Share your management stories (insurance, accounting, buy, company)

[elamigo]

I spent at least about 25 years in management positions in the Army. After I retired I am now a manager in the business world. Regardless of where you work, people are the same everywhere.

I as I am sure all of you managers out there, we have our share of management stories from the funny ones to the disastrous ones. We are the center of gossip, criticism, attention, etc. from our subordinates. Often it is fun to be a manager and at times it tests your patience.

What are your stories? Share them.

For starters I will share one that I think is humorous because it shows how a simple comment can give a perception of yourself to your subordinates than what you really are as a person.

I was the First Sergeant (Human Resources, manager, trainer, etc) in Korea back in 2001. Many assignments in Korea do not allow taking your family so mine stayed in the states.

My barracks room was right across the street from my office so often I used to go to my room and and have lunch or at times I would go to the messhall to eat.

Well, one day I told my operations sergeant I was going to lunch. She asked 'what are you having for lunch First Sergeant?' I had no idea so I simply said 'I do not know, peanut butter sandwich?' and left.

A couple of days later my boss, the commander, went to my office laughing. He said "guess what I heard the Soldiers say about you First Sergeant?" I asked what that was. He said "They are saying you are such a cheapscape because you do not like spending money on food so you eat peanut butter sanwiches to save money".

I just started laughing and told my Soldiesr in the next morning formations how funny it is when people spread a rummor because someone heard some simple comment when going for lunch.

Hope this could be a fun thread by sharing our experiences as managers, supervisors, humand resources, business adminitrators where we may do great things, funny things, stick our necks out for the sake of others, make some horrible mistakes, etc.

What is your story?

[RandyWatson13]

Its amazing to me the people that interview well but are awful managers. They lack basic people skills and the fundamental understanding that they are leaders and they need to lead (come on time, be cordial, be truthful, etc).

Basics here.

I remember one time being called into a meeting by a new superior who had a bone to pick to pick and wrote me up for being late to meetings. What the idiot didn't even notice was I write notes in every meeting, including my arrival time. Idiot had to take back the letter. They were fired in a year.

On the flipside its always rewarding to hear how you changed someone's outlook on life or how you helped them succeed as a manager. One of my most touching stories was a single mother who was a great worker but just needed to be pointed in the right direction since they had the desire and energy to make something better. I pointed them to go back to school in something they were good out (Finance) and I always gave positive feedback (they were a great employee).

I got an email recently from them (we both left the company) explaining how I changed their life and they are about to graduate and bought a house and she is so happy I opened her eyes to investing, school, behaviors etc.

[bobtn]

The first person I ever supervised changed life for several people at a company I was at in Ct, and she was working as a fill-in at a clerical level, and despite being a part in it, I never saw it coming. Its detailed, but I'll be as brief as possible. I came to this corp to diversify my accounting experience, as the first 2 jobs I had after college, both cost, in Ct (closed shop state), were a train wreck waiting to happen, as plants would close, and I saw it coming. This girl (Not condescending, she was 22 and looked 19-super smart and hard working) is filling in for A/P lady out for heart surgery. Our A/R clerk leaves to pursue law school, and my boss, our Controller calls me in to show me an ad and resumes he got in response, for BOTH clerks. I was LIVID, not so much at being blind-sided, but he was paying A/P fill-in less than any clerk at any level in plant (he filled it, as I was there 2 months at that point). He wanted her gone, because she was not quiet about still pursuing f/t perm with insurance (she was a single mom with 2 and 1/2 yr old). Our company president wanted me to take over all Finance, viewing Controller as dead weight, which he was. I had felt sorry for Controller til this infamous meeting, as he had some major health issues, and I was just realizing alcoholism was amongst them.

In 25 plus years, I have never been so loud in a meeting, telling him A/R would be replaced, but this girl was either staying, or my ex corp who pursued me returning would get their wish, and I'd not only leave that morning, but I'd also meet with his boss, and tell him to replace the controller. My boss was so shaken by how strong-willed I was, he immediately deep-sixed looking to replace her, w/o telling me directly. Our plant manager acting as liason, let me know that. He knew, at that point, I'd go the whole day never saying as much as hello or goodbye to this jerk again..ever.

1 month later, having realized how hard working and what a great asset she was (smart and synergetic to work around), company president calls me (best Christmas gift or Bonus at work I ever got) b/w Christmas and New Years to say parent corp had approved him adding a clek to do H/R and Payroll related stuff, and she'd be it (He also adored her work and thanked me for stopping my boss cold turkey!). Since it overlapped with my function, she'd report to both of us. I knew that morning over the months to come, the president would get his wish, and I'd help him eliminate the Controller's position. 4 months later, I wrote out controllers final check (pink slip was written as fired for cause-no severence, as it should have been), and yes, I enjoyed it. He was one of the most evil managers I ever encountered both the morning of our meeting, and the entire 7 months we worked together. I later saw him (not kidding) making fries at a MCD's I frequented. Yes, I made sure to say "hello".

BTW, we were later closed (too small for massive parent corp to operate, and in early 90s recession, our company president could not come up with money needed to buy us). But the A/P , than H/R Payroll clerk combo, successfully applied and was hired at a VA in an even better position a few months before I left for a new job. I haven't seen her in years, but I do think if not for my unexpected reaction, it may have been a far less smooth couple of years for her. Ct had ZERO job growth and 9% unemployment then, and she had simply a high school diploma.

Sorry for the length, but I warned you.

[harry chickpea]

Managed one nice young man who had some serious difficulties in comprehension of a basic minimum wage theatre job. We parted amicably. He came back a few years later and informed us he was a nuclear technician on a submarine...

Managed another nice young man who became a rather famous hotshot lawyer. He WAS very personable.

Had one lazy crew that made threats to my well-being for telling them they had to work. I simply told them of my friend Marvin, who I had employed when no one else would employ him because of his appearance. Oh yeah, then I mentioned that he was very protective of me for that and was able to carry steel beams by himself (no joke, he left a construction crew dumbfounded as to how strong he was), and had turned down work as a professional wrestler.