http://www.bnet.com/5799-13077-0.html?type=18 Blog Recent Discussion Activity http://blogs.bnet.com/ceo/?p=3303#19020_92462 I had a couple bosses from hell, but this one tops it:<br>Let's call her Jane. Your first impression of her is nice, sweet, rather-shy older woman, just wait. After only a couple of weeks working with her, I was screamed at through a phone just because I informed her that the person she was looking for is currently having her lunch break. Afterward, phone-banging became a common scene and sound coming from her office. When asked about this sort of things, my colleagues claimed that she has always been like that. She doesn't talk. She screams, shouts, rants, nags, all the time and most of them are because of nothing at all. Her voice is so overwhelming that even though she was stationed in the far left wing of the 2nd floor, you can hear her screaming clearly from the entrance, located in the far right wing of the first floor. When she assigns tasks, she would shouted your name, screamed the vague summary of the task, and threw the briefs on your desk without even looking at you. When you asked for details of the task, she would state: "What am I? Your mama? Go ask somebody else!" and continued with loudly conversing with the rest of the office while stating "X just ask me about blah-blah! What an idiot!" until the end of the day.<br>When meeting with clients/suppliers in her office, even though she always wore short skirt, she wouldn't hesitate to raise her unshaven legs on the desk (like Steve's banner here, but without the trousers, socks, or shoes) all through the meeting.<br>The only time I could see Jane smile and talk normally was whenever the president director summoned her. She became almost-human.<br>Apparently, Jane was able to work for more than 2 decades in the company because every time the management prepared someone to be her substitute, she would do whatever it takes to make sure that someone leave as quick as possible. <br><br>I got out of there as fast and as far as I could, but still the scarring from working for and with Jane persisted. Wed, 25 Nov 2009 02:26:21 GMT http://blogs.bnet.com/ceo/?p=3303#19020_92462 2009-11-25T02:26:21Z http://blogs.bnet.com/ceo/?p=3315#19071_92457 Well said Steve. I find this time of year, if used right, can help you hit the ground running in January. Even accomplishing some of the things you list above, there is still time to get ahead of the competition and still sell, while they're at their holiday parties.<br><br>Deborah Scanlan<br>World Trade Packaging<br>www.worldtradepackaging.com<br><br> Wed, 25 Nov 2009 01:59:22 GMT http://blogs.bnet.com/ceo/?p=3315#19071_92457 2009-11-25T01:59:22Z http://blogs.bnet.com/ceo/?p=3303#19020_92450 Talking about Bosses from Hell: Working for a quasi <br>government corporation, most of my colleagues have to deal <br>with not one but four to five levels of such myopic visionaries <br>before even reaching the CEO.<br><br>Each and every Boss is focussed/obsessed upon their own <br>personal ambitions and growth, that they fail to recognise <br>that they are for ever failing in their assigned responsibilities <br>and when queried, have become adept at tossing red herrings <br>all around.<br><br>I couldn't agree more about the statements made by the <br>author under the Takeways paragraph.<br><br>It is said that one grows to the level of one's incompetence. It is important to know what is the competence that is being <br>sought by the bosses in any organisation.<br><br>Apparently, technical or business competence is not the <br>requisite set of skills for growth in this quasi government <br>corporation. Tue, 24 Nov 2009 23:25:17 GMT http://blogs.bnet.com/ceo/?p=3303#19020_92450 2009-11-24T23:25:17Z http://blogs.bnet.com/ceo/?p=3303#19020_92419 Satan's child? Quite probable. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/23-Minutes-Hell-Bill-Wiese/dp/1591858828/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1259102084&sr=8-2-fkmr0" target="_blank">http://www.amazon.com/23-Minutes-Hell-Bill-Wiese/dp/1591858828/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1259102084&sr=8-2-fkmr0</a><br><br>or perhaps this:<br><br><a href="http://www.tldm.org/News8/RealityOfHell.htm" target="_blank">http://www.tldm.org/News8/RealityOfHell.htm</a><br><br>or perhaps this:<br><br><a href="http://www.todayscatholicworld.com/bosco_hell.htm" target="_blank">http://www.todayscatholicworld.com/bosco_hell.htm</a><br><br>Pray the Rosary. Tue, 24 Nov 2009 22:46:50 GMT http://blogs.bnet.com/ceo/?p=3303#19020_92419 2009-11-24T22:46:50Z http://blogs.bnet.com/ceo/?p=3303#19020_92402 I once had a boss that called me while she was at her beach house on vacation to rant and cuss me out for letting one of the employees leave for an approved long weekend. Couldn't help myself and I told her she was crazy. I wasn't even the supervisor and somehow I was the one to blame. <br><br>Later I found out that in a 9 year period over 300 people had be hired and left because of the insane nature of the way she ran her business. Most unprofessional place I've ever worked because of the owner. And nothing ever got done because she got in her own way. <br><br>There are so many people in this market that either know of her or have worked for her all you have to do is mention her name a people nod and smile. Piece of work. Tue, 24 Nov 2009 20:56:53 GMT http://blogs.bnet.com/ceo/?p=3303#19020_92402 2009-11-24T20:56:53Z http://blogs.bnet.com/ceo/?p=3303#19020_92393 Another boss from hell...and this guy is still here! <br><br>He interrupts a meeting discussing how to cut costs on the WasteWater Treatment Plant contract to annouce his idea...tell everyone on the base (an Air Force Base; not to be named) they are only allowed to use the bathroom once in the morning and once in the afternoon! That way we will be able to save LOTS of money on the contract. When the Commander got over his surprise (and probable horror), he turned then ignored this boss and continued on. We then proceeded to make jokes about bathroom passes for weeks afterwards.<br><br>This boss has made statements to his second-level managers like "Maybe things would be better if I just killed myself...I don't know." and "I really think I'm ADHD but I don't like taking drugs so won't go see a doctor about it." He takes notes in meetings and then comes back and asks anyone nearby if they can read his notes because they are so illegible that he can't read them himself. He was caught at an HQ class with a cup of beer, during class and asked to remove it; his reply was "well, other people take smoke breaks". He's had female contractors threaten to file EEO charges against him for making lewd comments about them and inviting them to his room to supposedly discuss work. Previous Commanders have suggested he seek psychiatric help, but he's declined. He is so scared of his own supervisor (the Deputy Commander) that he won't make any decision without first calling him, even if he doesn't have all the information or has incorrect information...which usually leads to getting himself into trouble. <br><br>His latest and greatest move was to totally blow off all the planning meetings for the office move...which of course meant that no one was there to discuss where to put phone and IT hook-ups; so none were put in. So his folks moved into their offices without phones and no computer hook-ups! My husband, the IT guy for the squadron made sure upper management knew whose fault it was, despite the boss from hell trying to weasel out of the blame.<br><br>I did work for him but am now out from under him due to filing a discrimination suit a few years ago. He would single me out with things such as, I shouldn't be playing music while I work (just me, no one else), I might be taking too many smoke breaks (my boss asked him if he counted the other guys smoke breaks and he shut up) and so on. The final straw was when he came in my office, asked my son's name (we rarely spoke, so I found this odd), then proceeded to tell me about going to see a high school play while he was doing his AF reserve duty out-of-state. He goes on to tell me the play was a musical, "Showboat", and asks, "Guess who they had playing the lead part?". Well, I couldn't guess, so he goes on to tell me, "The lead part was played by a black kid. I guess that goes to show you how far we've really come." He walks out of my office smiling at himself for being so PC and all...leaving me fuming because my son, as it was obvious by pictures in my office, was biracial, and I had recently let the office know there was a play at his high school (that he was in) if anyone was interested in attending. Needless to say, my case was settled by my no longer having to report to him. <br><br>My personal opinion is the man is a ticking time bomb and I'm just glad that I don't work in the same office or building as him anymore! Tue, 24 Nov 2009 20:56:21 GMT http://blogs.bnet.com/ceo/?p=3303#19020_92393 2009-11-24T20:56:21Z http://blogs.bnet.com/ceo/?p=3303#19020_92368 I had a boss who possessed a high IQ, as demonstrated by his academic excellence and his ability to understand situations. Unfortunately, his people skills left a lot to be desired. He would shout at employees and suppliers and even disrespect customers, and he would come to work more than two hours after starting times on a consistent basis, because he believed that he had the right to do so, by virtue of being the general manager. He was also extremely cheap in his approach to employees, suppliers and customers. He would constantly draw people's attention to his command over the English language, based on the fact that his wife was of British origin, even though he, himself, needed to attend classes in English, as a second language. What a waste of talent and energy and a de-motivational force!<br><br>I write books on leadership, ethics, teamwork, motivation, women in the workforce, trade unions, etc., and it is my policy to distribute free abridged vbersions of my books to anyone who sends in a request to crespin79@primus.ca<br><br>Maxwell Pinto, Business Author<br><a href="http://www.strategicbookpublishing.com/Management-TidbitsForTheNewMillenium.html" target="_blank">http://www.strategicbookpublishing.com/Management-TidbitsForTheNewMillenium.html</a> Tue, 24 Nov 2009 20:27:39 GMT http://blogs.bnet.com/ceo/?p=3303#19020_92368 2009-11-24T20:27:39Z http://blogs.bnet.com/ceo/?p=3303#19020_92349 There is one who will live in infamy. In the few short years I worked for this woman I saw more horrible examples of how not to be a manager, I feel professionally scarred. Worst of all this boss fell on the heels of the best boss I have ever worked for. She sexually harassed a young man who worked for me, she slept with a vendor, on the heels of some dramatic downsizing forced us all to come into her office to see the new silk wall paper she'd ordered, consistently promised promotions which were never delivered, loved to create "drama" by marching into a meeting to announce a deadline change (all false) on vital projects and in the end single handedly caused a formerly successful New Product Development group to be eliminated. The company was going through so much downsizing there was little opportunity to get out of this department, but I finally got a former boss to put me back in his group - without my promotion. It was still worth getting away from this woman. Tue, 24 Nov 2009 20:21:29 GMT http://blogs.bnet.com/ceo/?p=3303#19020_92349 2009-11-24T20:21:29Z http://blogs.bnet.com/ceo/?p=3315#19071_92376 Good post, Steve. End of the year is a great time for <br>housecleaning, career planning, learning, etc. Get things done. <br>No excuse for not doing it.<br><br>Jeff Ogden, President<br>Find New Customers<br><a>www.findnewcustomers.net</a> Tue, 24 Nov 2009 20:17:19 GMT http://blogs.bnet.com/ceo/?p=3315#19071_92376 2009-11-24T20:17:19Z http://blogs.bnet.com/ceo/?p=3296#18924_92334 @ Wadehi: I think you have to consider starting your business. If they acknowledge that you make things happen and can't reward you with a higher position, create it for yourself. If you "dumb down" long enough, you'd most probably end up "a-v-e-r-a-g-e."<br>Stick to being the top guy, it pays! Tue, 24 Nov 2009 16:52:08 GMT http://blogs.bnet.com/ceo/?p=3296#18924_92334 2009-11-24T16:52:08Z http://blogs.bnet.com/ceo/?p=1418#3854_92282 What else you expect them to say...The current financial crisis and Enron debacle are the results of CEO greed and <a href="http://www.fortuneave.com/car-loans.html">car finance</a>incompetence. One can only imagine what the country will get to if and when McCain is elected....down the tube.<br> Tue, 24 Nov 2009 10:44:12 GMT http://blogs.bnet.com/ceo/?p=1418#3854_92282 2009-11-24T10:44:12Z http://blogs.bnet.com/ceo/?p=3296#18924_92217 I would agree with the value proposition argument. However, I think sometimes the challenge is to get the prospective employer to understand what it all means. I live in a small state with mostly privately owned companies. I have worked for 3 in a row and done a good job with building business for each. However, once I hit the VP to COO level it has gotten harder to find/close the opportunities because you end up often dealing with executives who are "homegrown" and dont speak big company language or have that kind of experience. They dont know much of the things I can speak to them about. One of them even admitted as much but said he had been told by another that I was the guy that made stuff happen...and he needed help. It ends up meaning that you have to "dumb down" your pitch which is often self-defeating. I am looking at that right now as I have concluded a committment and am looking for my next position. Tue, 24 Nov 2009 00:24:53 GMT http://blogs.bnet.com/ceo/?p=3296#18924_92217 2009-11-24T00:24:53Z http://blogs.bnet.com/ceo/?p=3303#19020_92215 For 5 years I worked for an owner/CEO who was a corrupt, crazy, control freak. The company was private and he and his brother controlled everything and the employees had no authority to make decisions. I didnt know that when I was hired as the 1st "professional" manager. They talked a good story and the move fit with my career goals. I had put together a promotion with them a year before and little did I know it was the best thing they had ever seen results wise. I joined as the #3 in the company. Over the 1st 6 months I put in place the company's first marketing plan, budget, promotion program, developed new products and worked to build the morale of the salesforce. When he was around, which wasnt much, the CEO questioned every little thing I did aksing why, do we have to, how do I know this will work, etc. I got him to signoff on an incentive for the sales force and we had the best holiday season ever. Come Q1 when I wanted him to pay the incentives he said, "No" because "he didnt feel like they were earned" even though the group achieved everything committed to. I paid them out of my pocket because it was the right thing to do. I got called in and screamed at and sworn at because, "I made him look cheap.." apparently missing the fact that he did that to himself. He then demanded to know if I was a millionaire or not...as he was and if I was as good as I thought I was I should be too! That was just the start of his schizophrenic behavior. At other times, he would disappear for weeks on end and not answer his phone, get up and walk out of meetings mid-stream, fall asleep in them, swear at you and say you were an idiot. When I offered to quit...he raised my salary 20% so I wouldnt, then continued his behavior. I made his company profitable AND started new operations that made his net worth higher and he claimed it was all his doing! He had a wife and a girlfriend and the company used to go into a tizzy whenever one or the other came by. He used to switch out the pictures in his office each time! The whole company would get nervous but we all needed the jobs so we ended up being complicit. The worst case of craziness was when he called me into a meeting on a new business out of the blue. Both I and his brother sat there dumbfounded while he talked about abandoning all our strategic plans set 1 year earlier, cancelling new product launches that had already cost of $300k all because a guy in a bar had told him a particular business was the next "big thing". He then proceeded to run out of the meeting when his cell phone rang, a call from his girlfriend, and left us to meet with a vendor who had apparently flown in from CA to talk to us about this new business. This guy shocked us when he informed us the CEO had ordered $1M of equipment off the phone and he was coming out to work with on the install. Nothing had been done beyond ordering the equipment! With the brother, we put together the entire company from P & E to products, distrirbution system, employees everything in 6 months and were on the street. He wanted to know why it took so long! I could go on and on...eventually I went to leave and he accused me of being "disloyal" and made all kinds of promises which i was stupid enough to believe. 9 months later I left with $$ in my pocket because he wouldnt come thru on any of them and my lawyer and his agreed to disagree. There was lots of other stuff in the 5 years but I am saving it for a book! The odd thing about all this was that the guy was a real entrepeneur who took large risks and made them work 3/4 times but only because he had some good people, including his brother and many whom I hired, trained and who have since done well in other settings. He couldnt himself manage his way out of a paper bag but he was actually decent in terms of seeing some opportunities. At the least I learned how NOT to run a business.... Tue, 24 Nov 2009 00:17:23 GMT http://blogs.bnet.com/ceo/?p=3303#19020_92215 2009-11-24T00:17:23Z http://blogs.bnet.com/ceo/?p=3296#18924_92182 I agree that understanding and knowing how to communicate your value proposition is an important step in any career turnaround or job search. You have to be able to know which of your skills and experiences will translate well into your next role. You also need to realize that elements from many different areas - more than just your work experiences - make up your value proposition. You need to be able to list your different skills - especially your soft skills - and know why they will help you succeed.<br> Mon, 23 Nov 2009 21:22:57 GMT http://blogs.bnet.com/ceo/?p=3296#18924_92182 2009-11-23T21:22:57Z http://blogs.bnet.com/ceo/?p=3303#19020_92127 I once worked in a cube environment, next to my boss, the COO, Bill. Bill liked to cuss people out on the speaker phone, he screamed at them and everyone on the floor heard him and the poor schmuck on the other end of the phone. One guy once interruped this tirade, with "Bill, Bill, did you call me to publicly castrate me or do you want me to do somethign about this?" Bill stuttered, "well, well I want you to do something about it" The guy said, "well then I've got to go" and hung up. There was great rejoicing that day in cube city.... Mon, 23 Nov 2009 19:31:21 GMT http://blogs.bnet.com/ceo/?p=3303#19020_92127 2009-11-23T19:31:21Z http://blogs.bnet.com/ceo/?p=3303#19020_92153 Here are my 2 favorites from my boss from hell.<br><br>1. Bizarre meeting: We are part of a quasi-governmental org, meaning that pay scales are public data. One day he decides that we in IT have not just the right, but the responsibility, to set those people running the business side of things right. He justifies this by listing our pay scales on the white board next to theirs. Surprise--IT analysts can out-earn first line business managers, but I didn't figure that that meant I knew how to do their job better than they did. My boss thought it did and ordered us to get out there and do it. Yikes.<br><br>2. Paranoia reigns: One afternoon Pete starts pacing outside our workspaces saying out loud things like "they can't get away with this," "they can't get me," and variations on this theme. No one had a clue who "they" was or "this" was. This went on for over an hour while we all cowered in our workspaces. We were all afraid of what might happen to us if his unfocused eyes suddenly snapped into focus and one of us was in his line of sight at the time. Personally, I suspect that there is probably an actual diagnostic code for that guy. Even his boss was terrified of him.<br><br>The trouble with crazy bosses that they are, well, crazy.<br><br>I got out of there in one piece (but barely). Mon, 23 Nov 2009 19:05:36 GMT http://blogs.bnet.com/ceo/?p=3303#19020_92153 2009-11-23T19:05:36Z http://blogs.bnet.com/ceo/?p=3303#19020_92145 I had one boss who used was so controlling that he'd time us when we needed a bio break. One time I ask him for an extra five minutes cause, well... and he tried to emphatically refuse that he was actually timing us. I pull out his spreadsheet that he had created on the 15 members of the group, how much time we took, etc. He was charting it versus days and versus time of the day..... he has a red stapler! Mon, 23 Nov 2009 19:00:35 GMT http://blogs.bnet.com/ceo/?p=3303#19020_92145 2009-11-23T19:00:35Z http://blogs.bnet.com/ceo/?p=3303#19020_92124 I had a boss who would sleep under his desk and then brag about how he was up all night working, when we all knew he wasn't. Then he would call me out for not being "dedicated" enough to my $18K per year job. I didn't stay long. <br><br>I bet John is still the same old John. The only thing that has probably changed is that he is better at concealing his true character long enough to get the next job/promotion. Mon, 23 Nov 2009 18:46:00 GMT http://blogs.bnet.com/ceo/?p=3303#19020_92124 2009-11-23T18:46:00Z