Sounds to me like the age old management style of promote a person to just above their best ability. I suspect the 'new' boss is being placed there to get him out of some other's way.

Just general thoughts on my boss is a moron and how to handle it...from managements’ eyes.

As I worked my way up the chain at the company I now manage, I dealt with all types and heard it all. To make matters worse, my father was part owner of the company. So you can imagine, “lucky sperm,” “bosses kid,” “if his daddy wasn’t the owner he wouldn’t even have a job here...”

You get the picture. When my dad hired me in he told me, “when you sit in this chair someday, you’ll be the dumbest person in the building. People will always think they know better than you.”

I asked him how that doesn’t drive him crazy? Doesn’t he want to explain to everyone what he’s doing and why?

He said nope, you can’t son. There aren’t enough hours in the day to try and convince everyone you’re right. And then the quote I will never forget...”besides, if I’m so dumb, hows come I’m the richest guy in the building?”

He said it tongue in cheek, but he was right.

As I climbed the ladder, I’ve had to get rid of people. I’ve also demoted people who weren’t “on my team” and put people in their places who bought into the vision and worked with me, not against me.

The company absolutely smashed our previous records last year. And continues to grow and succeed. I love seeing employees who I let go or who quit who know toil for competitors who we kick the crap out of. If I didn’t deserve it, why are we smashing it right now? It’s my vindication, the chip I carry on my shoulder.

Everyone who gets promoted gets the lesson my dad gave me. If your subordinates are working against you, the company will be held back. Get them on board ASAP. If you can’t, get rid of them and get people who are bought in.

We need to be charging forward and kicking ass. I’ve got no time for malcontents and trouble makers.

If I or one of my managers has promoted a bad leader, we will correct our mistake. If we’re leaving that person in charge it’s for a reason. Perhaps we’ve made a mistake and didn’t realize it. Maybe he or she really is the wrong manager. In time You’ve gotta have faith it will be corrected.

None of us are perfect. It’s kind of ironic listening to people complain about coworkers and I’m sitting there listening to them thinking to myself, “does this person realize they’re kind of a pain in the ass too? Do they not realize that they have their own issues?”

We aren’t perfect, but if we’re all pulling on the same direction, the company will do well and we’ll all make more money. It isn’t rocket science, be on the team or get off the team, complainers who think they know best are always best left behind as the rest of us move forward.

As my dad also said, give me a team of B players with A hearts and I’ll kick the shit out of a team of A players with B hearts. How good you are at your job isn’t as important to me as your attitude, character and work ethic is. If those are right and the rest of the team shares those qualities, we’ll help make each other great.

quote:

Originally posted by icom706:
Since it appears that 5 other team members have the same read as you on 'Bob', you at least are quite certain that you are not nuts.

Or it's just a stampeding tendency of others looking for reasons to resist and bitch.

I'll admit I'm surprised at the seeming overwhelming support for taking a passive aggressive approach as the OP indicated and others have given examples of. From my experience and that of peers/friends, making others look great and focusing on my job and clients/responsibilities tends to lead to progress that moves you further up the chain rather than waiting around to have to "break in" another. I've also found that that same approach has almost universally gotten me people working for me who do the same for me. I suspect many that view relationship strictly as boss/subordinate aren't working toward the same goals, and it sounds like that may not always be the fault of just the one party?

I would love to hear the other sides' of the description of some of the folks proposing an completely different tact.

YMMV - I realize some folks really do suck or are over-promoted. I've let them weed themselves out, or found something else.

If your heart is no longer at the council fire, you should not stay.

Tecumapease, sister of Tecumseh

quote:

I'll admit I'm surprised at the seeming overwhelming support for taking a passive aggressive approach as the OP indicated and others have given examples of

I suspect what we see may be the difference between union members/shops and people who don’t work in union shops. It seems to me that union people sometimes tend to have an adversarial view of their employer. I’ve never been a union member and never worked in any job where there was a union presence.

quote:

Originally posted by Georgeair:

quote:

Originally posted by icom706:
Since it appears that 5 other team members have the same read as you on 'Bob', you at least are quite certain that you are not nuts.

Or it's just a stampeding tendency of others looking for reasons to resist and bitch.

I'll admit I'm surprised at the seeming overwhelming support for taking a passive aggressive approach as the OP indicated and others have given examples of. From my experience and that of peers/friends, making others look great and focusing on my job and clients/responsibilities tends to lead to progress that moves you further up the chain rather than waiting around to have to "break in" another. I've also found that that same approach has almost universally gotten me people working for me who do the same for me. I suspect many that view relationship strictly as boss/subordinate aren't working toward the same goals, and it sounds like that may not always be the fault of just the one party?

I would love to hear the other sides' of the description of some of the folks proposing an completely different tact.

YMMV - I realize some folks really do suck or are over-promoted. I've let them weed themselves out, or found something else.

'Up the chain'.... That's very telling.

Not everyone is always looking to suck up to move up.

In some fields there is a distinct difference between management track and technical track. Management track moves 'up the chain', technical track has skills and does the work, and you're paid not by how far up the chain (or greasy pole) you've climbed, but by your skills and experience.

You do your work, and do your best. Always.

But why is an employer always entitled to freebies, and an employee is not?

Possibly I'm unusually sensitive to this because I work in a field infamous for expectations of unpaid overtime.

OP is about as skilled and experienced as he's going to get. No chain to move up.

If employer wants him to go above and beyond, they should act accordingly, not expect it as something they're entitled to.

He does his job and he does it well, he's earning his pay and they're getting their money's worth. Giving away freebies is a victims game.