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 ⇒ Read more

Dear Ms. Management:

My manager (who is also the Director of Engineering) is either in a meeting with peers or superiors, or has his face buried in his computer all day long. The only time his staff sees him is at weekly group lunches or the weekly staff meetings. He does absolutely nothing to reach out to his direct reports. I've never worked with a more inaccessible or distant manager. ⇒ Read more

Dear Ms. Management:

I worked recently under a management structure that seemed not to care about wildly childish behavior on the part of one 'senior' developer (well, they gave him another, fancier title, but I'm not sure that's appropriate.) This 'senior' developer had been seen stomping around, huffing and puffing, waving his arms wildly when challenged with questions that he thinks should not be asked. The director of engineering was present at the time, and didn't even notice this little outburst, or if he did, he didn't react or do anything to intervene. ⇒ Read more

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