A tale of two (bad) managers

[Wes Bucey]

What makes Claes' comment about Hanlon's Razor so pertinent is that even with the proliferation of shows like "The Office" and comic strips like "Dilbert," these goofs are so-o-o-o stupid they don't recognize themselves as the pointy-haired boss.

Worse to contemplate is THEIR bosses don't recognize they have a pointy-haired boss on the payroll. I wonder about the shape of the hair of all the bosses up the line!

The Peter Principle is alive and well throughout the world!

 

[Jim Wynne]

Worse to contemplate is THEIR bosses don't recognize they have a pointy-haired boss on the payroll. I wonder about the shape of the hair of all the bosses up the line!

The problem is that oftentimes bosses do realize that they have goofs working for them as managers, but refuse to admit that they might have made a mistake in hiring or promoting them.

The Peter Principle is alive and well throughout the world!

The Peter Principle is sort of axiomatic; people will be promoted until they reach their own levels of incomptency. That's not the problem, though, because sometimes it's difficult or impossible to predict that a person who's doing well at one level will not be able to handle the next level. The problem is that once people are promoted to levels of incompetency, no one does anything about it unless the screwups are so egregious that there's no alternative left.

 

[morgand - 2006]

The problem is that oftentimes bosses do realize that they have goofs working for them as managers, but refuse to admit that they might have made a mistake in hiring or promoting them

I'd feel better if I knew for sure this was the case. In my organization, I wonder... really, really, really, wonder....

 

[Jim Wynne]

I'd feel better if I knew for sure this was the case. In my organization, I wonder... really, really, really, wonder....

I know what you mean, believe me. There's no favorable alternative, though. What's worse--having an obvious dolt working for you and not knowing it, or knowing and doing nothing about it? Whatever leaves the incompetent in his position of incompetence is bad.

I also had the experience once of seeing a terrible manager fired for making a totally boneheaded and potentially very costly decision. When the news came down, everyone was practically dancing in the street and singing "Ding Dong, the Witch is Dead" (or warlock, in this case). But be careful what you wish for--his replacement was much worse, so much so that I wound up leaving the company because he screwed up everything he touched, including things I had spent several years putting together. As far as I know, he's still there (some 14 years later) and has been promoted at least once.

The really interesting thing is that the first guy was fired by a new CEO and not the guy who hired him. If the old CEO were still in place, my guess is that the first guy wouldn't have been fired. And his replacement is still there, and undoubtedly still screwing things up, because the CEO who hired him is still there, and will never admit that he hired an idiot.

 

[chaosweary]

The problem is that oftentimes bosses do realize that they have goofs working for them as managers, but refuse to admit that they might have made a mistake in hiring or promoting them.

Or they refuse to train or mentor them to the point of competence, in which case they are as bad as the one they hired.

 

[TNHunter]

I once had a manager that got very angry when an Inspector told an auditor the truth about a process (practically quoted the SOP) because it was a response that HE did not like. He pulled me aside and asked me, "why didn't she lie about ..."

I told him I would never have an inspector lie to an auditor and that the inspector was 100% correct by procedure. He called a meeting of all the inspectors that afternoon and informed them that only he was to answer the auditors quesitons. Needless to say, the auditor would not go for that.

The quality manager lost respect from the inspection force after that. Worst manager I ever worked for.

 

[Claes Gefvenberg]

I once had a manager that got very angry when an Inspector told an auditor the truth about a process (practically quoted the SOP) because it was a response that HE did not like. He pulled me aside and asked me, "why didn't she lie about ..."

Only once has something like that happened to me. I told the mgr in question that lying was not part of my work description (and certainly not reflected by my salary), and hinted that perhaps things were different at his level...? He did not exactly like me from then on, but fortunately (for me) he left the company soon after our little disagreement.

He called a meeting of all the inspectors that afternoon and informed them that only he was to answer the auditors quesitons.

Brilliant... That in itself would have told the auditor everything he needed to know.

The quality manager lost respect from the inspection force after that.

Small wonder. Respect is earned... or not...

/Claes

 

[ScottK]

oops. I may have insulted the guy I mentioned before when I asked him if he ever tried to catch someone doing something right.

 

[moiraknows]

The last manager I worked for, I called"Cybil". One second she was on an even keel, the next she was NUTS. The only reason she is still with the company is that they cannot afford to dismiss her. Been there 27 years.

 

[little__cee]

Finally...a contest about bad bosses:

https://www.workingamerica.org/badboss/