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To: Kaslin
8. Learn to manage your boss

Number 8 is an important one. Over the years I've had bosses or supervisors that sucked at their jobs. Don't despair; work around them and despite them. I had a boss who was having an affair with one of the female co-workers; he neglected all his duties including ordering materials I needed for my job. Another just wanted to play games all day on his computer. Another got caught up in competing with the workers by doing their tasks in parallel and ignoring managing. Another grabbed newly ordered items so as to study the manuals in detail, keeping the items out of the worker's hands until just before they were absolutely required for installing at customer sites - a couple months would go by while workers only had a week to study the setup and use. Another concerned himself with office politics, not allowing workers to fix broken-down items in order to get a larger budget to order new items - thereby making workers look incompetent and himself as a problem-solver. The list goes on and on.

Solutions are to do what your boss is supposed to be doing, or leave the group, work yourself up the ladder elsewhere, and come back at an equal or higher level than your boss. That is the best advice I learned from a senior manager when I was young, and it served me well.

4 posted on 05/14/2014 10:03:36 AM PDT by roadcat
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To: roadcat

20 years in the Navy, and I learned to put up with anyone. Had a LT who was one of those types who insisted things be done his way, even to the detriment of the ship. I just kept a low profile and stayed out of his way.

The best bosses (and the one I have now) tell you what needs to be done and what he expects, and leaves you to do your job with a minimum of interference.

In the case of a bad boss, (even though it sounds cliche) I’ve learned what goes around comes around and this too shall pass.


9 posted on 05/14/2014 10:54:35 AM PDT by fredhead (Join the Navy and see the world.....77% of which is covered in water.)
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