Coping with the crazy boss

By Vivienne Fisher, ZDNet Australia, 15 May, 2002 10:39

NEWS

Following a story ZDNet Australia ran earlier this month, Understanding the crazy boss, IT pros around the country have been coming out of the woodwork with their stories of workplace angst. There's the manager who was known for falling asleep during meetings, walking out, or simply sitting there singing to himself. On occasion he had also pulled out a novel or magazine and begun reading it during meetings. "Since he's been here he has also been seen licking (yes, with his tongue) his office door's window," the employee revealed. And another ZDNet Australia reader, described the mood swings of their superior as being "faster than you can blink". The reader also talked about the boss' "looks" which could range from "What the hell do you want?," "Do we have to do this now?," or "You really are an imbecile, aren't you?." "The daily challenge is not to throttle him," the reader admitted. Wilfred Lax, a clinical psychologist at the Centre for Applied Psychology in Sydney, said there are lots of examples of different managerial styles. Lax said that during the tech boom IT environments were famous for being very flexible. "There was the idea that you could go to work however you wanted...so the style could vary from being super cool and completely flexible, as long as (the IT professional) delivered the goods." Lax believes that in these types of environments the culture and personality of the chief intelligence officer, chief executive officer or chief financial officer could be reflected in the department which they controlled. "Any person who arrives at a new job would be sized up by the new organisation and tested in some way and then inserted into the pecking order in their correct place," Lax said. "If a kind and gentle person came into harsh and aggressive culture they wouldn't last very long -- they would either become like the people they're with or leave." According to Lax, a lot of people deny that there is a type of initiation when staff begin working at a new company. He said that people either fit into the dominant culture or become very unhappy, and ultimately leave. "Most employees try to do what is necessary to keep their boss happy -- most human beings have some kind of vested interest in their output -- if they're good in their work they feel good about themselves." From an IT perspective, Lax said some IT professionals could fit the typical geek stereotype which might include low EQ (emotional intelligence). This means that while they are highly proficient in areas such as mathematical skills they could have low social skills. "They would be like bulls in china shops and would have a low recognition of the effects of their interpersonal style on other people," Lax said. He suggested that IT professionals could do courses, or engage in personal development activities, to overcome any issues created by this.

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