There are only so many hour in the day that get “wasted” since employees insist on basic habits of eating , sleeping, and even procreating. The belief structure among many management and supervisory types is that these can be simply reduced, if not eliminated by forcing poor workers to work longer and longer hours on in the end unpaid “overtime”. Either be quiet, or you won’t be working here is the mantra so to speak.
To serve these purposes , and to complete the internalizations of the said employee it might be best for him or her not even to refer to these time periods worked for the organization not as unpaid overtime but rather as “commitment to professionalism” or “the reason you get your bonus.”.
Talk about the book 1984 with its Orwellian tales of doublespeak and mind control.
In the end it goes under the guise of “Be glad that you have a job” and management bonuses for their efficiencies at keeping costs and labor costs in line. Reminds you of organized crime who are able to run businesses due to low input costs – the goods have invariably been stolen elsewhere and have low direct costs to the said business.
It can be said that “there are only so many hours in a day”.
Take the case of one hapless employee / drone / slave who attempted to have an intelligent (?) conversation with a manager concerning this manner. The employee in question was a hard working , dedicated individual who saw his role as being productive , to cover the territory so to speak and produce results – and ultimately sales of the firm’s products , profit at the end of the year for the firm and ultimately a personal image for the enterprise in a most competitive industry , in which this particular firm was a pimple , a distrurbance among giants to their competitors.
It seemed in retropsect to the victim ( the employee trying to make a simple point ) , that his superior was an abusive individual , on a power trip , coming off a drinking bender. Instead of welcoming the query as a general question by a loyal , hard workin employee who he should of been greatful to have , the direct perfect saw it as a direct threat to his authority in the workplace – even though there were no others present in the meeting , or indeed from the company in the town itself.
The boss saw it simply as a threatening case of the “troops starting up”. In essence a direct threat to his person , his power and his prestige in the whole setting , his managerial position ( which of course the underling lived to upsurb and posess).
The agent of managerial power then lept into a reflex action . ” Lets do a quickie analysis”, be begun . “How much time does an average call to a customer take ?”. When the employee answered that the depended on the individual customer. On top of that paper work had to be done accurately otherwise the employee / firm would be held liable for the cost and price differences directly. Again the manager asked the question – “How long does an average call take ?”. Ok then we will give you a certain amount ( totally a low figure devoid of reality and showing no practical experience by the superior what so ever in the real world and with real world customer activities.”. “You are the customer’s door for these specific calls in the morning from 7 am to noon”. We will give you 15 mintues travel time ( average time of any journey generally in the worker’s expererience was at least half an hour. On top of the walk from any parking lot – be it a mall or a downtown area from the auto in the parking lot to the customer’s location.. XXX you multiply it out . The manager proudly announced to the underling – “Do you realize that you are % 19.73 per cent efficient.
It was at this point that the subject employee in this fable and noteworthy tale realized that he was simply dealing with idiots. Wjo on earth would promote such a moron, as well as stand behind his harassment of employees , ignore a substance abuse problem. On top of that it the employee was still gainfully employed with such a record – then he should be terminated. If the employee was turning good numbers then the tables should be turned. It should he that person not the supervisor who should conduct meetings and instruct employees on the means and ways of their duties.
You may well , in your past life , attended an interview and felt that the interviewer was more nervous ( and even more foolish than you being at the interview , or even not to smart for working for the particular firm or boss in the first place).
What to do ? The first answer is to be polite and perhaps even deferential. After all the person may have a better reason for being there – that is often than a case of “management on the brain” or hero worship. Perhaps they are supporting their sick mother or dog , and they need the money to support the family or these “causes”.
All in all , its best to be quiet . Polite Get the interview over quickly. Leave. Never think about such foolish and stupid things again.
Always remember the parable of “Chicken little”
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Selling out is “selling out” your principles. Although it is and seems wrong you may have to do from time to time. Perhaps your boss is an idiot – a moron – who believes by kytowing you he has great power. It is an interesting lesson in life that in the end we have little control over much of anything. And yet many live their lives in a vain attempt to control others – even declaring it in grandiose terms such as “The Rules are Golden and THEY ARE MY RULES”. You would expect such thoughts and management behavior from the Gestapo not in a business where the end result is supposed to be productivity not control of others. And yet many management types act in this vain attempt that somehow that they have great control overs ( at least in front of their faces). They probably fall asleep ( if not in a drunken stupor) of repeating this mantra of “The Rules are Golden and They are MY RULES”. King of the playpen , Morons of the world
It can often be the situation – that bringing in an outside expert can hurt more than help. Hinder more than any way help. It has been oft quoted than an expert is any one 50 – 75 miles away from home. In these days of rapid transport – that is a small commute. Luckily the high cost of gasoline may deal with this plague.
At least the scourge and abuse of high gas prices has one benefit – perhaps less intimidation and abuse of visiting privileges by management and “outside consultants”. Perhaps now before they get in the car they will think of the cost of gas before they drive. That is unless they have the perks of a company car and gas card. Then it may be of their benefit to use the card to show their power ( entitlement) and just as importantly dilute their own personal mileage.
A perk of management can well be said to be anything in the realm of management payment and rewards that cannot be justified.
Another standard interview question or query that indeed evolved into a classic joke with a punchline is along the lines of “If you could be anyone in the world who would you like to be or have you often wished you were born as someone else in another family setting ?” In the humorous version the answer given to the puzzled interviewer is “Alberta Pipilini” . The puzzled interviewer ponders the answer – not understanding the answer or knowing who the person of fame Alberta Pipiliniis or where she resides , and in what capacity.
This is a psychological question with deep hidden inner meanings and desires revealed.
It turns out that when the interviewer reframes the question – that the person in question is not person in the flesh but rather the oil pipeline of Alberta (Canada) (Alberta pipeline) , who the interviewee ( most likely female) , and that “Alberta Pipelini was laid by a thousand men in the course of six months”.
Well at least the interview question ruled out one candidate on the grounds of intelligence or perhaps helped choose a new executive secretary for the boss.
In retrospect it can be seen that Obama could of been judged ahead of time- if you or the average American had only compared him to any of your previous bosses , management or supervisors that you may have encountered or suffered through in life or in your work career.
First of all the guy spouts slogans – “Agent of Change…..” rah , rah , rah
Sort of sounds like your boss – who knows little – has little experience but is going to tell you what to do – all with a sort of smile and twinkle in his eyes – the look of the kiss of death
Yet when confronted with evidence of wrongdoing – lies , evades and backpedals.
He / she / it advises you on proactive planning , has you complete extensive business plans…… etc.
Big on self evaluation – for the better for you in your case- yet when confronted that he sat through a racist demigod speeches – news to me ….. I never hear this…… etc etc etc
Yet when confronted that his biggest friends and buddies had terrible pasts – bombers etc - he was a fine person and authority figure in the Chicago community.
The list goes on . Americans you have nobody to blame but your own foolishness.
More works from the wise or the “bosses training handbook or manual”.
The American comic and comedian Woody Allen noted in his classic film Anny Hall that “Those that cannot do teach. Those that cannot teach , teach gym.” In today’s world they become your boss , supervisor or “manager”. It can be said that in the manager’s instruction manual (s) either the pages are blank, or have only one page “Hello my friend” or ” Always start with something positive”.
Here is yet another example entitled “Citing Contrary Evidence’. From a damage control standpoint , one of the most difficult situations ti manage in the employment interview is having to disclose that you were evaluated by a current or former boss or that you or the boss simply did not get along” .. How you manage these topics will certainly have a major impact on interviewing results and is therefore worthy of some careful planning on your part.”
You moron – why not either be quiet or simply tell the truth ?
Try to figure this out as a good example of gobblygook.
“The next four chapters are each organized around each of the major themes just set out, which encompass our theory of trans formative leadership and empowerment.Starting now emphasis will shift from the leader as an individual with certain personal attributes of an organization. Putting it more precisely. Our focus will change from leader effectiveness.Accordingly. The next four chapters will address the implementation of our theory or how more simply, leaders empower organizations.
Empower organizations?Empower individuals?This is slavery by words and deeds if one can only get out of the mire and muck of elusive and flighty logic that is add odds with itself and as well impossible to comprehend in any full , understandable or enlightening manner of thought or pattern.A paradox of paradigms.The blind leading the blinded.
Any of a number of outward manifestations or traits can well provide a better idea , an insight or insights into what your boss / supervisor / manager is really like and what really portends his mind or what perhaps goes on his / her or its little mind.
Never mind the little chatter ( none of which is off the cuff) that comes out of their mouths. What is really going on . What are the real concerns and area of focus ? That is other than getting into power – to be in the real position to effect change towards what they feel is “right ” “proper” or to drive that big new Cadillac perk – never mind that the vehicle of choice has now moved on to new models and types. So much for progressive proactive thinking. Its all still way back there in the “stone age”.
As an example and case in point one manager went on at great lengths regarding a discussion he had with a novice , and still relatively untouched , marketing type. The conversation was about the skills – or better simply put coercive management skills of Atilla the Hun. Atilla was widely successful in conquering and tormenting vast areas of geography. He was known as the evil Rasputin of his day. Still he not only was successful , he was an effective manner of men. Atilla did not do the work himself but by command of the troops. The summary of Atilla’s management style was that troops showed loyalty to Atilla and Atilla rewarded the troops. It all depends which side of the fence or side you are on . Good and evil is only subjective. If you are on Atilla’s side the rape and pillage and rewards would be great. If on the other side of the victims’ then not so good. The message to any listeners was ” I am a bastard ” but if you show loyalty to me and my projects I will reward you greatly. “Get with the program”
And you wonder if the current problems at Chrysler Corp as well as issues with upper level management at the giant auto industry leader as well within the US Auto Industry are a recent invention or came out of thin air.
You would think that after all the elaborate (?) hiring practices , and all the training and costs involved that management would in general trust their hired employees. Indeed its the other way around. In the case of the “Cloner” or “Cloner Seeker” its as if the prison guards had hired the criminals. Its the way of the Romans . One boss. The boss rewards the “soldiers in the field” who after all want his or her job. Since the hiring is only of clones all think alike and its not as if the whole process of thought is unreasonable or imaginary or even pathological in any manner. One twist or mistake by the head shark and its all over. The rest of the sharks ( who were hired for their approved traits) will move in for the kill. No one can be trusted. What a pathological situation. What a bunch of morons.
It seemed that by trying to make his boss look good , Syd, could never do well. Even though Syd persisted in applying the “Golden Rule” to his own workplace. Jesus said ” Do to others as you would have them do to you” ( Lk 6:31). Treating his boss as Syd himself would like to treated was all in the guise of working towards building a good and better relationship. Relationships with what psycopaths and morons . Its as if the inmates had taken over the asylum. It was all a lost cause to Syd, the worker. Smile away, pretend that he enjoyed his job, all in the guise of getting a promotion to enjoy the perks and privileges of management – do no work , tell others what to do , always blame others yet like a politician take automatic credit for any events or numbers that came in a positive way or trend. The amazing parts are that here we have Syd , a fellow with a drinking problem – driving dui to work, putting in little of any effective efforts and achieving little results, passed out most of the day from the party before, and all because he was not present mentally to cause any problems , and most importantly not challenge “Potatohead” on his lovely ideas and plans. At the most Syd might of mildly and meekly said “now that idea has merit “ or “those ideas should be further studied for implementation as they have great merits”. In the end Syd gets promoted not because of any skills , merits , credentials or performance reviews but only because 1) he never drew attention to himself in any manner – especially negative manner 2) he had a smile on his face on his way to work every morning which his boss noticed. Rather amazing.
At the end of the road for all his troubles and efforts Syd was promoted to a position in management where his major perk was a fully stocked bar fridge.
By trying to make his boss look good you may well be applying the “golden rule” to the workplace. In traditional (normal / respectful) value systems the “Golden Rule” is held as “do not do what is hurtful to yourself to others” or “treat other people as you would like to be treated”. Another simple description in the English language is “treat others as you would like to be treated”. However with many management deviants the “Golden Rule” that they proudly exclaim and pronounce with a smirk of “power” is “The Rules are Golden and they are MY RULES” .
Here is a case in point concerning “Syd”/ Syd told me some time later about one of the little things that set his boss apart from others.
Syd’s boss – “Old Potatohead” usually arrived early for work at his office which overlooked the staff parking lot . This meant that Potatohead could see the employees as they walked from their cars into the office plant building. What Syd recalled was that the boss remarked to him , more than once , that when Syd was arriving at work in the morning that he always had a smile on his face and thus there was something more than special in the attitude of this one employee – Syd.
As they say “Monkey See, Monkey do”. Guess who got promoted to management level. Syd a poor guy with a drinking problem who would arrive to work in the morning still feeling “no pain”.
The conservative mentality at many present corporations and management often goes without any question or inquiry – it just is a fact of life taken at face value – not unlike how wife beating or chasing cars that cut off a driver are seen as perfectly normal and acceptable behavior in many abnormal pathological families of origin.
As an example the conservative mentality at Proctor and Gamble lives on. New ideas are tested in focus groups for promotion , ad copy or package first in a focus group , then in a city , region and eventually the country.
This procedure was down without question as if there were no differences what so ever in populations ,regions languages or even ages. Different people and different types of people in different surroundings may well think , act and purchase products differently based on different preferences and parameters and yet after the purchase or decision may have different types of post cognitive dissonance.
What difference does it make ? This one basic principle – that our work serves God – has staggering implications .For one , it means that we do not have time to waste that ninety thousand hours that we spend on the job. They count for eternity.
The fact that we work for god also means that we need never be truly “unemployed”. Though at various times in our lives we may be out of a job that so to speak pays the bills m God presents us with opportunities every day to help take care of his creations – whether it is spending time with the elderly , tutoring children with learning disabilities , or keeping the house clean for other working members of the family. Of course you do need a way to put food on the table and keep a roof over your head. But even while you are out of an economically rewarding job , serving God in other way can still life your spirits and preserve your self respect.
Working for God not only assures us of “employment” but of compensation as well. Few thing take the steam out of us like feeling that our efforts are not appreciated or that we are being exploited or abused on the job. Workers slough off, even sabotage the projects on which they are employed on , when they sense that they are not being treated correctly and well. Welcome to life.
I came away from the experience shaking my head . I certainly did not feel that I had anything substantial in that meeting. What a waste of time and effort. Maybe the presence of a live audience helped our boss feel substantial and needed and necessary. Who needs such stupidity ?
It required time , patience , time and effort to put up with such stupidity. All for little apparent gain and game.
Everyone has dealt with a credit-stealing coworker. And while wrestling recognition for your hard work and bright ideas from a glory-grabbing colleague can be tricky, you can usually resolve the situation by tactfully confronting the individual or, if that fails, bringing the issue to the attention of your manager.
But what do you do when your boss — the person who has significant control over your career — is the one taking credit for your ideas? After all, being too direct or going over his or her head can get you into trouble. Following are a few strategies that might help.
* Think carefully before complaining. Let’s say you spent weeks devising a cost-efficiency campaign that becomes a smashing success, but, at a meeting with higher-ups, your boss takes credit. You might feel slighted, but hold off on raising a fuss. First, make sure you’re the one who truly deserves the credit. Even if you proposed the idea, consider the role your boss played in implementing the initiative — he or she may have done the heavy lifting.
In addition, think about whether your manager’s scene-stealing antics are rare or standard operating procedure. If the behavior is infrequent, it might be best to let it go and accept that all employees, at times, are expected to make the boss look good in front of the company’s top brass.
* Put it on paper. If your supervisor often takes your best ideas from private conversations and passes them off as his or her own, consider changing the way you share your suggestions. For instance, you could present them in written memos or email messages. This establishes a paper or electronic trail you can reference later during your performance review — or if your value to the organization is ever questioned.
* Get a witness. One way to ensure that others know a solution originated with you is to unveil it publicly. But whether you copy colleagues on an e-mail or make your pitch at a meeting, be aware that you’re taking a risk. While it will be harder for anyone else to take full credit if your plan works, you’re on the hook if it falls flat.
* Confront with kindness. If your manager’s actions are hindering your advancement or limiting your visibility within the company, it might be time to speak up. But be tactful. Your boss will be more receptive to the conversation if, instead of taking an accusatory tone, you simply ask for guidance on how to receive recognition for your efforts. This enables you to get your point across without pointing fingers or putting your boss on the defensive.
Finally, in some situations, you might determine that it’s wisest to say or do nothing about your supervisor’s “credit problem.” While it can be frustrating to watch your boss receive praise for your hard work or brilliant concept, there is a bright side: Your contributions and ideas are valuable and helping the company succeed.
The Loud Phone-Talker. “Obviously the first step is to pull them aside quietly and ask them to lower their voice when using the phone,” says Julie Jansen, a career coach, consultant, and trainer. “If this doesn’t stop them, you could dish out the same treatment and stand near their cube on your cell phone and talk loudly. Or you can hold up a sign that says, ‘Please turn volume down.’”
The Hang-Arounder. When confronting the co-worker who chronically lingers to chat when you are trying to make a deadline — a subtle jerk, but a jerk nonetheless — try standing up when they enter your office or cube. “The unspoken message of your body language will clearly tell him or her to keep it brief and head for the door,” says Ken Lloyd, author of “Jerks at Work: How to Deal With People Problems and Problem People.”
The Idea Stealer. There is a strong possibility that this jerk can’t distinguish between a good idea and a bad one. “Somewhere along the way, slip in a really bad idea and let the jerk steal that,” Lloyd says. However, beware that this might only encourage the jerk to become worse.
The Meeting Monopolizer. Get creative. “Try eliminating the chairs and making it a standup meeting,” Lloyd suggests. The monopolizer will likely get thrown off and won’t have time to settle into the usual routine of unproductive dominance.
The Bully. Remember, you’re not in high school anymore. “Hold your ground and refuse to be bullied,” says Steve Piazzale, a career and life coach who runs BayAreaCareerCoach.com. “They’ll usually back off over time.”
The Boss. Sometimes dealing with a jerk should not be your problem, particularly if you have a manager who is a jerk. In this case you might take a look around the company and notice several jerks. “This may be part of the company culture,” Piazzale says. “In which case get out!”
More General Coping Strategies
Passive. Avoidance is the most obvious solution if you don’t want a confrontation with any type of office jerk. “You can go to your boss and ask him to intervene,” says Jansen. Or, if things are really unbearable, you could ask to be relocated to another part of the office.
Active. Avoidance can backfire if the jerk continues the annoying behavior. Try talking to the person. “Difficult people don’t always know they’re being difficult,” Jansen says. “People generally don’t have a very high level of self-awareness, so specific and constructive feedback is important.”
Do they think that they are on ?Planet Zoltar? and have ?Mind Control? powers over you like on Star Trek? ?Beam me up Scotty there is no intelligent life here? is certainly the buzzword.
Power is often defined as the capacity to get what you want or the ability to influence others. Ultimately though in life most reasonable people learn that you have very little control and certainly very little control over others.
Yet this powerful urge still persists among many management and supervisor types. The same type of people who beat you up in the sandbox when you were 4 years old are now trying to be in roles of management.
In a recent study on what was termed “E-power? a team of workplace psychologists wanted to see whether having power changed how well people understood the viewpoints of others. The researchers asked volunteers to recall personal incidents where either they had power over others or others had power over them.
Past studies have revealed that such recollections had exactly the same effects as actually placing people in positions of power or limited power. If for example it turned out that regardless of whether people were given power or simply remembered possessing it, they were more likely to assert themselves and take risks all for the better or worse.
77 student volunteers to draw the letter Z on their own foreheads. More than a decade of experiments have shown that people who write the Z in a way that is legible to themselves but backwards to others have not thought or cared about how others might perceive the letter. On the other hand, people who draw the Z backward to them but legible to others have considered another person’s point of view.
Amazingly it turned out that the study subjects who believed that they possessed ?recollected power? were almost four to six times as likely to draw their letter Z in a way that was backwards to others than those who recollected an experience of limited powers and abilities.
Thus it terms out when people or in your case management or supervisory staff have power they go on to make your life more than miserable.
Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
However can be empathy in the management role? Is this possible in the real world?
Highly unlikely. After extensive research in controlled settings it turns out that those who had these imaginary perceived power abilities were less able to judge emotions rather than having greater abilities. This is the opposite of what you would think.
After all great time, energy, training and life skills go into the choice and training of ?management and supervisory? staff. You would think that if anything these carefully chosen individuals since they are involved in the ?management and motivation of their staff? would be at the extreme end of human emotion perceptual judgment skills.
It is true in the end. You were not hallucinating or imagining it. Your boss is more than clueless. He is also most likely the type to say ” I have learned the gold rule”. “The rules are golden and they are My RULES’. How original. The mentality of a 2 year old.