One Managers Journal

This is the real life journal of a manager I know. To read what this is all about, start here.

To comment on these entries, or ask questions, go to the Management Forum and post in the folder titled "Journal".

Number 10

Haven't written in a while because my brain is like a plate of spaghetti - a lump of thoughts, one endlessly connected to the other like a ball of yarn or...like spaghetti. Most of my anxiety is tied to this dam* list. Deep down, I know the list is just a tangible symbol of what's really wrong here.

THE LIST

A hodgepodge of activities and services without any big picture strategic linkages. People placed on projects they have no skills or interest in. People omitted from projects they have tremendous expertise (not me - a coworker they want out) in. Unbelievable, FLAGRANT AND BRAZEN CRONYISM.

And as if all that were not enough -- here's the clincher -- our displaced managers (who are no longer in their positions because employees aired their dirty laundry) were allowed to provide input on the assignments. !@#$#%^! Uhgh!!! Can you say "STUPID" boys and girls?

I still cannot believe how the environment has changed from just three weeks ago - when everyone was still enthusiastic and excited; despite some muddy waters...they were under the bridge. We were all ready to march forward...to the beat of a new and different drummer. To learn that is was all a mirage is disheartening. I had hoped my journal would have more uplifting entries. But lately they are few and far between.

SPEAKING OF THE ENVIRONMENT

Tell a two vastly different groups a people they are now one (excellent idea from a services standpoint), shuffle them around, throw a couple of darts at an org chart on the wall to determine who should do what...Sounds like a good foundation for a strategic plan to me.

A two-week team building phase would have been nice, with some well planned, thoughtful meetings and structured exercises to facilitate the change...to concentrate on the people instead of getting mired in the minutia of the process.

Two X Theory managers brought from a sister organization to manage a bunch of hot headed (myself included), wildly creative (yeah, that's me), egotistical (that's me too), thirty and forty something's. And it occurred to NO ONE that some team building, climate warming activities (among a zillion other things) might be needed?

THE DYNAMIC DUO

Two people that I -- just six weeks ago -- felt very close to taken a selfish, opportunistic approach to their new roles than a leadership approach. They secretly question their own ability to be good leaders and so they assume everyone else must as well (they're right on some counts); and therefore must be secretly plotting their professional demise (some might be!). I, as well as many others was ready and eager to give them the benefit of the doubt. Now...?

They had a golden opportunity to become positive transition figures in this organization...a bridge from the past to a brighter, exciting, productive future. But they couldn't see past their own immediate need for self gratification and they put their needs before the organization's.

I can't totally blame them though. This is the climate and culture this whole process has created. And just when we thought we were TRULY headed in a new direction, the events of the last three weeks tells me it's a case of SSDD. They didn't get the preparation and development they need to be good leaders and we didn't get the preparation and clarification of goals and roles necessary to willingly contribute to their (and ultimately the organization's) success.

My hope was that they would use the "vagueness" of their roles to define it for themselves (in a positive way for the majority) and take a proactive approach to helping merge the two organizations and cultures. They would use their first-hand knowledge of who we were (and are) to help our new managers understand us better -- so we could all help EACH OTHER be more successful. But instead they somehow chose to believe (or were led to believe) that their success depended on the failures of certain others. As a result they have recreated what we thought we'd ended after our internal assessment -- a new layer of disloyalty and distrust. Instead of going like gangbusters on our own like we used to (before we were TOLD who to be) , we're now getting very little done because people feel overwhelmed, confused, resentful...

It's late and I'm facilitating the rest of the week. Good night.

Continued.......

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