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So many companies I've been at (current one included) it seems all the management is in there positions because they've been with the company for awhile. I'd say 80% of the managers just got put into the roles because they have been around a long time. Very few actually have the skills needed to manage.
I have worked extensively with some of these managers so I can tell what's going on and it isn't just me being a hater. Sure, some of them are good but the majority aren't qualified and are in way over their heads.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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With a recent major reorganization, we brought in a bunch of managers and directors from the outside. We also promoted a few, but of those I am only aware of two that (IMO) were promoted due to their longevity rather than qualifications. It's a common problem that companies fail to realize that a great employee will not always make a good manager. My promotion to manager came after only 18 months here, so longevity had nothing to do with it, I had previous managerial experience.
So many companies I've been at (current one included) it seems all the management is in there positions because they've been with the company for awhile. I'd say 80% of the managers just got put into the roles because they have been around a long time. Very few actually have the skills needed to manage.
I have worked extensively with some of these managers so I can tell what's going on and it isn't just me being a hater. Sure, some of them are good but the majority aren't qualified and are in way over their heads.
What's it like in your workplace?
That's the first time I saw a quesiton I fit to a T.
I started in Material inspection, then moved to Material review board and then stayed there and worked as Customer service, shipping and parts inspection. Then gradually was given more power and let loose on projects...Yep, was "OK" but they then found a nice hungry kid (Who I admit was way better) and they shoved me over to another area.
Man, was the other workers honked when they found out that due to being forced to move, I still got my higher pay and they were getting scraps...But that was the corp culture of Japanese....Then another 1.5 years and got laid off.
90 percent of the ones Ive seen in management positions haven't "earned it". THey were either brought in from the outside from another company because they were buddies with upper management or buddies within the company before the upper manager got promoted etc. and lacked knowledge 95-100 percent of the operation or how to fix anything. Or given the job supposedly because they can "deal with people". Managing people is one thing, but its pointless if you are completely CLUELESS about the operation and what goes on below you. Managing people is only part of the equation. You still need to know what the hell is going on and how to fix issues in the operations.
What I have found is most managers today have NO Knowledge of the operations they are running. You can't manage an operation effectively if you can't even do the job or with little clue of the operation itself.
Its even worse when you're watching them make changes, and change the entire company processes and operations when they don't even understand the operations. The damage this does long term to a company is generally irreversible if it goes on too long
Many times they were put in those positions because they can cause less damage that way as well. There are people who deserve to be in those positions but most Ive seen do not deserve so. Some results of bad management: High Turnover, Low Morale, decreased productivity and efficiency in the long term. If you're company is experiencing these things, the problem lies with management. 9 times out of 10.
You're probably better off only giving management positions to those with substantial knowledge and tenure of the operations. If not everything goes haywire
90 percent of the ones Ive seen in management positions haven't "earned it". THey were either brought in from the outside from another company because they were buddies with upper management or buddies within the company before the upper manager got promoted etc. and lacked knowledge 95-100 percent of the operation or how to fix anything. Or given the job supposedly because they can "deal with people". Managing people is one thing, but its pointless if you are completely CLUELESS about the operation and what goes on below you. Managing people is only part of the equation. You still need to know what the hell is going on and how to fix issues in the operations.
What I have found is most managers today have NO Knowledge of the operations they are running. You can't manage an operation effectively if you can't even do the job or with little clue of the operation itself.
Its even worse when you're watching them make changes, and change the entire company processes and operations when they don't even understand the operations. The damage this does long term to a company is generally irreversible if it goes on too long
Many times they were put in those positions because they caused less damage that way as well. There are people who deserve to be in those positions but most Ive seen do not deserve so. Some results of bad management: High Turnover, Low Morale, decreased productivity and efficiency in the long term. If you're company is experiencing these things, the problem lies with management. 9 times out of 10
The most amazing thing is, once you are a supervisor with direct reports, no matter how bad you are at it, you can continue to get hired as a supervisor for the rest of your career.
The most amazing thing is, once you are a supervisor with direct reports, no matter how bad you are at it, you can continue to get hired as a supervisor for the rest of your career.
Exactly.. Supervising various operations in various industries you have no clue about.. Makes no sense really. Of course, the private sector makes no sense today.. Its why so many companies are up s*** creek without a paddle
90 percent of the ones Ive seen in management positions haven't "earned it". THey were either brought in from the outside from another company because they were buddies with upper management or buddies within the company before the upper manager got promoted etc. and lacked knowledge 95-100 percent of the operation or how to fix anything. Or given the job supposedly because they can "deal with people". Managing people is one thing, but its pointless if you are completely CLUELESS about the operation and what goes on below you. Managing people is only part of the equation. You still need to know what the hell is going on and how to fix issues in the operations.
What I have found is most managers today have NO Knowledge of the operations they are running.
Yes, this is also a consistent feature in my experience. The management seem to be clueless to the actual operational element, and when pressed, will rely on passing on responsibilities to much younger and lower ranking staff, either blaming the lack of them, or their existing general inefficiency. Their priority is not the company ethics or values, but on constant re-selling of themselves because that is the bread and butter of their survival.
It would seem logical to accept a manager that knew how to work from the bottom up. Such as the basics of the necessary software, the company processes, the general required abilities from cleaning the toilets to processing a record, logging in to your Windows, administrating simple training, etc... you would think a manager today would hold all these abilities, and you'd think so because of a pyramid skill structure. The skills and abilities of a manager would include those on the lowest rank and more. Right?
Except what happened is that the interview which got them hired never really ended. They are still spouting sales-nonsense, they steal instructions so they can whine how they weren't told what to do, they dodge the bullets, they talk the talk while being professionally and ethically useless, and above all: they avoid making decisions because it is a connection to responsibility. The job never really begins; it is just a never-ending interview.
I used to look at it with a kind of animosity. Then, jealously. Now, I kind of admire the balls of these salespeople. Selling you a job that you already have while they sell themselves for four times the wage. It's genius!
I was a manager. It happened after our little company was absorbed by a b i g company. My manager was doing some stuff that the new company didn't agree with and she was chastised for it. I believe she saw the writing on the wall and she quit. I, who had been doing the bulk of the work in our department, and who had come up with several innovations for various of our clients, was told by several people that I would never be a manager because I hadn't been there long enough. Surprise!!
The trick I found was to expect that the employees were adults and knew what they had to do to get the job done. Also, to let them see that I never asked them to do anything that I wasn't willing to do myself. Two people quit after I became manager - they were the ones who expected that they would be getting the job. They were also the two lowest producers so no big loss. The funny thing is, it only took one person to replace the two. (They were friends of the original manager)
Recently witnessed a situation that I had a front row seat to. This was for a Facility Manager position.
After sifting thru people it came down to five people. Two of those people had Master Degrees. One of the people had been working in the boiler room for over 15 years although he is not one of the candidates that had a degree. He was a long time employee. My part in this was being called in to interview each of the candidates along with 2 or 3 other employees.
The original interview with management took place prior to the peer interview. During that interview all candidates were taken to the boiler room and asked detailed questions about the system. This was not something that had been required in the past. Of the five remaining candidates only the boiler supervisor managed to make it all the way thru that part of the interview.
Of the five remaining candidates the two that were chosen to move on to the peer interview process were the boiler room supervisor and a guy that had been involved with Facilities Management in an administrative position. After the interviews the conclusion was that our Boiler room Supervisor should get an offer to move into the Facility Manager position.
The key factor in the process was how well each candidate knew the boiler room. If you read the original paperwork for the job, that had not been a requirement.
After getting the job this guy comes to me and tells me that he was told the reason that he was hired over the other guys was because he was lacking the experience. They were able to get him and all it cost them was increasing his pay by 5% over what we were paying him now. He came to me because he needed my help. We are friends. I had no knowledge about the hiring process or why we were asked to have two candidates that were so far apart in background and experience. I left feeling that the hiring process was rigged in some way.
Not that this guy will do a bad job. He realizes that he has a lot to learn. He has done well over the last month he has had the position and I am betting will continue to do well.
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