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

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: ⇒ Read more

Here are some ways that sociopathy and psychopathy can manifest themselves in the workplace.

The Sociopathic/Psychopathic Corporation

Some have likened the corporation to a sociopath or psychopath - because a corporation has no conscience beyond that of the people in it, even though it has a legal status and rights on its own -- it has some of the status of a "person" in the eyes of the law, but no conscience of its own. ⇒ Read more

The Sociopathic/Psychopathic Manager

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. ⇒ Read more

The Sociopath Next Door author: Martha Stout asin: 0767915828

Without Conscience: The Disturbing World of the Psychopaths Among Us author: Robert D. Hare asin: 1572304510

I hate to break it to you, but I'm your boss. Your complaining and dissatisfaction fall on deaf ears, most of the time. You can be replaced. Keep it up, and you probably will be. Don't shoot me, I'm just the messenger.

No matter how useful or clever you are, or how hard you work, your continued employment is an economic decision: you earn your pay (and more), or you don't. If you don't, you're probably headed for the unemployment office at the next downsizing opportunity. ⇒ Read more

"It should just work." "All ya gotta do is..."

We've all heard this time and time again. For those of use who have spent much time in Software Development organizations, this battle cry is an anathema to those of us who like to have some proof. ⇒ Read more

I've worked up a list of mismanagement behavior patterns - common personalities and/or misbehaviors found in the workplace.

The pages that follow will present the behavior pattern (the 'archetype' if you will) followed by a fantasy response from the mismanager's staff.

Please revisit this page from time to time - we will be expanding the list as time goes on. Feel free to comment - we'd love to hear what you think! ⇒ Read more

I've noticed a trend in software engineering over the last few decades: the ascendency of a class I call the 'flashocracy' - leadership by quick answers and hyper-confidence, sometimes of style over substance.

Author Robert Persig, in the classic Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values, identified a similar trend in modern urban culture decades ago - he called it the "hyped-up, fuck-you, supermodern, ego style of life". ⇒ Read more