The Dark Arts of Management

The Sentence Completors

2011-02-09T07:47:00.000-08:00

Before I start, there's this compelling urge to spew inane observations like how sleepless nights are like bad relationships... because (complete the sentence)"...yes yes""...like when you wanna sleep but can't""because... (whatever else comes to mind)"Sentence completors(apologies, can't seem to find the verb form) are managers who either reverberate the final points of the discussion ad verbum,

How Management has evolved

2010-12-01T07:54:00.000-08:00

In the old days, it was just God and you. There were rules, you make a mistake and you either die or get urself kicked out of the promised land with some curses thrown in. Then came the lovey dovey stuff where you'll be forgiven, provided that you ask for it. Then came the age of looking at the bright side, yes; you did something wrong, but at least you're good at other things, so let's celebrate

Tower of Truth vs Pyramid of Pain

2010-09-14T17:42:00.000-07:00

The problem with dark management managed organizations is the want of truth when information propagates upward to the CEO.“It’ll take 18 months, and at least 20 new recruits and there’s at least 3 major infrastructural projects that needs to move first to support this initiative” said the analyst“My boys need 20 months and a further 10 recruits and we need some upgrades”, the team lead assessed,

The Gap

2010-08-26T20:50:00.000-07:00

Geoffrey more calls it “Crossing the Chasm” when discussing the elements required for new innovation to bridge the gap between tech-heads and conservative stalwart consumers. Within Management, I’ve noticed this “gap” that exists between top management and line managers as illustrated below.So what interests me is the stark difference in behaviour, particularly how positive they can be. So the

Turning Guessing into an Art Form

2010-06-06T08:36:00.000-07:00

Just when I though I've seen it all, here comes another organization with its variant of Dark Managers.Now, where I come from, when there's doubt, you remove it through inquiry, enquiring and face to face meeting with facts on the table. On the other hand, you have the "maybes, perhaps, could've would've assumptions" answer to any uncertainty. Used by a dark manager, it really means avoiding ever

Quotations on Teamwork

2010-03-23T03:12:00.000-07:00

"Teamwork is knowing your responsibilities so that you can help one another""Teamwork is knowing your responsibilities so that you know who to pass the bucket to"- Dark Manager"Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results"-

Why Dark Manager's Shouldn't mess with a Geek

2010-03-17T17:53:00.000-07:00

Hacker Disables More Than 100 Cars Remotely By Kevin Poulsen March 17, 2010 | 1:52 pm | More than 100 drivers in Austin, Texas found their cars

The Architecture of Fear

2010-03-16T01:58:00.000-07:00

I got this from a blog called "time for a pause" and the notion of an "Architecture of Fear" is just so quaint. But not to fret, the author also provides an "Architecture of Abundance" within the same article.Check it out by clicking on the image

Will Lehmann cause E&Y's downfall...?

2010-03-13T05:52:00.000-08:00

The last time an accounting firm was implicated with a major screw up it went belly up, remember Andersen which was swallowed up by E&Y. Now it seems that E&Y have their own dirty customers to deal with.So who exactly can we trust these days?Lehman file rocks Wall StreetBy Francesco Guerrera and Henny Sender in New York and Patrick Jenkins in London Published: March 12 2010 00:41 | Last updated

On Strategy

2010-03-11T17:45:00.000-08:00

"Strategy without Tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat" - Sun Tzu"Action without Glory is the hardest route to being sidelined. Glory without Action is best noiseless when you take credit for other people's work" - The Dark Manager

Hubris & the Carping Cycle

2010-03-07T16:43:00.000-08:00

Kubler-Ross in the 1969 book, "On Death and Dying" introduced the concept of "Coping Cycle" when dealing with Grief. Indeed, management turns this model on its head where we could replace Grief with Hubris; and what i'd like to call the "Carping Cycle".This is essentially what happens when failures happen during the Dark Manager's watchStage #1- DenialThe Dark Manager will start of ranting about

How to be a Crony by Reading between the Lines

2010-03-01T00:47:00.000-08:00

There was this discussion about experiences that vendors go through when they're in the middle of a tender or price negotiations. For the record, I have either NOT encountered any such Dark Managers, or its an art that needs to be honed further.Apparently, one needs to "infer", the hints thrown across the opposite end of the table and work behind the scenes in fulfilling those needs. For example:

Getting a Return on Judgment

2010-02-22T19:35:00.000-08:00

Getting a Return on Judgment The financial meltdown showed the limits of bureaucracy. Recovery depends on how well companies adopt the practices of personalization instead.by Julian Birkinshaw and Huw Jenkins_______________________________________________________________The article above took the words out of my mouth, where bureaucracy creates moral and emotional detachment to actual outcome,

Control

2010-02-21T19:50:00.000-08:00

Dark Managers achieve control through various means:-• Information Clamp Down.Where possible, limit the amount of information leaving the project or the department. The only news that gets reported should only transpire between him and the CEO. It’s a simple principle really; most people gripe, and the amount of lies you put out means that these lies will eventually reach the CEO. So keep your

What do you think? Are you confident about the progress of the project?

2010-02-16T06:22:00.000-08:00

Perhaps this post would better serve appearing under "white lies/half truth to upper management", but it happens often enough in "Steering Committee" meetings that it's better addressed here.A steering committee intends to "steer" a particular endeavour towards a roughly correct course or direction. Through the Management's wisdom, having had 5 years working experience (I exaggerate, but you get

Corruption = Dark Management?

2010-02-11T17:02:00.000-08:00

Eigen observed that "Good Projects" often take years to fruition because of the number of studies and planning required. While "bad projects", those that are fueled by corruption are extremely quick and fast.And he is SPOT ON!What's even more amazing is his disclosure that for European companies, foreign bribery is allowed under their corporate governance practices!

Getting a Straight Answer

2010-02-10T18:17:00.000-08:00

There are things in life that are certain, like all males have balls unless you’re a Dark Manager where they shrink to the size of ornaments. Here’s how you can tell when you’re NOT getting a straight answer from a Dark Manager:- a) I suppose... / I presume.../ I think...That means that the manager is “guessing” or extrapolating from an assumption or

Patients with amygdala injury 'unafraid' to gamble

2010-02-08T19:44:00.000-08:00

The amygdala is associated with fear Californian scientists think they may have discovered the part of the brain which makes people fear losing money.The study, reported in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, looked at two patients who had damaged their amygdala, deep within the brain

How to Make Friends and Move Around Paperwork

2010-02-05T01:11:00.001-08:00

A colleague made this observation that rules were created to manage exceptions that occurs only 5% of the time while crippling proven everyday processes. If we were to abide by each and every process; nothing would ever move.So you almost always have to intervene, make friends with the approving authorities and talk it over a cup of coffee.The gauntlet of procedures, processes, ISO standards and

The Business and IT Dichotomy

2010-02-02T21:39:00.000-08:00

There’s a big difference between IT and Business. Technologists seek absolute certainty; while Businesses thrive on uncertainty.A good case study would be Microsoft's launch of Windows 95. It may be the crappiest piece of OS at that time, but the businessman in Gates saw that since most software were rotten anyway, it’s ok to release one that’s crappy with style.Advice for the IT GuyIt doesn’t

The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs

2010-02-01T20:35:00.000-08:00

One thing that you gotta hand it to is Steve Jobs' presentation style, a lot have been talked about it and its now condensed in this simple book. Click on the link for business week's round up.

My Pet Questions during an Interview

2010-01-30T21:38:00.001-08:00

a) Tell me about yourself.The question opens up a huge can of worms which you can dig deep and explore further. Between, megalomania, shyness, a total lack of enthusiasm or someone with a temper problem.b) Tell me about the biggest and hardest project that you've worked withHow detailed the person gets and the kind of topic he covers will let you know whether he'sA people personTalks about the

Bjarke Ingels: 3 warp-speed architecture tales

2010-01-30T21:35:00.000-08:00

There's very rarely presentations that makes me go WOW! Bjarke talks about how architecture rocks!

EDS loses lawsuit to BSkyB - 709m pounds!

2010-01-28T01:37:00.001-08:00

BSkyB's lawsuit against EDS may just be the wake up call that IT Outsources need, or rather IT management in general. Here's some tips before pushing any IT Outsourcing deals.Hire a realist.IT Sales person should stick to selling commodity IT equipments. A realist can tell you at least 10 things that can go wrong with the project and how to get it to work.Hire a realist that has a solutionSome

THE IT PROFESSIONAL/MANAGEMENT OATH

2010-01-04T01:19:00.000-08:00

“I swear by Babbage, the innovator, Jobs, Gates, Dell and Grove, and I take to witness all the CEOs , to keep according to my ability and my judgment, the following Oath and agreement:To consider dear to me, as my parents, him who taught me this art; to live in common with him and, if necessary, to share my goods with him; To look upon his children as my own brothers, to teach them this art. Too

Information Technology as a Profession

2009-12-26T23:46:00.001-08:00

To say that there’s such thing as a 0 defect or perhaps 6 sigma achievements for IT implementations is like saying that you porked 6 million women and no one’s pregnant cause all of them were sterile. Odds are; you’re the one that’s shooting blanks.The problem with IT is that it’s not a professional degree, if you extrapolate the word “professional” contextually, you could say that IT is not even

Chronic/Acute Cowardism

2009-09-30T08:02:00.001-07:00

I think it's about time that I talked about this, as we've hired a middle manager that simply epitomizes this condition.Required was a simple answer to the question of whether the team was ready with the presentation to boss. So this manager; being the "team lead" rightfully should have the answer. We had a conference call and all and I followed up with an email confirming the

Bio Break

2009-09-15T08:10:00.000-07:00

It used to be just a "break" in the middle of the meeting...somehow, managers think it's cool to add "bio" in front... I mean, must a break be biological by nature.Why not a "logical" break... or a break from all wanking and whining that typically goes on in a meeting.

Why you shouldn't add your boss in Facebook

2009-09-10T07:43:00.001-07:00

From a blog somewhere

5 minute - Management Course (Collection of Oldies)

2009-08-25T07:57:00.000-07:00

Lesson 1:A man is getting into the shower just as his wife is finishing up her shower, when the doorbell rings. The wife quickly wraps herself in a towel and runs downstairs. When she opens the door, there stands Bob, the next-door neighbour. Before she says a word, Bob says, 'I'll give you $800to drop that towel.' After thinking for a moment, the woman drops her towel and stands naked in front

Resigning Gracefully

2009-08-02T07:11:00.001-07:00

Perhaps I was a tad too harsh in the previous posting on resignations. Here's the top 10 things to do before you resign.Copy the address book of all your corporate customers and accounts.Copy the address book of all your colleagues, you never know when you may just spam them with want adds or unit trust deals.Be chummy with just about everyone.Find 5 people to have lunch with. At least.Out of the

The Difference between You and Your Boss

2009-07-26T09:45:00.000-07:00

When you take a long time, you're slow. When your boss takes a long time, he's thorough. When you don't do it, you're lazy. When your boss doesn't do it, he's too busy. When you make a mistake, you're an idiot. When your boss makes a mistake, he's only human. When doing something without being told, you're overstepping your authority.

Resignations...

2009-07-26T09:10:00.000-07:00

I don't know about the Western world... but in Asia, there's this unspoken law about resignations - You're not suppose to tell people what you're going to do or where you're going. At best you make up an excuse like,"my mum's sick... or you have a permanent hernia that's leaking bile and crap, so it won't be fair for your office mates to deal with it".IMHO, it's pure Dark Management bull

The Balloon

2009-07-19T08:35:00.001-07:00

A man flying in a hot air balloon realizes he is lost. He reduces his altitude and spots a man in a field down below. He lowers the balloon further and shouts, "Excuse me, can you tell me where I am?"The man below says, "Yes, you're in a hot air balloon, about 30 feet above this field.""You must be an engineer," says the balloonist."I am. How did you know?""Everything you told me is technically

Cognitive Distortions

2009-07-19T08:12:00.000-07:00

Another affliction taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_distortionI've come to the conclusion that perhaps some dark mangers just do not know that they have these diseases; well, at least wishing that helps me sleep. For me to think that any individual can be diabolically vile and commit to premeditated actions is just too depressing.Many cognitive distortions are also logical

Narcissistic personality disorder

2009-07-19T07:49:00.000-07:00

According to DSM IV-TR (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) criteria and taken from Wikipedia,A pervasive pattern of grandiosity (in fantasy or behavior), need for admiration, and lack of empathy, beginning by early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts, as indicated by five (or more) of the following:[1] Has a grandiose sense of self-importanceWhich gets translated

To Toe/Tow the Line

2009-07-15T06:25:00.000-07:00

Dark Managers also suffer from a parrot reflex of repeating phrases that the CEO uses. At the moment, "towing the line" seems to be spreading around. It's so odd how its being used in just about every situation. E.g. if the boss shits and you wipe his ass; that's also known as towing the line. When I did a quick check on wikipedia, it was originally written as to "toe the line" as in when an army

Governance - Dark Management Style

2009-07-14T08:11:00.001-07:00

After working with Governance or Councils or Committees for the last 5 odd years. It dawned on me that perhaps there's a deeper meaning to the purpose of these proceedings:-1) When any hanky panky needs to be done "officially"2) To stop any other hanky panky that is not your own3) To make decisions backed by articles prepared by preferably institutions that are based in US or UK (does not matter

The Rowing Team - Malaysian Version

2009-07-10T07:45:00.000-07:00

A Japanese company and a Malaysian company decided to have a canoe race on the Rejang River.On the big day, the Japanese won by a mile.The Malaysians, very discouraged and depressed, decided to investigate the reason for the crushing defeat. A management team made up of senior management was formed to investigate and recommend appropriate action. Their conclusion was the Japanese had 8 people

The Rowing Team - An Oldie but a Goldie

2009-07-10T07:05:00.001-07:00

A Japanese company and an American company decided to have a canoe race on the Missouri River.Both teams practiced long and hard to reach their peak performance before the race.On the big day, the Japanese won by a mile.The Americans, very discouraged and depressed, decided to investigate the reason for the crushing defeat. A management team made up of senior management was formed to investigate

Psychometrics don't work well with Asians

2009-06-28T17:23:00.000-07:00

Perhaps in this global economy and overwhelming exposure to MTV and American sitcoms and hopefully not British ones like Little Britain; we may all be westernized. I mean, there's a huge difference between race and culture. For example, you could be culturally American but Indian (the Asian kind) racially.The problem with applying psychometric tests like Myers-Briggs, Cubik's PAPI personality

Good Management vs Dark Management

2009-06-26T18:36:00.000-07:00

“Good management is the art of making problems so interesting and their solutions so constructive that everyone wants to get to work and deal with them.” - Paul Hawken"Dark Management is the art of making problems so minuscule and their solutions so destructive that everyone does nothing and believe that they're better off not dealing with it." - Dr. Kervokian___“A good manager is a man who isn't

People who gripe about Nepocronysm

2009-06-26T18:18:00.001-07:00

I've come to the realization that people who gripe about nepocronysm have one or more of the following symptoms:-They don't have beer buddiesThey tend to have lunch aloneSpend most of their time "meeting friends" onlinePlays golf on the PCPrefers to wank off compared to sexOnly meets with "real people" when they want something from youAs a Dark Manager and by reading this blog; you hereby swear

Getting Subordinates to do more than expected

2009-06-26T17:57:00.000-07:00

Last week I was asked how on how I'd manage a situation where the manager has assigned an R&D duty to a staff that has never done that before.First off, I inquired as to whether she accepted the task or not; and the answer was yes. Well, that means you have there is a person with good attitude who willingly accepts "challenges". However, I was enlightened to the fact that she does not even know

How to Minute your Meetings

2009-06-25T07:49:00.001-07:00

I've spoken on Decidophobia or the fear of making decisions and diluting the chain of responsibility. So, the correct ways to minute your meetings are:-Whenever there's a decision, never say Person A requested for clarification or Person B approves. You dilute it by saying; Department A requested for clarification or Committee C approves the recommendation to purchase a 52 inch LCD to display

ISO/CMMI/ITIL/BPM... WTF!

2009-06-22T08:36:00.000-07:00

If you're old enough; you'd probably remember the whole TQM hype popularized by Japan's miraculous recovery post 2 nuclear bombs and WW2. Here's the thing that management sold in the 60s through to the 80s, that Edward Deming was the guru behind their recovery with the adoption of Deming's Quality philosophy~ Plan->Do->Check->Act yada2...Here's my take -> pure hogwash! The Japanese as a culture

Disappearing creatively

2009-06-19T07:21:00.000-07:00

Besides selective amnesia, the mind meld method and taichi, there's the lamest tactic of all - Excuses...It's typically used by junior dark managers because the "flee mechanism" is still very instinctive. Throughout my working life, I've heard many; but the following are the more creative onesThe Father/Mother/Wife/Girlfriend/daughter/son emergencyThere's just so many permutations to go about

Decidophobia - The Fear of Making Decisions

2009-06-09T21:26:00.000-07:00

Checkout the wikipedia entry here: DecidophobiaThere's essentially no cure, but a common solution would be a "dilution" of authority via consensus or communal decision making. We tend to call it "The Management Committee"

Berkowitz vs Kowalski

2009-06-09T21:05:00.000-07:00

There's just something about Jewish names and court cases. It makes it sound horrendously expensive like some KKR leverage buyout. The same should apply with how Dark Managers name their departments. Lobbing your foreskin doesn't cut it anymore, you gotta have the kippah and curly sideburns to earn the credibility.Most Dark Managers make the mistake of naming the department as per it's intention

How to handle Dumb and Dumber

2009-05-30T10:10:00.000-07:00

A friend asked; what do I do with staffs that are just too dumb to be any good. To be honest, all the training in the world is not going to change him/her because "dumbness" is an attitude; not a skill deficiency. It's like a sense of initiative or curiosity, it is not a condition or an affliction, but a state of mind. So a Dark Manager will take one of the following optionsa) Assign him to the

When you work with stupid people

2009-05-30T10:01:00.000-07:00

The hinges to my notebook starts giving way and I mistakenly approached the peons instead of working my way down from the department head. So this is what I got"According to our record, your notebook will be reaching its leasing maturity period in less than 3 months from now. So, if the current one still can be stretched for this period of time, we will be very grateful for your understanding.

Scriptonomatophobia

2009-05-30T09:47:00.001-07:00

I saw this in one of those answers.com websites asking whether there's a medical name for the fear of signing one's name."Scriptophobia" is fear of writing in public. "Nomatophobia" is fear of names.So perhaps Scriptonomatophobia is the fear of signing one's name on a document that can be traced to you when the shit hits the fan.What they should have mentioned is that Dark Managers carry this

Leadership & Management

2009-05-12T07:11:00.000-07:00

I got this from an old boss which I highly respect.There's essentially 2 types of people that I've worked with:-1) Leaders with a clear vision who are catalysts to positive change2) Highly paid rubber stampers with an ego that match their salary -> The Dark Manager!

Myers Briggs were Wearing Rose Tinted Glasses...

2009-04-29T20:40:00.000-07:00

The problem with all these psychometric tests is that, it assumes that the test taker will answer honestly... and that's like asking a cat to chew cud for a Dark Manager.Here's the Dark Manager's Version of Myers Briggs test:-Favourite WorldExtraversion(E) - they bitch all the time about everything to Everyone and its always someone elses fault. (dysmorphic fault myopia syndrom or a dumb fuck

Who's In Charge

2009-04-29T19:16:00.000-07:00

I tend to repeat this "story" whenever I'm assigned tasks which I deem to be improbable or bound for failure. For example, being responsible for something without the authority...____ All the organs of the body were having a meeting, trying to decide who was in charge. "I should be in charge", said the brain, because I run all the body's systems, so without me nothing

A Boss that's smarter than you

2009-03-19T17:21:00.000-07:00

What do you do when your boss is smarter than you? Or thinks he is...? After which, comes up with this gargantuan plan for the company that encroaches on how operations have always run (Some hints on what you shouldn't do appear as well)Congratulate the almighty prescient leader like it's Godsend.Some people would think that, hey, gee... what if the idea has loop holes...?Well, what you shouldn't

Bureaucracy

2009-03-05T18:25:00.000-08:00

I like to think of bureaucracy as the dark manager’s ultimate arsenal. It gives you the “power” to deny just about everything. Here’s a list of bureaucratic bullets ready to fire:-1. Charge Code.Awesome weapon, not only does it shoot down things coming your way, but it’s really NOT your fault, because the finance department needs it.2. Approval from the CEOBecause it’s so darn hard to get

Top Management Training

2009-02-26T19:15:00.000-08:00

Thought for the day... a friend forwarded this to me A Red Indian walks into a cafe with a shotgun in one hand and a bucket ofbuffalo manure in the other. He says to the waiter, 'Me want coffee.' The waiter says, 'Sure chief, coming right up...' He gets the Indian a tall mug of coffee, and the Indian drinks it down inone gulp, picks up the bucket of manure, throws it into the air,

Greetings & Conversation Openers

2009-02-05T17:23:00.000-08:00

How someone greets you tells you a lot about the person. There’s roughly the following unspoken objectives/statements when they see you for the first time in the morning based on their voice timber, tone, eye contact, body posture and facial expression (Not necessarily in any specific order):-1. A genuine greeting, no intentions2. “Hey, you’re so cute, I so love talking to you every morning”3. “

Dysmorphic Fault Myopia Syndrome

2009-02-03T16:50:00.000-08:00

Dysmorphic Fault Myopia Syndrome is not unlike PMS, except whenever you’re on a bitching fit, the people that you bitch about is really you.Problem is; you're not able to see through all that haughty righteousness and your (warped) sense of justice outweighs any means so long as your end is met.Here’s a kind advice for all you dark managers. The moment you find someone in the office that you

The Dark Manager Mind Meld

2008-12-04T19:55:00.001-08:00

Ever want anything to be approved by the CEO without him approving it? Read on.There's this situation where a presentation for investment required a decision from the boss, but it lacked crucial information. Behind the scenes however its highly important that this project goes on due to motives only known by the PM, so here goes.Steps to mind meld1) Casually chat up the boss on the topic, share

The Halo Effect

2008-08-11T06:03:00.000-07:00

If you're Caucasian, try working in Asia, folks will look at you like you're the personification of Zeus himself. Not that they know who's Zeus anyway, but you know what I mean.The 80s have pretty much brainwashed Asians into believing that any mustached American is Magnum P.I. and any white haired older gentleman as John Hannibal Smith from the A-Team.The 60s and 70s were worst, older Asians

Dark Managers don't want to know the Problem

2008-08-02T03:59:00.000-07:00

Logic states that if you know the problem its a good start for you to figure out the solution. Unfortunately, dark manager's want the solution immediately.My personal pet peeve is when any attempts in explaining the root cause is often interrupted with a stern..."I don't care, I want the solution!"Which the subordinate will immediately reply,"I'm sorry, but we don't have one"In which the Dark

Q&A: Have you met a Racist Bastard Dark Manager?

2008-08-01T20:20:00.000-07:00

Asked Fred from San Francisco, well Fred; from where I've been, I haven't met any racist bastards, only bastard managers.Race, is a tool for control, it allows the Dark Manager to create a "we" and "them" scenario. Its essentially like sports where we take sides. One minute we're friends, another, we're mauling at each other because we're on the other side of the field.It also allows the creation

Short Term Dark Management

2008-07-29T05:46:00.000-07:00

IMHO, short haul employment is pretty much 1-2 years. Within this period, the goal for success is in framing yourself for your next employer. With Dark Management principles deeply rooted, you need to succeed by all means possible, and time it such that you can leave the organization without too much collateral damage. Both to your reputation and the people that you interact with.Sweep any

Selecting Projects - Big and Bad Ass

2008-07-27T19:47:00.000-07:00

There’s a number of ways to padding up your resume as a Dark Manager. The easiest is from the projects that you've ran; and strategic selection of these projects is an art in itself.By strategic; your goal is to wring the most amount of money from upper management or your customer before you would even accept it. For example, if it’s a Document Management System, your first task is to justify

The Female Dark Manager

2008-07-24T23:36:00.000-07:00

Some may find this sexist, but Dark Management knows not gender and the explanations provided can be used for either sexes; however, the Serengeti of Management is vast and once in a many moons arise female Dark Managers that stand out like a beacon in the savanna.Bred by years of mongrel bitchiness the female dark manager exudes acrid egomaniacal obsession with control. Power is used to its

Pretty... Useless

2008-07-23T07:29:00.001-07:00

I posted an entry earlier about how dark managers could just hire any pretty face as long as they can talk to manage customers.We'll here's proof that a pretty face can only get you so far...

Wankers, Whiners & Trollers

2008-07-22T22:04:00.000-07:00

The thing about management which I still find it hard to stomach is the overarching worship of the Peter Principle, to ad lib; people tend to get promoted to their next level of incompetence.Naturally, being in Management, in particular IT management means that the person will be inundated with brainless bureaucracy and the act of covering ass, tai chi and such that he will be so far behind

Presentation & Powerpoint

2008-07-21T08:38:00.000-07:00

Presentation skills are one of the most important capabilities for a Dark Manager. You have Guy Kawasaki spewing the 10/20/30 rule. Clearly specifying that a presentation slide should typically be not more than 10 slides long, last no more than 20 minutes and have fonts no smaller than 30.Then again, through horrendously bad presentation meetings, you have this. The clip below summarizes

Surviving Nepocronyism

2008-07-20T06:44:00.000-07:00

At the risk of creating an obscene neologism, the term Nepocronyism will be used throughout the article. Essentially, the practice of both Nepotism and Cronyism within the organization; I mean, it won’t be the first time that Uncle Bob’s nephew brings in one of his frat bros into the company and it won’t be the last time that the nephew squanders half the asset and still be chairman when Uncle

Managing Up while Shitting Down (Pun intended)

2008-07-20T05:48:00.000-07:00

There’s a management afterthought known as the 80/20 rule. Some call it the Pareto Principle, I call it making excuses for not doing 80% of the work, by kissing up to the 20% of the customer group that are known as Platinum Customers.What are Platinum Customers?Within the scheme of managing and to an abominably lesser extent, leading an organization; platinum customers are the dark manager’s pot

Hiring & Psychometric Tests

2008-07-18T11:08:00.000-07:00

See also related article on psychometrics:I’d like to consider hiring as the inclusion of individuals which complement weaknesses and enhance the strengths of the organization. It’s a combination of psychological profiling (attitude), private investigation (background check) and skill fit.We are also thought that Human Resources should be the strategic partner for each department and possess the

Death by Meetings

2008-07-16T04:31:00.000-07:00