who were quite competent, but this one is not. The only reason I even mention age is because he uses it as an excuse for 'being forgetful.' I have been told because he is an old man, that it is my duty to make sure he is doing his job, even if it means I have to put aside production work needed to provide a work product to a Client. I am not the only one to notice that this he is having some serious difficulties, resulting in behaviors that are nothing short of shocking. This affects most, if not all of the Project Managers, of which I am one. Over the past three months or so this manager has;

completely forgotten entire conversations occurring sometimes only minutes before;

made highly inappropriate comments including ridiculing another Project Manager at a staff meeting about her accent (she is Asian), saying he thought she said, "I need a f*ck" when she said, "I need a fork;"

has made statements, or jumped to a technical conclusion, without first checking his facts even when I have diplomatically tried to stop him doing so;

claimed I did not follow company protocol for 'senior review of technical specifications' when I had;

taken credit for research or work that I did, much of it to correct or provide future reference for several of his mistakes caused by a rush to judgement.

This has lead to some very bad feelings and has put the company at risk. I have pled my case and provided proof to HR and my Boss that I am in fact doing my job properly. The bad manager makes claims that I did not do something, or did not follow protocol and I have provided emails and other proof that I had. One difficulty, however, is that this supposed 'company protocol' is not written anywhere, changes day to day, person to person and situation to situation. I have asked for a written policy only to be told that I need to be more flexible. I've tried to keep Clients happy, but find I am sabotaged by the Senior Manager's turmoil-inducing back-stabbing and by HR's reluctance to go against this individual, and by a Boss afraid to take him on himself.

So what are my options?

Give up, suck up....and get out.

Fight openly and continue to document...and get out.

Fight subversively, enlist support, and then get out taking some clients with me.

Hide from the Senior Manager as much as possible, and blast the Company's competitors with my updated resume.

The sad thing is I really like the work and all of my co-workers, with the exception of Mr. Bad Manager.

"Gorgeous hair is the best revenge." Ivana Trump

 

[MacGyverS2000]

I suppose my attitude towards being asked to coddle someone who has left the building (mentally speaking) would depend upon that person's attitude (even if it is out of their control, such as dementia). If the person is nice or indifferent, I could possibly get by... if they're combative, backstabbing, etc., such as in Cass's case, I would likely be taking her attitude towards it all.

Dan - Owner

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[casseopeia]

My attitude would have been different if his initial reaction was to find out if something that went out was in his own mind, 'ready.' I had dropped the entire episode after several meetings only to have the Bad Manager resurrect the dead horse so that he could beat it down again, over and over and over. At the last meeting, I was talking to my boss about a different project when he asked about the one with the Bad Manager and represented our discussion as an impromptu 'performance review' where every problem on every project was trotted out without me having a chance to review the file or have any materials for reference. It was an unfair, underhanded, demoralizing tactic that has reversed my attitude about the company forever.

And by problem, one example was that the proposal went out in February but I didn't get started on the project until late April. My boss used that as a strike against my productivity. When I looked back in the file, I got started on the project after the contract was signed in mid April. I am not allowed to begin work until a project is under contract. So again I follow protocol and it is used against me without anyone actually checking the facts. That's a corporate structural deficiency that cannot be repaired in my book.

"Gorgeous hair is the best revenge." Ivana Trump

 

[vandal06]

How long have you been at this job? Are you working under any sort of probationary period?

 

[casseopeia]

I started in mid-December. My probationary period was over in mid-May.

I also received criticism about 'multi-tasking.' When I asked what the complaint was specifically, it was that the more jobs I work on at once, the slower they all seem to go. My response was that was the definition of multi-tasking. I compared it to construction where you increase scope, but do not increase the schedule, it is referred to as project acceleration and it is generally understood that there is a cost impact to add personnel or pay overtime. I figured I didn't have to add, "so which one are you offering." I'm salaried. I already know the answer to that one.

"Gorgeous hair is the best revenge." Ivana Trump

 

[KENAT]

"Like all BM's this too shall pass."

Would Elvis agree?

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[lacajun]

cass, do your job and look aggressively for another one. Management is making you the scapegoat, in my opinion, because you are inadvertently calling attention to their deficiencies.

The maxim I've heard most often in my career is, "You never admit to making a mistake nor do you say anyone else has." It's why, in my opinion, the US has arrived at this point in its history. People need truth for a whole lotta' reasons.

 

[MikeMech]

Cass,

I've been involved in and viewed second hand similar situations. From my experience, when the employee is trying to solve work problems objectively and efficiently but management is operating under a different reality (under mandate to maximize sales this month at any cost, to boost share prices or their bonus, for example), two things seem to happen:

1. Management will win. They hold most of the cards. Even if they eventually get replaced due to incompetency, their replacements will generally be as bad. I think this is because of the mandates they operate under, which aren't always in the long term interest of the company. This culture comes from the top down, IMO.

2. If you fight it and try to do your job, you will be scapegoated and forced out. If you don't fight it and join the dark side, you will lose your integrity, joy in your work, and your sense of reality. Like "doublethink" from Orwell's 1984. I've seen it in the real world, and it isn't pretty. If you must stay, you can try to paralyze your conscience with anti-depressants.

One of our customers was privately owned for many years, and was considered a desirable place to work, if you were competent. Very low turnover. Over the last 7 years, they have been bought and resold to ever larger umbrella corporations. Almost all of the good people have left, all due to the fact that management was pulling tricks like the ones you describe and many others, mostly to cover up their own incompetency and their failures at meeting corporate mandates.

I applaud your dedication to your work, but for your own sake I would advise you to keep your head down and get out just as fast as you can. Fighting would be like attacking an entire insane asylum with a banana.

To be fair, I personally find CYA paperwork such as documenting bad encounters to be incredibly distasteful. Being plaintiff in a lawsuit, similarly excruciating (although less so than being defendant). That sort of stuff is just not what I want to spend my time here on earth doing. If you don't mind as much, I would agree that you should check into the legal angle on things. It couldn't hurt you to have ammo/leverage/evidence if things turned nasty.

I don't mean to sound so vehement. You touched a sore spot, as the situation I was in actually made me physically sick due to the stress.

Don't waste your talent on a company that doesn't respect you or support you in your work. That's slow poison.

 

[beej67]

Oh, one other piece of advice for cass:


Whenever you next interview for a position with another company, for god's sake don't mention this incident. All the interviewer is going to hear is "Well they fired me(I left) because one of their seniors was senile and I was right." Nobody wants that guy(girl) as an employee.



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[casseopeia]

Yes, I agree. But I've never found a good way to ascertain a bad management style, and what questions to ask that would give me an indication that it might be not the best place to work.

"Gorgeous hair is the best revenge." Ivana Trump

 

[Maui]

Cass, based on your description of the events that have taken place in this environment, it seems pretty clear that the management team has decided to insulate the offending manager from any type of disciplinary action, even though his behavior certainly warrants such action. There are likely some personal relationships between these individuals that you are not currently aware of, and will not be privy to. Speaking to someone who retired from this firm that is aware of these relationships may go a long way in helping you to understand why things are run the way they are; speaking with one of your predecessors may also elucidate the situation as well.

I suspect that you have been identified as a trouble maker by HR and management for your outspoken behavior in identifying the source of these problems. They will not hesitate to throw you under the bus if they feel that it will be of benefit to them. Watch your step.

Document the incidents that you have described with times, dates, and the individuals involved. Keep that information on a separate disk or hard drive at home for safe keeping. You will likely never need it, but then you never know. Best to be prepared.

You should actively look for a new job NOW. Life is too short to be spent dealing with this type of dysfunctional situation.

 

[lacajun]

Bad management styles are hard to discern in some people but in some they are easily seen. You'll have to ask probing questions and be clever but sometimes that's even failed me. If you can find former or current employees that are objective and don't have an axe to grind, you'll get good information about the people and company's culture.

I've been broadsided by some poor managers, who came across in stellar fashion during the interview. Pressure changed their modus operandi drastically. You'll never find those until the pressure is applied to them unless they are not smart enough to not slip up during your interview of them.

 

[patprimmer]

One of the best managers I ever worked for had a reputation for being a very bad manager. He was a hooligan on a night out, blunt, gruff, sarcastic and abrupt and suffered fools very poorly, however if you got the job done to his satisfaction he just let you have your head and only gave the broadest directions. Or at least that's how he treated me.

Point being, how others where treated and how they react or think can't always be counted on to predict how you might be treated and how you might react. You need to asses the person giving the advice as well as the advice they give.

Regards
Pat
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[btrueblood]

I had a similar boss, Pat. She was regarded as a strict, all-business type, who also didn't suffer fools, and had a reputation for calling b.s. in public.

But if you knew what you were doing, and got your work done, you could earn her respect. And away from meetings, she could be as raunchy as the saltiest of the techs.

It was refreshing (to me) to learn that she left the company about 6 months after I did, for much the same reasons. Bad management tends to taint companies irreversibly, as good managers get fed up and leave, and new employees learn to play the games of the BM that is left.

 

[lacajun]

To be politically incorrect here, being politically incorrect does not make one a bad manager. Being a weasel and using weasel words makes one a bad manager.

Noblesse oblige, i.e., to whom much is given much is expected is applied to management. That is a Biblical principle I've often thought of in life. So many of us don't "get it" and/or think it doesn't apply. It does and we are accountable for the gifts we've been given in this life.

 

[lacajun]

I know of one BM that was caught "with his pants down" so to speak and ended up leaving the company. Recently, I learned he will never be able to return to that company because his actions were "that" bad against management. If you ain't top dawg, you better watch who you BM on.

 

[KENAT]

As is typical, it doesn't present anything particularly new or usefull but hey, at least you know you're not the only one!

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4360522...e/t/how-handle-bad-boss-without-killing-them/

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[debodine]

If you can do so surreptitiously, copious amounts of Metamucil on his lunch will at least remove him from your presence in the afternoons.

JUST KIDDING! I may think like mauricestoker but i don't have the courage to actually do it...

 

[mauricestoker]

Bad manager got his walking papers today. My approach might be simple and crude, but it is effective.