War with the boss

[tcpip]

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.

Comments

[roadriverrail.livejournal.com]

That's really sad. I'm slowly pondering bringing leadership into my career, and I have always believed that a leader should respect, learn from, and defend his/her subordinates. That's fundamentally their purpose.

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

It's pretty ridiculous. It's just plausible (regrettably) that being an aggressive manager towards workers can work in some cases and places... But certainly not among the staff here.