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Am I a bad manager???

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I had a tech quit, telling me that I sucked as a boss. Without going into every detail, what does everyone think: D was hired to do PC tech work only. We joked at work & became friendly (I now think this was a mistake.) Shortly after he started other tasks like personal web work, and lots of tinkering. He was putting his actual work on hold while he did these “fun” tasks. After 3 hours of him tinkering one day, I told him hed better get going on the PC work he exploded telling me
“I quit, yousuck for a boss, you never do any work, I’ll file lawsuits against you” He was here 3 months when this happened. He quit a month later, stiffing me by calling off sick the last 4 days of work. I never rode him to get anything done, I would ask him what he had planned for the day, and told him things that needed done, but left him alone to do his work. Was it me or him?

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Am I a bad manager???

In reply to Am I a bad manager???

After 20 years in the army I learned very fast that you lead, follow or get the heck out of the way, so that someone that will can. If you don’t establish some goals standards and priorities you want keep anyone working for you. You have to know when and where to draw the line between work and friends.

Am I a bad manager???

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Thank You.

Am I a bad manager???

In reply to Am I a bad manager???

In answer to your question, probably not. Any employee whose initial response to a work-related directive is to quit, insult and threaten a lawsuit is unstable at best.

The only really bad managers are those who never learn from their mistakes.If you hired this individual, you might want to reflect on how the hiring process could be improved in the future. My guess is that this guy has a chronic problem and probably has a pattern of this type of behavior so there might have been a clue somewhere (better reference checks, maybe?).

If you want to be really introspective, you might consider whether you defined and communicated expectations and consequences clearly. That can be one of the problems with being too friendly with new employees – it can blur the roles in such a manner as to cause problems when you have to wear the management hat.

Learn from this experience, but also realize that there are nightmare employees that no one can manage well.

paul

Am I a bad manager???

In reply to Am I a bad manager???

Thank You. I did learn a thing or two about things like that. I should have gone into more detail some of the other things he did that I didnt know about at the time! wow!

Am I a bad manager???

In reply to Am I a bad manager???

IMHO, you are probably not a bad manager. Sounds like you need to work on your pre-screening process though. Were there any signs early on that this person might be an unstable employee?

Also, you might want to evaluate your performance during his tenure. You said that you never rode him to get anything done. Unless he was a senior on your team, he probably needed more guidance than you were giving. (Guessing here from what you’ve said)

Just today I’ve started a new Jr. Applications Developer (Third String grunt, Fetcher of the food, Coder of the mundane, Thinker of the abstract thought) I’ve already started talking with him about what I expect from him. This is a continuous process for the next few weeks until it’s drilled into him what I expect from him and what he can expect from me. I don’t like to ride anyone to get their job done. (It cuts into my surfing time) I like to start the relationship off right from the beginning.

The best advice I can give is learn from it and then move on.

Am I a bad manager???

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Thanks! The pre-screen was good, nothing negative at all. Psycho is one word I can use after working with him, though. 🙂

Am I a bad manager???

In reply to Am I a bad manager???

No one on this forum is going to have enough information to answer this question. You are the only one who can evaluate the truth to his charges.

I am a strong advocate of having open communications and maintaining a fun place to work. This is beneficial to both you and the employees, but also please note the phrase “place to work.” Employees are there to further the aims of the company and as a manager you must ensure this is happening.

Some employees require mosre guidance in completing their tasks, while others you will have to tell to stop and go home.

If an employee starts doing non-work related tasks such as personal web work shortly after he starts, there is a problem. You need to step in immediately and address it, don’t let it slide. At first, you may need to have hourly checks on the employee to make sure he is on track and understands what he needs to do (be on the look out for areas where he may need skills improvement). You can’t do this forever, though. Eventually, the employ

Am I a bad manager???

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I have been keeping tabs on my other new employees. I’m not letting that happen again.
Thanks!

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