Ugh. I love my manager . . . as a person. As a manager, he has some good qualities, but he has much to be desired. What he seems to enjoy about his job (and think is the most important) is rubbing elbows with the rich, famous, and press. He's actually a pretty understanding manager most of the time, but he's terribly unorganized, occasionally lazy and sometimes willfully ignorant.
For example, he went to a meeting yesterday at a department store. He says afterward he's going to check out a few other shops in the area so he may not return to work. He does this all the time. Or steps out to go to his tailor or do errands. Now he usually makes up the time after work, but as the general manger, don't you think it might be important to be in the store DURING NORMAL BUSINESS HOURS. Usually I have to act as the manager and yet, I have no title despite asking for it repeatedly.
Secondly, he doesn't really manage. He has no concept of time and just expects that things will magically get done. For example, he needed our graphic designer to change the homepage today. Well, he should have told her to do it last night because guess what, the graphic designer doesn't come in until 11 on Thursday. He's now mad that she didn't read his mind. Well, maybe if you had come back to the office yesterday, you would've talked about it.
But my favorite is when he talks to customers. He promises things that are entirely impossible or asks for samples that don't exist. And he says it in front of the customer in a matter of a fact way and then he gets pissed when you have to tell him that his request isn't possible.
Arg, it drives me crazy because someone, it all comes back to me . . . like somehow I should have managed it correctly. But guess what? NOT THE MANAGER.
I really hope the next place I work is better organized. This place drives me bonkers.
K, I'm done.
Re: Work vent
That is annoying!!! Especially the mind reading part! Wow---you'd think there was a course on it or something!
Sucky sucky sucky. I doubt there any getting through to him either. We need a Gordon Ramsay Retail Nightmares show to smack some sense into these people.
Most managers are not managers and don't want to be. They were high performers that got promoted at some point - and that somehow translates into management ability and management experience. Management is a tough gig. Not only are you a servant to the customer and a servant to the bottom line...more importantly, you are a servant to your staff. Unfortunately, when you title someone, the see everyone else as servants and sit there like a prince on a pillow, expecting business to run itself.
(sorry...HR rant)
Yep, Aria. He's not interested in dealing with the difficult or annoying aspects of a job. For example - a customer just called and she's not completely happy with the way her monogram is engraved. I can kind of see why, but I'm not entirely certain there's actually a problem with the order. We tell the manager so he can talk to the engraver and get more information - he gets attitudey when the sales person asks when she should tell the customer that he'll get back to her. HELLO, IT'S A CUSTOMER.
And yet, he preaches about customer service constantly.
Oh and he called after his meeting yesterday at 6:15 and was wondering why no one answered the phone. Maybe because we close at six.
This.
Never thought about it but soooo true.