The beginning manager
Argh!
What I didn't tell you yet is that, at 39, I am on my first more or less serious management post, that is, managing people instead of files only (I still manage those too, though, and plenty of them). Apart from occasionally standing in for my boss (which means managing about 35 people, expats and locals), I am permanently in charge of 3 expat project managers (soon 5) plus a local secretary.
I am tired today and in a foul mood, and I just lashed out at my section's latest acquisition.
She's a french project manager in her late twenties, great woman but very, eh, well, young française as they come. I had made corrections in a document she had drafted, an urgent assignment at that, and SHE JUST HASN'T TAKEN THEM INTO ACCOUNT! (I'm your boss for God's sake -ouch, very primary reaction, good that I didn't actually say that.) I told her to redo it, with all the patience I could muster, which wasn't a whole lot: for the first time I told her that 'je commence à m'énerver' - which is strong language in this otherwise fairly harmonious environment.
OK, cool, that's off my chest now. The reason is that she just hadn't noticed those corrections, she says, as she hadn't gone all the way to the bottom of it (now how smart is that?). She's working on them right now.
Just as I am writing this, she sends out the 'corrected' version, again with half of the modifications ignored.... (heart rate up). I give up...
And it's not that she's not intelligent, quite the contrary. Smart, very good communicative and social skills (a lot better than mine anyway). Won't take crap from anybody (well, perhaps a little from me just now). Good looking and charming too, and ever more self-confident. Is this the beginning of consistent smart-assing, passive resistance, or just sloppiness? The fact that my boss is making organisational changes which leave her under my as well as his direct authority (and thus basically only his...) is not helping things either I'm afraid.
OK, I rehearse what I've learned at those fancy management courses headquarters provide us with: no primary reaction, breathe, wait and explain. I'm actually not even sure they said that, but that's sort of what I know I should do on a good day.
The problem is, this is not a good day. I'm tired. M. was making an ass of himself as I was leaving home to return to work. A. was masterfully applying her silent reproach technique for my choosing to go back to the office instead of staying home to watch a movie together with her. And then there's the nagging doubt of the aforesaid organisational change, which must in some way have triggered subsconscious territorial or alpha-male reflexes on my part.
It's late, there's nobody left at the office. Perhaps I should go and pee up against some doors to make me feel better....
What I didn't tell you yet is that, at 39, I am on my first more or less serious management post, that is, managing people instead of files only (I still manage those too, though, and plenty of them). Apart from occasionally standing in for my boss (which means managing about 35 people, expats and locals), I am permanently in charge of 3 expat project managers (soon 5) plus a local secretary.
I am tired today and in a foul mood, and I just lashed out at my section's latest acquisition.
She's a french project manager in her late twenties, great woman but very, eh, well, young française as they come. I had made corrections in a document she had drafted, an urgent assignment at that, and SHE JUST HASN'T TAKEN THEM INTO ACCOUNT! (I'm your boss for God's sake -ouch, very primary reaction, good that I didn't actually say that.) I told her to redo it, with all the patience I could muster, which wasn't a whole lot: for the first time I told her that 'je commence à m'énerver' - which is strong language in this otherwise fairly harmonious environment.
OK, cool, that's off my chest now. The reason is that she just hadn't noticed those corrections, she says, as she hadn't gone all the way to the bottom of it (now how smart is that?). She's working on them right now.
Just as I am writing this, she sends out the 'corrected' version, again with half of the modifications ignored.... (heart rate up). I give up...
And it's not that she's not intelligent, quite the contrary. Smart, very good communicative and social skills (a lot better than mine anyway). Won't take crap from anybody (well, perhaps a little from me just now). Good looking and charming too, and ever more self-confident. Is this the beginning of consistent smart-assing, passive resistance, or just sloppiness? The fact that my boss is making organisational changes which leave her under my as well as his direct authority (and thus basically only his...) is not helping things either I'm afraid.
OK, I rehearse what I've learned at those fancy management courses headquarters provide us with: no primary reaction, breathe, wait and explain. I'm actually not even sure they said that, but that's sort of what I know I should do on a good day.
The problem is, this is not a good day. I'm tired. M. was making an ass of himself as I was leaving home to return to work. A. was masterfully applying her silent reproach technique for my choosing to go back to the office instead of staying home to watch a movie together with her. And then there's the nagging doubt of the aforesaid organisational change, which must in some way have triggered subsconscious territorial or alpha-male reflexes on my part.
It's late, there's nobody left at the office. Perhaps I should go and pee up against some doors to make me feel better....
posted by Emilian at Friday, October 14, 2005
1 Comments:
You are not alone. That happens all over the world, you know. Patience some say is a virtue, however too much patience is a sign for something else. Don't let them climb on your head!
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