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January 31, 2004

Blogs to the Rescue

After the stress of last week, I was thinking about all things job-related. I was also flicking through a short list of "things to comment on" when I saw reread this article about setting expectations. The interesting take on this, when I try to look at it from an uninvolved position is that Situation 3 can (and has) become entrnched in the organisation. It applies to me. It applies to my boss. It applies to his boss. The stress episode on Friday relates to another team who are forcing us to make fundamental changes to the contract for a project that has entered implementation (i.e. has already been signed, designed and documented). The changes will cost a substantial sum of money and may in fact terminate the arrangement with the third party. Given Situation 3 - there is nowhere to appeal against the stupidity. The first common manager between "us" and "them" is three levels up and has no technical skills or understanding of the subject material. He (or she) relies on "them" for understanding and is unlikely to understand the operational of financial ramifications.

Lets check the expectations post again. There are three questions:
- Did this manager hire you himself? Nope. His boss did.
- When you first showed up for work, was this manager flustered and uncomfortable? This guy wasn't my manager at the time but when he took over, yes.
- Does this manager try to avoid giving you reviews? Yes and feedback of any kind.
Ripples goes on to say:

"If the answer to two or more of these was yes, you make your manager nervous. You are in deep trouble."

I got this job because of my qualifications and experience - which is unusual in this environment where most people gain their positions by longevity. I have worked in the "real" (i.e. commercial) world and despite all the rhetoric, the public service (and pseudo-public service) have no concept of how different things are in their world.

Well I look at Ripples' advice and I figure it must be time to move on. There are few (possibly no) opportunities to use my skills elsewhere in the organisation. Anybody in Sydney need an expensive (but knowledgable) Unix expert with more the 20 years experience?

BTW You should check out Ripples - he seems to have a very good understanding of what makes people tick.

Posted by Ozguru at January 31, 2004 07:01 AM

Comments

Thanks for the favorable comments. From the situation you describe, it sounds like your organisation has become an unhealthy place to work. I would imagine that the expression, "Don't go there" or some equivalent phrase is used quite frequently. I did a post on that phenomenon a while back. If you are planning to leave while you are still sane, you might find my posts on "Finding and Keeping Work" helpful. I am sure you will find or create a position that will prove to be more satisfying. Best of luck!

Posted by: David at January 31, 2004 07:01 AM