Tag: clueless management

What Happens When Employees Find They’re Getting a Crappy Christmas Bonus?

Editor’s Note: Here’s one of my most popular holiday classics. This one is from back in December 2018.  I’VE HAD TO WORK THROUGH so many holiday seasons that I feel a little like Clark Griswold. If the name doesn’t ring a bell, the character should. It’s the role Chevy Chase played numerous times, but most

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The Corporate Kiss-Off, or What I Learned After Getting Jerked Around About a Job

YOU FIND ALL SORTS of interesting things when you go through old email. I’ve been doing that recently as I try to get rid of the many messages I’ve saved over the years. Why I saved so many escapes me now, but the silver lining is this — I’m finding some interesting conversations that are

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Arguing With the Boss is Normal — Except When You Work for a Really Bad One

Editor’s Note: The summer months are a good time to occasionally republish some of my most popular posts. Here’s one from back in July 2014. YOU CAN TAKE IT from me: Arguing with the boss is generally not a career enhancing experience. I know this because I have worked for a number of different bosses

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A REALLY Good Lesson on Why You Should Take Time Off Before Starting a New Job

Editor’s Note: I’ve been occasionally reposting some popular articles from the past. This one was published here and on LinkedIn back in June 2018. I LOVE IT WHEN a long-time workplace practice gets re-defined by some silly new terminology. Yes, I was excited when I discovered what The New York Times is now calling that time you get off

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A Very Public Firing That Shows the Really Terrible State of Management Today

Editor’s note: Technical issues delayed this post, and my apologies for that …  WANT TO GRAB a big audience on social media? Just record yourself getting fired, post the recording on TikTok, watch others post it on X (aka Twitter), and create so much buzz that even The Wall Street Journal writes a story about

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The Christmas Bonus Problem: Sometimes You End Up With a Lambskin Fanny Pack

Editor’s Note: This is my last blog post of the year. It’s a Skeptical Guy holiday classic from back in December 2018. See you in the New Year! I’VE WORKED THROUGH so many holiday seasons that I feel a little like Clark Griswold. If that name doesn’t ring a bell, the character should. It’s the role

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Workplace Wisdom: You Can Learn More From a Bad Boss Than From a Good One

Editor’s Note: I’ve been republishing classic (and slightly edited/updated) Skeptical Guy posts the last few months. This one is from June 2018. HERE’S A MANAGEMENT TRUISM you just can’t avoid: You learn more from a bad boss than you do from a good one. I was struck by this when I came across an old Corner

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Are you an overbearing manager if you identify with The Devil Wears Prada?

I’VE MET A LOT of big-name media people over the years, but one I’ve missed is Anna Wintour, the famous (some would say infamous) and feared editor of Vogue magazine. The British-born Wintour is known for a lot of things – including being a terribly difficult person to work for – but she’s also the

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The Christmas Bonus Dilemma: Sometimes, You End Up Feeling Like Clark Griswold

I’VE WORKED THROUGH so many holiday season that I’m starting to feel a little like Clark Griswold. If that name doesn’t immediately ring a bell, the character should. It’s the role Chevy Chase played numerous times, but most memorably, in National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. One thread throughout movie was how Clark was anxiously waiting to

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Good Leaders Give Bad News, While Bad Leaders Avoid Doing the Tough Stuff

I’M ALWAYS AMAZED at how so many leaders can get so far without learning one of the very basic tenants of management. It’s this: Good leaders have to give bad news. Patty Azzarello learned this back when she became the youngest general manager in Hewlett-Packard (HP) at the tender age of 33, and she reminded me

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