Don't Tolerate Crazy Bosses.

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  bhh@...05/15/07 Report as spam
  1

  The cost of humiliation

  I think the notion of "the cost of humiliation" should have been used in business terms. I'm sure that we all recall incidents in our past where we felt humiliated, and these expereinces take on an overwhelming significance event though it might have been a small thing. Apply this to a business setting and think of the slow down of motivation and initiative that a bullying leader is injecting into the organisation! And on the other side, think of the force from a leader cheering people on to do excellent jobs!
  Regards,
  Bernhard

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  wilyadguy05/15/07 Report as spam
  2

  What about crazy clients?

  I'm a freelance copywriter who's currently working for a small agency. The agency is working on an account where the client is abusive to everyone, especially me.
  
  Because of my level of commitment, I can't just quit and walk away.
  
  This client is a control freak, a bully, always making sarcastic, smarmy remarks by email. He actually fired his PR firm by email.
  
  The agency owner just shakes his head and looks the other way. Obviously the money is good.
  
  I've decided to complete the contract (ends in December) and then seek a replacement for this particular account. No amount of money is worth working with this jackass. I don't relish working on anything for this account, but I do it because I have a sense of responsibility.

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  Karen-Texas05/15/07 Report as spam
  3

  Crazy Clients...

  I agree. I've terminated client relationships for no other reason than they were too high maintenance. If you spend too much energy on a toxic client, your other accounts suffer. Better to replace them than be a "work martyr."

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  mcontois@...05/15/07 Report as spam
  4

  What to Say

  Wow. I guess I am fortunate in that I've never had to work for a crazy boss, at least I don't think so. I remember back in high school working at Burger King the general manager pushed me and another girl. The girl's parents made her quit and I believe told off the general manager. I don't remember saying much about the incident. I quit shortly after. I've worked in a pharmacy in a ritzy town, a lot of customers acted like children. It was appalling. I wanted to give them a time-out. The media should be talking about this because they do stories on rude behavior. Yet the focus is always on people in general and not high level executives. I don't think CEOs are godlike nor do I believe politicians or celebrities are. They are human beings first and to get where they are, I'm sure they have to do some pretty terrible things. Remember the popular kids back in school days?

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  Karen-Texas05/15/07 Report as spam
  5

  How to handle a crazy boss...

  In my experience, these people have entitlement issues. They believe their lives are harder, busier, more stressed, etc. than anyone else and therefore they are entitled to behave any way they choose. They behave like 2-year-olds because emotionally they are 2-year-olds. The most effective response I have ever seen was from a new secretary who had entered into our toxic environment. She made it clear at the outset that any behavior like this would not be tolerated by her: she took her scheduled lunch breaks; refused overtime when it was not necessary; required that people speak professionally to her, or she would not speak with them at all; would confront people if they were deceitful. Her behaviors put her in a stronger position and the bullies respected her and towed the line. As for me, I left and got a new job, where I began to practice what I had learned from her example.

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  janeshan05/15/07 Report as spam
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  Leaders taking advantage of their position

  It is vry true many high profile leaders take advantage of their position and treat their employees like 'dirt'. The situation is worst of when top management regards those leaders as their backbone to the company and keep them even at the expense of loosing loyal employees to their competitors. What is the point of these leader having the knowledge in their field but fail to practice IQ. It is back to basics for a leader to have a people skill as their employee create and carry the brand. In my company everyone just follow the 'lousy leader'... as top management only beleives in them. The result : no buy n, demotivation and employees looking to go to their competitors. Someone need to educate these type of leaders and if possible create a law for such offense.

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  Geoffrey James, Sales Machine05/15/07 Report as spam
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  Cell phone cameras

  In every organization there should be one departing employee who has the guts to video a boss on the rampage. I wonder how Steve Jobs would feel -- especially given his problems with the SEC -- if one of his rants turned up on YouTube?

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  Scout1234905/29/07 Report as spam
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  Tech Managment - No Excuses

  For years, managers in tech have been exempt from scrutiny because the sheer growth the industry produced masked inept and illegal management practices. People who had no managment skills were VERY socially-challenged or needed daily medication to remain functional were often promoted to management positions becasue that was the way companies had of protecting their top developers. They would go through management training but this was merely a bandaid. Smart companies would purposely surround these miscreants with buffer teams to prevent inevitable lawsuits.
  
  These people often used physical and verbal abuse to terrorize their teams. The highest nails would get hammered.
  
  Now that tech is gowing through a maturation process and the phenomenal growth has leveled out, this scrutiny is finally happening.
  
  These bad boys and girls cost companies to hold onto them. With tightening profits, maybe now they will be weeded out.