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I hate & love my job
Old 11-21-2005, 07:52 PM   #1
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I hate & love my job

OK so here is the story for all of you that hate their job. Dig this.
I get paid about $150K/year (greate benefits) all in and have a staff of 13 reporting to me. Most of my immediate supervisors are in another building, or state. I very rarely see them. I have a TV and internet access in my office. I could also do thing like take people to lunch for the hell of it.

My value is is that the quality of people that work for me is so poor that I try to get their work up to a standard that is acceptable and that can do proper accounting.

This is easy stuff here and yet it is killing me. Others find it difficult - amazing.
So for those of you stuck in the Dilbert cubical; fight your way to the top - it only gets easier.

Here are the keys to success in corporate life:
1. Your goals is your advancement.
2. Never say anything that others could find fault with
3. Make friends
4. Ask for what you want - you will get it.
5. Make belive you are interested in whatever is being said.
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Re: I hate & love my job
Old 11-21-2005, 08:33 PM   #2
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Re: I hate & love my job

Quote:
Here are the keys to success in corporate life:
1. Your goals is your advancement.
2. Never say anything that others could find fault with
3. Make friends
4. Ask for what you want - you will get it.
5. Make belive you are interested in whatever is being said.
Do we have to follow all the steps? #2 is hard to do. It seems that no matter what you do or say, someone will find it faulty.
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Re: I hate & love my job
Old 11-21-2005, 10:01 PM   #3
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Re: I hate & love my job

Quote:
Originally Posted by Spanky
Do we have to follow all the steps? #2 is hard to do. It seems that no matter what you do or say, someone will find it faulty.
Only if you attempt to say anything that matters. To paraphrase The Graduate:
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One word . . . platitudes.
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Re: I hate & love my job
Old 11-22-2005, 09:16 AM   #4
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Re: I hate & love my job

Sounds like you make great money, but corporate life is a living death to me...stay sane if you can.
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Re: I hate & love my job
Old 11-22-2005, 09:52 AM   #5
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Re: I hate & love my job

Sounds a bit like government work....

When others around you are not dependable and incompetent, you only have to be mediocre to be a shining star.* To succeed with the government, some essentials are:

1.* Show up on time, every day, and stay the duration of your 8 hours (a biggie).* (Note:* once you are there, it is fine to talk, stand around, have coffee and donuts...whatever).* Don't leave early (use the end of the day to clean up your desk, or daydream).* Don't fudge on sick leave.

2.* Never talk about anything important with those who you do not trust (which are 99.9% of your co-workers).* Talk about the weather, the football game, what you had for lunch, and you will go far.

3.* Get the paper.* Degrees and certifications open doors.* It doesn't matter much what school they are from.* The MPA or MBA behind your name is impressive.

4.* Take any assignment that you are given with enthusiasm, even if it is out of your job classification.* Upper management will take notice, and when higher jobs open, you will be in a good spot. (Note; Employees who balk at new challenges and say "that is not in my job description" get labeled as complainers, and are passed over for promotions).

5.* Never discuss retirement, except as something very far off...like age 65 or beyond.

My view from the trenches.....

Mike
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Re: I hate & love my job
Old 11-22-2005, 10:50 AM   #6
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Re: I hate & love my job

Maddy,

You may be right that in some circumstances, easily agreeing to an assignment will cause you to get more assignments, but up to a point, it is not a bad thing...."good" work will get you noticed.* I never minded it, but then, I came from a private sector background, which meant I came to work...to work.* I never expected it to be easy, so I looked on new assignments as challenges and opportunities to learn new things.* Once, when my supervisor took a 2 month leave of absence, I sent a memo to the Supt. offering to temporarily take on his dutues...and was given the temporary assignment.* Guess what, when my supervisor retired a year later, I got his job.*

I don't think you get anywhere being a whiner and a complainer.* If people want to stay stuck where you are, then I see negativity as a path to being stuck and pigeonholed in one position...

When I started, anytime a supervisor would come around, I would always make sure I was on my feet doing something--never just standing around.* It took awhile to get acclimated to a work "culture" in which it was perfectly acceptable to stand and talk, with coffee cup in hand, when the boss came by.
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Re: I hate & love my job
Old 11-22-2005, 11:11 AM   #7
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Re: I hate & love my job

Mountain Mike

Your prescription worked for me. I entered the gov't in 1969 as a Management Intern. My mentor during my intern year was head of the NOAA computer center - at the time the most powerful civilian computer complex in the world, used to run the numerical weather prediction models. In 1973 I was working as a computer programmer. I figured I would need to know about computers no matter what I wound up doing during my career. Four months after the center's Administrative Officer (responsible for finance, HR, logistics, supplies, etc.,etc) left his job it was still vacant and things were getting pretty disorganized. I went to the head of the center and offered to take on the job even though I had no experience in those areas. I made a deal with the boss that if I cleaned up the mess, ran things well for a year and trained my replacement, he would recommend me for the agency's full time university assignment. I had started my MPA at night and that allowed me to finish my master's full time, at full salary, with all tuition, books, etc. paid by the agency. When I returned, I was promoted to the job of Executive Officer for one of the Agency Assistant Administrators. I later moved from NOAA to NASA and eventially made it to Financial Manager of the Hubble Space Telescope. I retired the week I turned 55.

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Re: I hate & love my job
Old 11-22-2005, 01:47 PM   #8
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Re: I hate & love my job

I opened my statement that "some" of the ways to success include working beyond one's assignment. Of course, the path to success includes a mix of thing...including luck, and being in the right place at the right time.

"Politics" (or...being liked, or seen as a mover and shaker by the "higher ups" doen't hurt). My point was, going the extra mile can get you "noticed," that is, if you market yourself to some extent. Call it politics if you wish, but my strategy is based on work and recognition of that work. This, by the way, doen't mean you need to be a brown noser.

My other point was that, typically, in government, someone who would be average in some setting can be seen as exemplary...not by his or her talents, but merely by initiative and dependability.
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Re: I hate & love my job
Old 11-22-2005, 01:58 PM   #9
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Re: I hate & love my job

Quote:
Originally Posted by maddythebeagle
-that's true that whining and complaining doesn’t get you far, but to say that all you have to do is work and you will get promotions is off the mark in my opinion. My observations are that "playing politics" is by far the biggest determinate.
I think this is true to a large degree assuming that one does at least their basic job. *Some managers are just such egomaniacs that all it takes to really suck up to them is some carefully placed praise and some gushing. *All too often, the jerks at work that spend most of their time sucking up to the boss and "appearing" to do all the work (taking all the credit for the work anyway), are the ones that seem to get the promotions. *

Just working and doing the best job will not get you noticed; it becomes expected performance and you make yourself indispensible. *The boss sees you as the worker bee keeping the dept. going while your honey coated coworkers are camped in the bosses office brown nosing. *Guess who gets the promtions and big raises? *I think this happens more in a professional environment that in a direct labor one. *But kissing the boss's butt will most likely get you ahead in most jobs. *Being visible and appearing to do a good job is required, actually doing a good job but being invisible is a life sentence to staying put.

Politics are generally needed at some level to move up the ladder. *Some are just better at it than others. *Don't get pissed.....get even. *Do a better job of it than your fellow brown-nosers. *You too can get ahead if you play the game right. *Don't let personal integrity get in the way of your career. *Screw your fellow workers before they do it to you. *You too can be in management and reap the rewards they so richly deserve. *It is never lonely at the top as long as your employees have their head up your @ss. *
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Re: I hate & love my job
Old 11-22-2005, 02:01 PM   #10
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Re: I hate & love my job

People that get ahead in corporate America usually have a sponsor. Many of them think they made it on their own but others recognize it. Just think back to a time when an upper manager left for some reason. All of the people under him suddenly get placed on special assignments. Some never understand what happened. The sponsorship usually doesn’t last for a career.

Seen it a few times.
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Re: I hate & love my job
Old 11-22-2005, 03:33 PM   #11
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Re: I hate & love my job

There are 3 types of people in corporate america ....

The first are those that don't know what to do, and do nothing. Either they get trained by someone or they leave the company EARLY

The second kind are those that don't know what to do, and do everything they can think of in the hopes of doing the right thing. These people get promoted and burnout EARLY.

Finally there are those that know what to do, do what they need to, and go home on time because they have a life. These people Retire EARLY.

I've always strived to be in that third group ... and this is where I retire early.

That was my retirement "speech" at dinner (and taken and modified from intrest's web page).

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Re: I hate & love my job
Old 11-22-2005, 06:10 PM   #12
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Re: I hate & love my job

Quote:
Originally Posted by Lazarus
People that get ahead in corporate America usually have a sponsor. Many of them think they made it on their own but others recognize it. Just think back to a time when an upper manager left for some reason. All of the people under him suddenly get placed on special assignments. Some never understand what happened. The sponsorship usually doesn’t last for a career.

Seen it a few times.
I had mentors, but sponsors? One of the best compliments I
ever received was when a very talented young guy told me I was
his mentor. Nice! BTW, this was long after I had retired so he was
not just suckin' up.

JG
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Re: I hate & love my job
Old 11-22-2005, 06:14 PM   #13
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Re: I hate & love my job

Quote:
Originally Posted by SteveR
I think this is true to a large degree assuming that one does at least their basic job. *Some managers are just such egomaniacs that all it takes to really suck up to them is some carefully placed praise and some gushing. *All too often, the jerks at work that spend most of their time sucking up to the boss and "appearing" to do all the work (taking all the credit for the work anyway), are the ones that seem to get the promotions. *

Just working and doing the best job will not get you noticed; it becomes expected performance and you make yourself indispensible. *The boss sees you as the worker bee keeping the dept. going while your honey coated coworkers are camped in the bosses office brown nosing. *Guess who gets the promtions and big raises? *I think this happens more in a professional environment that in a direct labor one. *But kissing the boss's butt will most likely get you ahead in most jobs. *Being visible and appearing to do a good job is required, actually doing a good job but being invisible is a life sentence to staying put.

Politics are generally needed at some level to move up the ladder. *Some are just better at it than others. *Don't get pissed.....get even. *Do a better job of it than your fellow brown-nosers. *You too can get ahead if you play the game right. *Don't let personal integrity get in the way of your career. *Screw your fellow workers before they do it to you. *You too can be in management and reap the rewards they so richly deserve. *It is never lonely at the top as long as your employees have their head up your @ss. *
I was never "lonely at the top", to the contrary................

JG
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Re: I hate & love my job
Old 11-23-2005, 05:46 AM   #14
 
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Re: I hate & love my job

During my earlier years, I could take respite in the pervasive absurdities of large government/corporate organzations. If you squinted just right, the constant reorganizations, motivational posters, blustering bosses, inane campaigns and elbowing for promotions could actually be fun. My organization used to swing back and forth between centralization, and de-centralization. There were pluses and minuses to each configuration.

Depending on the current centralization/de-centralization fashion, the organization would obsess over what was not working, and overlook what was working. This would necessarily result in a reorganization announcement, and chaotic trudge towards the opposite centralization/de-centralization pole, with all the attendant inefficiencies of employees trying to figure out who was doing what. It was a perpetual motion machine. After marinading in this dynamic for a few decades, it stopped being fun. Time to retire.
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Re: I hate & love my job
Old 11-23-2005, 06:54 AM   #15
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Re: I hate & love my job

I never consider the constant changes are of any fun.
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Re: I hate & love my job
Old 11-23-2005, 08:18 AM   #16
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Re: I hate & love my job

If you have no better ideas, re-org...

Then hire an overpaid consultant to invent some new buzzwords...
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Re: I hate & love my job
Old 11-23-2005, 09:45 AM   #17
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Re: I hate & love my job

tozz: great post!
You described the climate at my activity much better than I could. The pendulum swings are amusing at first but after 20 years or so, they begin to chafe.

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Re: I hate & love my job
Old 11-23-2005, 11:24 AM   #18
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Re: I hate & love my job

Quote:
Then hire an overpaid consultant to invent some new buzzwords...
Is it like Grant Thorton who did our reorg? I love it. Capitalism at its finest. Wind it up and let it out in a few years.*
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Re: I hate & love my job
Old 11-23-2005, 11:43 AM   #19
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Re: I hate & love my job

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Originally Posted by Have Funds, Will Retire
If you have no better ideas, re-org...

Then hire an overpaid consultant to invent some new buzzwords...
New words but old approaches
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