Anyone ever had an a-hole supervisor like this?

[NNN0LHI]

Over the years I could accumulate hundreds of "atta-boys", for jobs well done. Above and beyond the call of duty type stuff. Where I made that supervisor look good to his supervisors.

Then one day I make one non earth shattering mistake on one job and that supervisor would wipe out every one of those "atta-boys", and replace them all with one "aw, shit."

Anyone else ever have a boss like that? Pretty depressing situation. Sure took the wind out of my sails after that would happen.

Don

[MichiganVote]

1. Had several like that,I've learned 2 expect the least qualified person 2 b a supervisor

[RKP5637]

2. I've had a few like that. In one company we used to say they

didn't care what you had done for years, it was what have you done for me in the last five minutes. I was lucky, most of my managers were great, but I sure encountered some duds along the way.

[Skittles]

3. it's a rule of good supervisors

you don't make a huge deal out of isolated incidents

[unblock]

4. "aw, shit"? that's it? wow, you've got it easy!

i've been a computer consultant and i've worked on wall street and i've worked for some software start-ups. over the years i've seen the entire range, including some serious jerkiness in the supervisory capacity.

trust me, there's a whole world of worse than what you're describing (even though i'm sure you're leaving some unpleasant details out).


just find a way to carefully return the boss to the proper perspective, gently reminding him of everything you did to earn all those "atta-boys". after you've fixed and apologized for the one boo-boo, of course.

[sandyshoes17]

5. Don't sweat it

Happens. In my business (printing), I heard for years your only as good as your last job. You can do a 100 good things, but your only remembered for what you screwed up. I'm used to it. It will pass and you will be on top again. But I feel your pain. It feels horrible, but it will pass. You did it before and will again.

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

11. Printing? How's the biz?

[sandyshoes17]

17. Cosmetics going thru the ceiling right now

We took a big hit when Internet took off . But I think it's finding it's footing and plugging along. Pharma and financial has always been big, but cosmetics is really taking off lately. It's a good sign.

[DearHeart]

6. Every single one was like that!

[NNN0LHI]

9. We had a different supervisor on each of our 3 shifts

And I was always being bumped from one shift to another and out of the three only one was that way.

Now I feel lucky.

Don

[DearHeart]

21. You were lucky!

I don't know what happens, but when these people get to be the General Manager or District Manager, their head swells, they go on power trips and they think that their poop don't stink. They never worked the floor anymore, just delegated and they thought they could get away with very rude and obnoxious behavior. One reason why I never accepted my own store...didn't want to turn into an asshole.

[JoePhilly]

7. I've always heard, it takes 10 "atta boys" to undo one "dumb shit".

I had this happen recently ... an executive came to believe that I screwed up, giving the credit for "fixing things" to the person who had actually screwed up. I was in fact the person who resolved the issue.

On learning this reality ... the executive who had incorrectly blamed me for the error, blamed me again, this time for having not ensured that they knew that I was the one who saved that executives ass.

How's that for crazy. I had fixed a problem made by another employee, but was incorrectly blamed for that problem's existence ... the employee who was in error was given credit for the fix initially ... and then when that reality came to light ... the fact that the executive misattributed the events became my fault too.

Bottom line ... some people don't belong in leadership positions. And the net time I save this executives butt (this was not the first time), it will be very clear at a level ABOVE this executive that this is what happened. I approach my work with the model that my job is to make those above me look good. Good leaders appreciate that, and you get rewarded for it.

Bad leaders are myopic and screw those below them not realizing that without those below, no real work occurs.

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

8. What other kind of boss is there?

Have you ever had a boss that punished you for your co-workers mistake?

Or fire people on their birthdays.

Or oggle the young teen daughter of one of their employees?


And all the time they want that big smooch on the ass.

[Ikonoklast]

10. I told him if he didn't like it he could fire me.

He wouldn't, so I told him he should then leave me the fuck alone or I'd quit.

I was the best department head in the entire company, for YEARS managed the highest-grossing, highest net profit, highest sales per man hour, lowest cost of operation department in the entire company.

He needed me waaaay more than I needed him.


Ended up quitting anyway after the kids cashed in and sold the company.

[Honeycombe8]

12. One "aw, shit" doesn't wipe out all "atta boy"s, unless he says that.

Maybe you just take it that way. It's rude, but understandable I guess, for someone to react to a big mistake by uttering something.

There is a general confidence that supervisors and co-workers get from you or others that is not easily set aside by one mistake. Best way to handle that, if you really did screw up, is to admit it & say you'll figure out where you went wrong so it won't happen again. One "boy, I screwed up on that....I don't know where my brain was when I did that" can go a long way (if you really did screw up). That's the main thing. They want to know they can continue relying on you, and this was a one-time thing.

I wouldn't take one utterance as a big deal, myself.

But one thing I've learned in my decades of working is that employers are generally not as loyal to you as you may think. As my grandpa said, "If your boss thinks he can make a nickel by firing you, he will." Regardless of the hard work, the dedication, the loyalty, the times you jumped through hoops that you didn't have to.

[NRaleighLiberal]

13. pretty much all of them. My company seemed to pick exactly wrong people to lead, all the time.

[WillyT]

14. K & R !!!

[Tuesday Afternoon]

15. the field I am in, anything less than perfection is not tolerated and could be grounds for

dismissal.

[tjwash]

16. Yep.

We also have 2 complete do nothing screwoffs on our crew that most likely get better reviews than the guys that do all of the work because they don't do enough work to get any awshits to get blasted with. Welcome to the new workplace...where sloth is rewarded and initiative gets punished.

[Paulie]

18. Yes early in my career

Got 3 cash awards and a plaque for best it technician. Next year, new manager, my review was so bad because of a mistake I made 2 weeks prior. I quit the place.

[Buzz Clik]

19. The old saw....

When the body was first made, all the parts wanted to be the boss.

The brain said to the other parts of the body, Since I control everything and do all the thinking, therefore I should be boss!

And the feet said, Since I carry Man where he wants to go and get him in position to do what the brain wants, so I should be boss!

And the hands said, Since I do all the work and earn all the money to keep the rest of you going, I should be boss instead!

And the eyes said, Since I must look out for all of you and tell you where danger lurks, surely I should be boss!

And so were the mouth, the lungs and the heart arguing over who should be the boss and finally the asshole spoke up and demanded that he should be made boss. All of the other parts broke out in laughter at the idea of an asshole being made boss. The asshole was very angry and felt so insulted that he decided to block himself off and refused to let anything come out of it.

Soon after several days and weeks, the brain was feverish, the eyes crossed and ached, the feet became too weak to walk, the hands hung limply at the sides, the mouth couldn't eat anything, and the lungs and the heart struggled to keep going...

Finally all of them pleaded with the brain to relent and let the asshole be boss over all the other parts.

And so it happened. All the other parts resumed their functions and the asshole just bossed and passed out a lot of shit...

The moral of the story is: You don't have to have a brain to be boss, just an asshole!

[Edweird]

20. It only takes one fuck up to wipe out a million 'atta-boys'.

It has always been thus.

[winstars]

22. I learned that a long time ago, I think I was TOLD that by a boss!!! YIKES