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? ⇒ Read more

This last Saturday, November 11th, I had a total blast listening to Mythbusters Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman, chat about who they were, how they'd gotten where they are and how they worked together (if you're a geek or just like stories about blowing stuff up, these guys are a must see).

I was struck by their nearly total dissimilarities with respect to temperament, stage presence, and working styles. ⇒ Read more

Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking author: Malcolm Gladwell asin: 0316010669

Not everyone in an organization is effective - that's pretty obvious.

One of the fun ways I came up with gauge people's value to an organization is to play "where's waldo?" ⇒ Read more

The world is rife with bad managers. That's one focus of this site.

Just as it is good to lead by example, it's bad to mislead by example.

Currently, there's a great bad management story in the news regarding the Attorney General for the United States, Alberto Gonzales, and his handling of the dismissal of eight Federal Attorneys General (note: this is not a political rant).

In a nutshell, it appears that Mr. Gonzales may have discharged qualified employees because they failed a values litmus test (that's my summary). That is, they were not enough in lock-step with the big boss to satisfy the big boss or one of his advisers.

There are several notable management weaknesses that are highlighted here: ⇒ Read more

Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln author: Doris Kearns Goodwin asin: 0743270754