Solutions not Problems

[gordo]

 

[Possumgal]

Guess you'll have to tell that guy that the printing fairy is unavailable these days.

I used to have a boss who wanted us to tell him if a piece of equipment was acting up. He'd be irritated if we didn't. However, when we did, he'd just say, "It's not supposed to do that," and walk off.

 

[Shawnd]

They should be wearing USPS uniforms...

 

[MailGuru]

I used to have a boss who wanted us to tell him if a piece of equipment was acting up. He'd be irritated if we didn't. However, when we did, he'd just say, "It's not supposed to do that," and walk off.

Middle-Management basically sucks! You're dealing with people underneath you as well as people above you. You are truly in a "no-win" situation. To make matters worse, you, somehow, earn the title of "Director of Extinguishing Fires", which means, a large part of your day is spent solving problems. The reason your boss would be irritated if he wasn't informed of a piece of equipment acting up, is, he's the one that will be called out on the carpet with HIS bosses if jobs don't get out on time.

So, yes, I have adopted this philosophy in the past, but, not for the reasons you would think.

1) If you come to me with a problem, and, one or more solutions, it saves time. Time that can be better spent on other problems.

2) I need to build up those underneath me so they can advance. If their solution is suspect, I need to walk them down the path of following through with their solution so they can see why, on their own. So they can learn and grow.

3) Also, if I am the only one who knows how to solve problems, I will be stuck in this position forever, with no chance of moving up.

 

[Possumgal]

I just wish I had been able to work with someone like you. I often found myself in no-win situations. And oh, yeah, problem solver. Been there, done that.

 

[MailGuru]

Been there, done that.

Brought a smile to my face. Back in the day I used to say: "Been there, done that. Bought the cap, the t-shirt, and the bumper- sticker."