Inlaws. Oof.
What do you do when you start to question the safety of yourself and those around you because an inlaw might or might not have gone off the deep end?
Inlaws. Oof.
What do you do when you start to question the safety of yourself and those around you because an inlaw might or might not have gone off the deep end?
Beer Baron said:In reply to Toyman! :
Good middle management is invaluable. The trouble is that most people don't understand what the job of a manager is and what it looks like.
The job of a manager is to make sure workers know what they need to do, provide them the support necessary, and insulate them from the b.s. that isn't their concern. To create the environment where they're able to get everything done. If done properly, their team is more productive with them "not working" than they would with one other person actually banging out tasks.
Saying middle managers get nothing done because other people are actually doing the work is like saying that I didn't get anything done as a teacher because I never turned in any homework assignments.
Unfortunately, most people in management positions don't understand that and aren't comfortable with it. They don't understand that being able to sit back while everything runs smoothly around them means they've actually done their job very well.
I regret that I have just one upvote to give. You're spot on here and I think Toyman is confusing middle management with upper management. The middle managers do it all. They're responsible for the lower level staff, do their own work, and have to answer to the upper level staff. It's the worst place to be IMO and I don't want to do it anymore.
Scotty Con Queso said:Beer Baron said:In reply to Toyman! :
Good middle management is invaluable. The trouble is that most people don't understand what the job of a manager is and what it looks like.
The job of a manager is to make sure workers know what they need to do, provide them the support necessary, and insulate them from the b.s. that isn't their concern. To create the environment where they're able to get everything done. If done properly, their team is more productive with them "not working" than they would with one other person actually banging out tasks.
Saying middle managers get nothing done because other people are actually doing the work is like saying that I didn't get anything done as a teacher because I never turned in any homework assignments.
Unfortunately, most people in management positions don't understand that and aren't comfortable with it. They don't understand that being able to sit back while everything runs smoothly around them means they've actually done their job very well.
I regret that I have just one upvote to give. You're spot on here and I think Toyman is confusing middle management with upper management. The middle managers do it all. They're responsible for the lower level staff, do their own work, and have to answer to the upper level staff. It's the worst place to be IMO and I don't want to do it anymore.
Middle management I deal with only wastes my time. They are unwilling or unable to answer questions or make decisions. They always have to pass that upstairs. They call useless meetings to discuss information that everyone already has and where they are unable or unwilling to make decisions. The larger the company the more useless they are. This is even more true at any government agency. Once they are given direction they want to micromanage everything that happens so they can make reports to their bosses. Any time I can cut them out of the loop I do so. It makes everything run smoother and wastes a lot less of my time.
In reply to Toyman! :
I can certainly understand that take and agree with you about being paralyzed with indecision. In the past, I had to ask 2 upper level managers for a decision and I got ignored regularly. I make the decision myself without asking and things go well - I'm a hero! I make the decision and things go sideways - I'm a liability!
I guess one of these days I'll remember not to cut the banding on new shocks as soon as I get them out of the box.
"Too soon?"...I'm really surprised I'm taking everything so well given that some people have the emotional intelligence of a gnat exacerbated by shockingly bad timing.
NermalSnert (Forum Supporter) said:I guess one of these days I'll remember not to cut the banding on new shocks as soon as I get them out of the box.
That will be the day you don't cycle them before installation, and the first time you drive it the piston will go through an air bubble, then hit a slug of fluid, and knock the valving apart.
Watched somebody do that...
Pete. (l33t FS) said:NermalSnert (Forum Supporter) said:I guess one of these days I'll remember not to cut the banding on new shocks as soon as I get them out of the box.
That will be the day you don't cycle them before installation, and the first time you drive it the piston will go through an air bubble, then hit a slug of fluid, and knock the valving apart.
Watched somebody do that...
You mean going through that hell of jacking the truck up high enough to get the shock inside the spring and then jacking the shock up to bolt it on is normal? Dayum! Ok, I did it right then.
I'm losing patience with a deal I've been working on for a few months to buy a car. Highly concerned it is not going to materialize, and I can't settle the internal argument of being cool and biding my time or backing out and buying something else.
I hate taking Guaifenesin even though it works well because everything smells like it for awhile
I have so much E36 M3 going sideways in my life right now I've gone though like the seven stages of dying and now I'm at the point of acceptance. At least I'm mellow about things now. It's not that I don't care, it's just that I don't worry about it.
Cooper_Tired said:I'm losing patience with a deal I've been working on for a few months to buy a car. Highly concerned it is not going to materialize, and I can't settle the internal argument of being cool and biding my time or backing out and buying something else.
Winter is coming. Might wait a few weeks to see if someone gets desperate to not store a toy over winter.
In reply to Beer Baron :
If they progress well, someday my former techs will look back and realize the blessing it was to be just a lowly tech with only one person to answer to, only one person to please. It's a calm, serene life.
P3PPY said:In reply to Beer Baron :
If they progress well, someday my former techs will look back and realize the blessing it was to be just a lowly tech with only one person to answer to, only one person to please. It's a calm, serene life.
The less people you have to deal with the better. I was the foreman for years at my last shop, it sounded great at first but then when everything from everyone becomes your problem you can really appreciate just keeping your head down and worrying about what's in front of you.
wae said:
This is part of a (painful) course that is supposed to be test-prep for the College Composition CLEP exam. I'm sure glad they're teaching me not to palagiarize.
I had to do this as part of an MBA course I took:
I can't go into the Ukraine or Israel threads anymore.
Scotty Con Queso said:In reply to Toyman! :
I can certainly understand that take and agree with you about being paralyzed with indecision. In the past, I had to ask 2 upper level managers for a decision and I got ignored regularly. I make the decision myself without asking and things go well - I'm a hero! I make the decision and things go sideways - I'm a liability!
That comes from expecting perfection at all times from everyone around you. It comes from wanting to micromanage every aspect of the world below you but being too scared to make the tough choices that might get you fired. Altogether, it does nothing but paralyze the entire organization while striving for an unobtainable goal. Corporations are made of people and people berkeley things up at times. While guidelines are required they should not be so restrictive that everyone is terrified to be wrong or make mistakes on occasion. This is why I no longer work for corporate America. They make my head explode.
My guys know where the line is drawn. They know what falls into their realm of responsibility. In that realm, I do not second guess them beyond offering suggestions that may work better moving forward. Much like they are welcome to make suggestions to me. I'm not going to call them to the carpet for not doing their jobs the precise way I would do it. As long as the work gets done in a timely manner, the customer is happy, and we make money, the company's and my goals have been satisfied.
When E36 M3 does go wrong, they know I'm not going to throw a temper tantrum. While I might be less than happy about it, sometimes E36 M3 happens. I'm going to ask a few questions. Then together, we will figure out if or where the mistake happened and if necessary, change the process so that doesn't happen again. Two of my guys broke a $2300 piece of glass the other day. I was very much less than happy. We have a fairly particular process for installing that type of glass. They were following that process when it broke. No yelling or screaming is necessary. Just figure it out. How can we make it so there is less of a chance of that happening again? From there, don't harp on it. Move on.
We have had the same problem when I ordered a $4000 door in the wrong size. We now have a process so I don't berkeley things up either.
This is why I don't like middle management. Then again, upper management isn't much better because they are part of the problem. How they lead, middle management follows.
Buried my uncle today. We weren't super close, but Taps hits different when it is for your family. He was 75, we suspect it was a heart attack. He felt ill after doing some chores, went to lie down and gone by the time his children got away from work to check on him. Lost another uncle last year, now my father's large family of 5 brothers is at 3.
It's sobering moving on in life, from burying grandparents to uncles - I know eventually it will be my parents, or my in-laws. I know I'm 47, and this is what I should expect per the actuarial tables on life expectancy. Still, in my mind I'm just a 20something figuring life out as I go. I have no answers, but time moves on.
I'm not sure why I'm posting, I'm mostly a lurker here. I guess I just needed to get this out somewhere, and this hive of villainy and motorsports has some amazingly empathetic members. Hug your people while you can, talk with them, and please bury any hatchets that deserve burying.
In reply to rkammerer :
I'm sorry for your loss. Those are good words you put up there.
Trying to find a rather old part (drum stuff) and find a listing for the closest match I'm likely to find, make an offer, "sorry, item already sold"
damn.
Find another listing, for a whole kit, ask if he'll part it out, "sorry, already sold"
Thats it. No more. I've been trying to find a matching piece for nearly two years, finally found two, and no dice. It isn't a critical deal at all, but damn if I didn't get my hopes up.
I've responded to three different FB ads and received zero replies after 48 hours. Really? Just delete the ad or let me know it isn't available.
In reply to rkammerer :
Sorry for your loss. Getting off your chest is healthy. Many of us have been there. Take care.
The diesel Mustang on page 3 of the SEMA thread. That thing pisses me off to look at.
In reply to NermalSnert (Forum Supporter) :
Honestly, nearly everything about SEMA is either stupid, infuriating, or both.
Off my lawn.
rkammerer said:Buried my uncle today. We weren't super close, but Taps hits different when it is for your family. He was 75, we suspect it was a heart attack. He felt ill after doing some chores, went to lie down and gone by the time his children got away from work to check on him. Lost another uncle last year, now my father's large family of 5 brothers is at 3.
It's sobering moving on in life, from burying grandparents to uncles - I know eventually it will be my parents, or my in-laws. I know I'm 47, and this is what I should expect per the actuarial tables on life expectancy. Still, in my mind I'm just a 20something figuring life out as I go. I have no answers, but time moves on.
I'm not sure why I'm posting, I'm mostly a lurker here. I guess I just needed to get this out somewhere, and this hive of villainy and motorsports has some amazingly empathetic members. Hug your people while you can, talk with them, and please bury any hatchets that deserve burying.
I'm sorry to hear it and believe me we all understand or at least I do.
Time is literally the most precious thing we have and we have no idea how much we have.
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