Although I have had the terrible displeasure of working for some very poor managers, I am able to recognize that many managers have reached their current professional level by proving their skills/worth.
However, some of my complaints from experience have been:
– Inability to grasp basic technical details concerning products/services which are being managed. (I.E. Setting a deadline without understanding the amount of time required to complete a project)
– Committing to providing a service/implementing a solution that your staff does not have adequate knowledge. (Unless providing training, or time for Self-Study)
– Failure to consult the staff involved about the merits/drawbacks of any particular implementation.
– Having a “Hair-on-Fire” approach to issue resolution. (It is understood that time is of the essence when dealing with critical outages, but it is better to remain focused and make rational decisions, instead of panicking and creating a larger problem due to hasty decisions.
– The “Are-we-there-yet?” phone calls. (When I am resolving a major issue, it wastes critical time, and disturbs my focus to answer calls from my manager asking for details at 10 minute intervals.)
**This is a non-management peeve/more on the sales side**
– Consistently selling/bidding services that we are unable to provide.
Now, I have been in the field for 5 yrs. I have done helpdesk, desktop support, Novell Admin, Linux Admin, and currently handle COTS implementations/support. I get frustrated by low pay, a company who does not wish to invest in me (in terms of education), managers who throw me into an implementation-in-progress without giving me background information, having my vacation requests denied without justification, lack of raises/salary adjustments, etc.
However, IT is my life…this is my career. I know that there will be better days. (Maybe when I move to India…lol) Honestly, though, I’m 23…I talk to my peers. Most do not see IT as a viable career choice. Mechanics are respected…Roofers are respected…Officers are respected…Plumbers are respected…Electricians are respected…IT Geeks are crapped on.
Just the thoughts of a 23 yr old trying to make the right choices in a very dangerous field.
Does anyone have a decent manager? Does anyone have any other peeves that I have failed to mention?