I came across an older post by Alex Papadimoulis on TheDailyWTF.com, dealing with the Dead Sea Effect described by Bruce Webster.

Frankly, it's one of the most interesting and thought-provoking posts I've read regarding employee retention.

The Dead Sea Effect (in I.T.) is the predicted end result of many years of having the best employees leave, without replacing them with people of equal or higher skill levels. What's left? An accumulation of staffers who are less ambitious, less talented, and generally less capable of finding work elsewhere.

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	The Cravath Firm And Its Predecessors: 1819-1947 author: Robert T. Swaine ASIN or ISBN-10: 1584777133

Increase in Offers of Training and Development:

One of the interesting, and obvious, side-effects of the current economic recession, is the increase in emails offering training and development. I'm afraid I don't have rock-solid statistics so call this more of an anecdotal observation but the increase is noticeable. As an example (and not an endorsement), I've gotten several unsolicited emails from http://peakperformancesalestraining.com/. Their basic pitch is an offer to help me improve my sales skills: "Proactive Prospecting in a Negative Economy -- Overcome Call Reluctance and the Negative Impact of Ineffective Traditional Prospecting".

As a non-sales person, this particular trolling has no real impact on me. However, as noted previously, improving one's skills is a definite tactic for finding or holding onto one's position. Clearly, some sort of additional education can be very beneficial but caveat emptor.

College Enrollment is Up:

Reputable on-line training is one way to go as one looks to add to their educational arsenal. A more traditional approach as people look to improve their skills to gain an advantage in the work force, especially an ever more precarious work-force, is that people go back to and/or stay in school. That college enrollment is up is no surprise and is being reported by several sources, including USA today and Voice of America. Having just entered a student in UC Davis, I'm well aware of the increase in competition.

Employee Abuse on the Rise:

One of the more unsavory side-effects of a poor economy is that management may trend toward the dark-side.

When the economy turns sour, it only makes sense to take steps to preserve or enhance your career prospects. Is it time to clean up your act? Have you noticed things that need to be improved? What should you do to avoid the unemployment line, if you actually want to keep your job?

We present our list of top ten ways to help keep yourself gainfully employed during the late unpleasantness.

The good news is that you can do it honorably. While there are no guarantees, it's better to make the effort than sit back and wait for the axe to fall.

It's really as simple as increasing value and ensuring that your company understands how you improve the bottom line.

Overheard somewhere, sometime

SENIOR SOFTWARE ENGINEER (in a cheerful tone): I'm working on fixing the XYZ disturbance in the flux capacitor module.

MANAGER: You know, you can try {insert obvious technique here} to fix that.

SENIOR SOFTWARE ENGINEER (in a calm, pleasant tone of voice): Thanks for the suggestion. I have a question for you, and please don't read too much into this. When you offered that suggestion, was it because you thought I was unaware of that technique or that I've overlooked something?

What can you do when you work in a severely dysfunctional environment? Can you do more than just 'grin and bear it'?

As some have found, there's a learning opportunity in every work situation.

If nothing else, you can take comfort in knowing that you have an opportunity to learn valuable lessons even while suffering:

I was lamenting the confusing interface to a piece of software the other day, when a colleague said it sounded a bit like 'grousing' because I wasn't able to suggest any improvements. I capitulated, admitting I wasn't close enough to the problem to offer any useful feedback at the time.

Later, though, I was thinking about the exchange, and began to put it in perspective, especially regarding a recent post about the truth being filtered as it made its way up the company hierarchy.

Have you ever wondered how your boss got their job? Have you ever thought "this guy is so incompetent, he probably doesn't even know it"? How/why does this happen?

Whenever there's an job opening, staff are frequently asked if they know anyone who might be a good fit. This is indeed an excellent way to jump start the hiring process; personal references are frequently much better than "off the street" hires. The obvious caveat is that the inside person doing the recommending has good sense and a good understanding of more than just the skills required. For example, the inside person may be a good person and a good employee but may not understand the corporate culture or their friend well enough to see that it just won't work out: think highly structured vs. very laid-back, for example.

What does this have to do with getting an incompetent boss?

There's no such thing as a perfect company - any enterprise consisting of more than one person is going to have issues (and to be sure, there are single-person enterprises that have major issues).

Frequently, the larger the organization, the more likely one or more of the following is going to be true. Note that there is a difference between an event or incident and an actual pattern. Incidents can sometimes be explained (everyone has bad days); patterns are worth noting.

Here, then, are the top ten patterns that could convince you to pack your bags:

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Psychopath. Sociopath.

The terms strike fear in the hearts and minds of normal, conscientious, caring people. The media use these terms when describing vicious murderers or torturers. But what do the words really mean? Are all who can be labeled 'psychopath' or 'sociopath' prone to violence and physical abuse? Or are there other, more subtle, yet just as serious ways that these personality types manifest themselves in our daily lives?

Learning to identify and deal with psychopaths and sociopaths in the workplace is an important skill, even though they may represent only a small part of the population.

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	The Sociopath Next Door author: Martha Stout ASIN or ISBN-10: 0767915828
	Without Conscience: The Disturbing World of the Psychopaths Among Us author: Robert D. Hare PhD ASIN or ISBN-10: 1572304510

Dr. Ms. Management:

Some time ago, I told my manager that I was interested in the things that motivate people. His response: "You sound like you are interested in politics." I disagreed, saying that there was a big difference between the two, although I didn't have much time to argue the point. His comment left me feeling vaguely ill-at-ease, but I wasn't sure why.

Reflecting back on this mini-discussion, I see a big difference between 'politics' and 'leadership'. But I'm not sure that I can articulate it very well. Do you have any thoughts on the differences between the two? Do you agree with my position that 'leadership' can and should be much more positive and much less destructive than mere 'politics'?

-- Leaderless in Seattle