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> I've had more than my share of petty bosses, some unbelievably so. The
> problem is, they're the boss and they make the rules. If you need the job,
> you've gotta play by their rules, cuz the petty idiots are petty enough to
> worry far more about rules than results. More than once I've had a boss call
> me into the office to tell me that a higher-up or a customer had written to
> compliment on how I did my job, but when I'd have a review a few weeks later
> they'd talk to me as though I couldn't do anything right. And inevitably the
> negative stuff they'd bring up would have nothing to do with what kind of
> results I produced.
The reason these people get into positions of power and can force their
pettiness on people is because nobody ever challenges their authority. This is
a problem with many tech pubs managers. They gladhandle their way into
positions of authority then become minor tyrants guarding their worthless
empire. They think "management" is strictly enforcing rules and commanding
people to do things. They have no concept of what it is to actually LEAD
people.
I am not advocating people just throw the company policy book out the window
and start downloading porn. I said: don't put up with petty tyrants. Challenge
their pettiness when appropriate.
Yes, you need to make a judgment call on what constitutes a petty tyrant. Last
I checked, it was still legal to question authority if you judge it to be
unreasonable.
Andrew Plato
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