Reply to: Petulant child

[suityou01]

...

Loads of helpful stuff ....

If so, then all that is required is a coping mechanism. And that is another question, for another thread.

A great reply. I have read and digested. It is not me, I think you are right. I need to keep telling myself this. Just a difficult customer is all.

Now, shall I start this coping strategies thread?

[RichardCranium]

An award. Fantastic.

First you get 'Super poster' and now this. It makes you glad to get up of a morning, doesn't it?

[suityou01]

Possibly the dullest thread in CUK history.

An award. Fantastic.

[NotAllThere]

Possibly the dullest thread in CUK history.

[EternalOptimist]

Suityou, stick the ead on him

[Zippy]

Oh Suity. What are we going to do with you?
It is not happening again. Listen to RC and ignore those who are just having a laugh with you. It's not personal.
You are going to have to take a certain amount of crap but it will be OK.

[RichardCranium]

I suppose I'd better write a CUK-bulltulip-compliant response to prove what a hugh-flying, dynamic contractor I am. Otherwise I'll never have any credibility with minestrone.

I can't believe my luck that having left a gig working for a rookie/bully PM I now am reporting to an inexperienced 40 year old going on 4.

It could be a concidence or it could be that your CV & interview technique are attractive to these kinds of individuals. Is it possible they looking for passive people to push around and they suspect you may fall into that category? Are you by nature a co-operative, collaborative and communicative worker that is getting roles in environments where soft skills are seen as a weakness?

He had a total hissy fit today. Made me feel a right back and front (sl) in front of the whole team. No need for it.

Desparately unprofessional and unnecessary behaviour indeed. Very strange.

I cooled off, then sent him an email pointing out his inconsistencies. He did not even reply.

Hmm. Some people would, no doubt, say you should confront such behaviour straight away. That is damned easy to say but damned difficult to do in a new environment to one's boss. I do think, however, you should push for a response, and do so face-to-face behind a closed door.

The thing is when I joined the project I heard of a long tale of people he canned because he didn't see eye to eye with them.

This is how such behaviour is propogated and 'permitted' in the workplace: by newbies being told "Fred is shouty, be afraid of him". You do not have to do what they advise. As you know, if you confront a bully they back down.

This'll be fun. SY01 does not take crap from anyone any more.

Absolutely. Cling to that. Give them some crap back. What have you to lose? What have you to lose if you don't?

You are only just finding your feet there, so do not be overly concerned about a little pain occuring when forming new relationships.

spot the common denominator in all these

Factor. Not demoninator. You should know better, oracleslave.

I have worked in IT for years without significant problems. Then this year ...

Well then. It's not you.

I can count no less than 6 contractors that have been canned by this *****. All in short succession. The permies hate his guts. I mean looooaaathe him.

Nope. So it's not you.

He is one of those "ideas men" who says things like "don't bring me problems, bring me solutions".

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. And that is supposed to be a project manager? Wrong. That is the opposite of a project manager: that is a project disaster looking for somewhere to happen.

It is essential that a project manager must be not only approachable, but very receptive to risks and issues. Being in a state of perpetual denial and enforcing that on others is beyond dangerous to the likely succesful outcome of a project.

To challenge him in front of the crowd would have been suicide, contractually speaking. To let the dust settle and then gently confront him with a carefully worded email seemed like the best solution. Then the ****er ignored me. That's what really grates.

This needs to be addressed. The ****er is probably cacking themselves that you might confront this loser and show him up. That is the real problem. Confront the individual with a "I'm here to help" manner and "And your behaviour the other day is unacceptable". It needs to be done, I'm afraid, to protect yourself and stop this person treating you as the others are treated.

But I am the business analyst. I am currently wiping the developers noses, massaging the project managers egos and taking crap from the programme manager.

You shouldn't be needing to give the developers TLC. It sounds like they are taking the piss. Escalate that.

You should not have to be massaging the project managers egos. Project managers cannot afford to have feelings; the role is hard enough without being precious. Let them worry about their own fragility; it is part of being a PM.

To whom are you supposed to report? Do you work for the programme manager? If not, get the programme manager to direct their complaints to your boss.

OMFG, this is normal isn't it.

It is in crap environments, yes. I think I specialise in getting gigs in broken environments. When I was a permie, rescuing other people's broken or abandoned projects is what I ended up specialising in. So I got good at eating other people's crap. That is probably why I get the crap gigs: I am actually good at turning them around (at high spiritual and mental expense). Are you similar? Are you getting crap gigs because the recruiting managers can see you are actually good in crap gigs?

If so, then all that is required is a coping mechanism. And that is another question, for another thread.

[RichardCranium]

Maybe but "it is the project manager's job to take crap from the programme manager".

That is not how it works these days.

Could you elaborate on that, please? How does it work these days?

[minestrone]

I shall leave it to you two heart sinks.

[RichardCranium]

He is an extremely decorated PM

Predominantly made up of piss stains on my shoes, puke in my turn-ups and massalla sauce on my silk tie.

At least, that's how I spent most of the 1980s and 1990s.

But I'm better now.

My aim has improved.

Anyway, WTF is this thread about? I've forgotten.

[suityou01]

I said "I do not mean to be rude" not "no wonder you are benched"

No, you said

"I do not mean to be rude but do you sometimes wonder why you are benched?"

This IS offensive. To me anyways. But then again I am leaping to RCs defense. He is an extremely decorated PM who has a thick skin.

[minestrone]

Agreed. The information you require is that the PM is a contractor on notice and is demob happy.

The "no wonder you are benched" comment evoked the reaction from me.

I said "I do not mean to be rude" not "no wonder you are benched" OR

"throw some process crap at the project & programme managers" OR

"team leader's job to wipe the developer's noses." OR

"Disappear into the bowels of the organisation."

When I go for a gig it is

"I am your man" OR

"trust me I can get this job done" OR

"Look at my CV, I have done this before"

[suityou01]

Oh dear, this is going to hurt.No. It has never at any point dawned on me to wonder that. So I am glad you brought it up.

<Thinks>

It is because I write anonymous flippant posts on online forums in the middle of the night that make silly suggestions to people as a form of very weak humour.

These cause ripples of bad karma in the ether which has a nugatory effect upon my CV in the inboxes of recruitment agents.


I know what I should do. I should write helpful and meaningful posts on CUK and never be silly or rude. In that way I will fit in better - because that is how everyone behaves on CUK - and the positive vibes will spread out from the CUK servers across the internet to the job specs and person specs of recruiters to make them become more in line with my own skills and experiences.

No don't. Keep posting rubbish please. The Karma imbalance would be catastrophic.

[RichardCranium]

I do not mean to be rude

Oh dear, this is going to hurt.

but do you sometimes wonder why you are benched?

No. It has never at any point dawned on me to wonder that. So I am glad you brought it up.

<Thinks>

It is because I write anonymous flippant posts on online forums in the middle of the night that make silly suggestions to people as a form of very weak humour.

These cause ripples of bad karma in the ether which has a nugatory effect upon my CV in the inboxes of recruitment agents.


I know what I should do. I should write helpful and meaningful posts on CUK and never be silly or rude. In that way I will fit in better - because that is how everyone behaves on CUK - and the positive vibes will spread out from the CUK servers across the internet to the job specs and person specs of recruiters to make them become more in line with my own skills and experiences.

[suityou01]

Maybe but "it is the project manager's job to take crap from the programme manager".

That is not how it works these days.

Agreed. The information you require is that the PM is a contractor on notice and is demob happy.

The "no wonder you are benched" comment evoked the reaction from me.