tcpip | War with the boss

As regular readers will know, I work for a high-performance and scientific computing centre. Half my time is seconded to provide collaborative service technologies to an Australian-wide and federally-funded group.

My manager in the later group is a problem. He is ignorant of the technology he manages, he is incompetent at actual management, and he uses the 'big dick' method of staff relations. Needless to say, this does not engender much respect for the tech staff he manages.

My last two quarterly reviews have expressed, in no uncertain terms, that I have been extremely good at responding to customers and pleasing to work with. In this one, the manager has decided there is a problem in this area - without providing any evidence of course - and has started waving his authority around.

I think it's the realisation that he's getting the push from higher up, so he's responding in kind. After all I am the sort of person who doesn't automatically give deference to a person just because they have 'manager' in their name, and I am also the sort of person who will say something or somebody is in error if they are. A manager should be able to take that.

In a nutshell, I'm going to war with my boss. Wish me luck.

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May I suggest leaving strategically placed copies of the prince laying around the office? Empire build ... you need an army of loyal minions (HINT HINT).

How's the application going? ;)

good luck!

YEARS of sympathy, and best wishes...I have been fired a couple of weeks after getting a good review and a payrise, so anythings possible :)

Good lord... That is bizarre. What was their excuse on that one?

The owners hired a toe-cutter, ex waterfront dispute troublemaker, to be "hr" manager. He'd been amusing himself following factory workers home at lunchtime to see if he could get them fired for anything.

They changed policy to put all the engineers together (were 2 separate design departments for 2 product lines) and fire a few. They left the blokes alone; got rid of one girl by pressuring her until she found another job; the other girl was slapdash and arrogant and didn't give a shit, but was fast at producing rubbish, much like some blokes I have worked with, and thus apparently won their respect for it. I was singled out by putting me in a production role when I had been hired for R&D, then being told I wasn't fast enough. He was arrogant enough to tell me his game plan so I played til I got sick of it, then won a months salary at the Tribunal. That was a "learning experience" which finished tarnishing my expectations of working as a professional, but its been useful.

How unfortunate! :(
I've got happy memories of my (brief) time there but can accept that it's a diverse group and things may have changed over the years.
Good luck!

It's bizarre that your manager's opinion conflicts with your reviews...then-again, I had a similar experience years ago somewhere else. They did one of those "360 reviews" and everyone gave me a score that was generally quire good, with some useful constructive criticism. My self-appraisal was on a par with that. My manager's take on things was practically the opposite on every scale (a little like a film review by Jim Schembri!). I was pretty upset by that and wondered how me and my peers could have it so wrong...but it was just that the manager had drifted out of touch and was under pressure to "motivate" people. Can't say it really worked. It's a pity, cos I'd worked with him for a few years and regarded him as a friend...interestingly, when he changed career from I.T. management to holistic healing, he turned-back into being a nice guy.
Anyway, I'm rambling. ;)

Managing takes a pretty specific set of skills, and on top of that, it's important in I.T. to be aware of the tech being dealt with. It's not enough to say "We want results!" without being able to ask for something specific or knowing how to get the most from your team of humans. Wouldn't surprise me if his superiors have had a word with him and he's now realised how out of his depth he is. So, he's getting defensive, stressed and trying to be "Assertive" without being effective. It's tough for you to deal with, but what can you do?

VPAC itself is awesome. ARCS is a thoroughly confused blob at the moment. But what the service actually does is a fine idea.

.interestingly, when he changed career from I.T. management to holistic healing, he turned-back into being a nice guy.

I've heard that this guy used to be a hairdresser.. Maybe that would be more suitable.

So, he's getting defensive, stressed and trying to be "Assertive" without being effective. It's tough for you to deal with, but what can you do?

I think the realisation has to made among the rest of the management team that the manager in question is the problem, not his staff.

Oh dear - and good luck.

Sounds like you know what you're doing and have a plan of action. Good luck with it!

By the way, what's the boss's boss like?

Not much better. But his bosses boss is a vast improvement.

(This sort of thing happens when dealing with federally funded projects.. the chain of command goes all the way up to the Minister.. Who, incidentally, I get along with "just fine").

Give 'em hell. Don't let the bastards win.

Is your office unionized? Might be a good time to start. :)

There are a couple of members.

Furthering my sense of pronoia, the union actually rang me the following day - completely out of the blue - and asked if there was anything they could do for me.

Heheh..

BTW, awesome icon. Both anarchistic and fantastic. Nice combination.

Thanks! Funnily enough, it's from the "Anarchist" card in Magic: The Gathering.

Well, all the criticisms I've ever leveled against MtG have been reduced a notch due to that aesthetic..

hope it goes well!

Wishing much luck. If all else fails, I can help hide the body.

Ah. The eternal phenomenon. Boss is a jerk, but his higher bosses are to blame for that. Good luck in hitting a brick wall with your head, but i dont think it'll work.

Yeah, I seriously wish you luck... Sometimes these people can be vindictive and can really screw you over just for being honest with them.

I almost want to tell you to suck it up so that you can maintain your position, and do whatever good you can. But I despise submissiveness and I know the road that leads down can be horrific.

I don't know what to suggest; I guess just be tactful...

My good manager is teaching me the art of high satire with ironic intent. It's .. not my style. But the aesthetic appeals to me.

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War with the boss

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THERE IS POWER IN A UNION

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