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New Boss, New Rules, Old Techs

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by cindy - extraordinary brat 1 view

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I'm asking for advice, not just opinions. We have a new IT manager in our little 4 person IT department, and his new management style is strictly a dictatorship. Having gone from no IT manager to a drill sergeant has caused all 4 of us to begin job hunts, instead of learning and accepting his new style. I have been the only one that has gone above his chain of command and spoken to the 'big boss' above him, and I'm the only woman in my department. Now, assuming I don't look like a "whiney girl", is it possible to have a civil discussion to figure out his motives, and is there any advise on bad bosses here that I could use? I'm all for teamwork and can be easily motivated, but waiting on the big boss to do anything about our troubles in our little department isn't working. I'm impatient, and am ready to head this problem on - full speed - to get back to work, so to speak. As it stands, the rest of the crew, and possibly myself included, are just going to bolt, and leave him sitting alone. Which may, or may not, prove any points at all. Any advice?

8 replies

by wordworker

Cindy, is this your military gig? (Clicked through to your bio.) Even if it's civilian, chances are going over the new person's head won't help. Whoever hired this new micromanager doesn't want to look bad by admitting that s/he might have made a bad hire. So s/he will put the onus on you to give the new person a chance and try to adapt... I recommend giving up and getting along, or getting on out. Of course, in this economic climate, getting out is easier said than done. Best of luck. I've been in your shoes. The only thing worse than an incompetent micromanager is the director-or-VP who hired him or her...

by cindy - extraordinary brat

We are civilian military contractors..
And yes, bolting for the classifieds seems like the best solution sometimes.

My big boss, his superior, the man that hired this new guy - is the best manager I've ever known. I do hope he takes all that I've said and takes some action to help this department. He did make a mistake hiring this micromanager - but he has historically been humbled by bad decisions, not insulted, so I hope to see the same with this problem. Thanks for your input.

by oz_media

I worked with/for a similar BOSS or actually the boss's wife in a recent job.

she was a complete control freak with no motivation to progress into new things.

In HER case it was due to the FUD (Fear,Uncertainty and Doubt)factor which may or may not be so in your case however I do feel this person may be sitting back and observing before jumping into changes with a new employer.

Now, technically he/she MAY turn out to be quite a go getter that turns the world upside down, but if THAT's the case he/she should be consulting your experience as well as your peers to get a better uderstanding of the system, instead of sitting aside.

If he/she is a drill sergeant it may be due to insecurity and a need to feel in control, knowing that you're all looking sideways at him/her.

So what would I do?
I'd confront him/her and openly try to discuss YOUR intentions and see if that brings up new nitentions of the new manager, you may end up seeing eye to eye and moving toward a common goal.

If this person is NOT open to suggestion or discussion, I'd politely walk into the boss's office and explain just WHY I was going to leave (not as a threat but a "I am going to leave now because...and he/she will not work with us to achieve a common goal"

At this point I see one of two things happening:
1) Your boss will ask you to wait until it is investigated further. It may result in the new hire losing employment, the new hire accepting you and agreeing to work WITH you, or you nay end up leaving the new hire to drag the company down with him. I tend to disagree with the latter because ANY company is better off with experienced IT staff over new.

2) Your boss may say deal with it or get stuffed. This is the easiest as it gives you a valid reason to move on. If the company doesn't respect your experience and work ethics over a new hire, you've got some worrying to do about YOUR future with this company.

NOTE: I understand (from users here) that it is apparently hard to find IT employment in the USA. As hard as I find this to believe (It is suposed to be hard in Canada too, but I've never had a problem finding IT work)I still recommend exploring ALL your alternatives before walking out.

From the sounds of your post here, I think you are a highly motivated self-starter and can efficiently sell your knowledge ad experience to an employer.

Most of the whining here is regarding NO jobs in the newspaper or recruiters not calling with offers, as if they were good job hunting resources.

I always say, pick the company YOU WANT to work for, call them , sell yourself to ONLY THE BOSS to get an interview and then sell your ideas to the boss, not the HR department to get hired.

I've seen literally dozens of successful employment opportunities offered to students at a job club I used to host for Social Services and these people had NO skills (unlike yourself) but LOTS of enthusiasm.

Best of luck to you in this and your future endeavors, the ball is ALWAYS in YOUR court!

by cindy - extraordinary brat

Great attitude you have, perfectly inline with my thoughts. I tried discussions on smaller levels and so far have been shot down... his fear is evident... As this is probably the most money and the most responsibility he's ever had - and it's obvious, I have no choice but strike while the fire is hot. (and his old job is still open)..

One more shot at a departmental discussion about all of this. I predict failure, aka - no meeting will surface - and I'll be leaving or stealing his job.

(I see no lack of IT jobs here either.)

by oz_media

I actually think YOU have the great attitude here. I was raised with sarcasm, dry wit and don't give a S*&T, kinda attitude, you may have noticed from my political bashing I love so much.

But for someone in Northy America to say hey It's either his job or bye, and that fact that you see opportunity in IT there is uplifting. I don't know if yuo've noticed but there are a LOT of people that whine about IT in the USA and how they feel let down, were they promised something??

Good luck with your endeavors,
OM

by worker bee

I have a rule of thumb for these situations that has served me well over the years. When things get bad, then half the staff has to quit before the situation improves for the remaining half.

Only when it becomes clear that this IT manager will soon be managing a bunch of empty desks will he (or his boss) take this seriously.

The only power any of us have in the employer/employee relationship is our ability to walk away when the situation becomes intolerable. If we are not willing to do that then we are little more than slaves and we will be treated accordingly. Life is too short to work for a jerk and go home exhausted and angry every day.

by cindy - extraordinary brat

See, I'm a fighter. And a perfectionist at times. So I want superior service for my users, and a great rep for my company and my coworkers.. just not this one.. My devious side says take his job. My cooperative side isn't speaking very loudly these days. Maybe I have a hint of jealousy making it all worse, but this boss.. this new micromanager full of fear and rudeness.. well.. he's speaking the loudest right now. Above all - I'm going to to try to do what's best for everyone, especially me.

Thanks for your input.

by Member 29186344

It appears that you have developed a sense of value in the position which you hold. You created (or helped create) this position and are the proud owner of something worthwhile. Now along comes a person who needs to make a difference to justify their salary and the differences must be at his definition. You need to decide if you still value the job and want to stay and help create the new positions this person has in mind. If, on the other hand, you now feel this has become a lousy job then by all means "hit-the-road"; because lousy jobs are real easy to find, they are all over.
If you still find value here then you need to work at changing. This new manager was given a task to do when hired - find out what that task is. This may be something far from your normal functions but that may be why an outsider was brought in.
"Drill sergeants" are required to whip raw recruits into acceptable combat troops. Try to discover why your group was considered to need this type of control, senior management may have a different opinion of your group than they are willing to say aloud.
You need to dedicate 18 months towards this effort. By then the management window for these changes will be closed and the new world will be solidified; until the next new control expert appears......Been through this several times, seen it go several ways.

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