November 27, 2018 at 8:34 am
You have a really great perspective on this topic Steve. I recently left a situation where I had what many would, and did call a horrible boss. The man was actually not a bad person in the grand scheme of life and he knew his DBA stuff for the most part, he just had a personality that lent to being a bad boss who demotivated his subordinates rather than motivating them. Lucky for me I too have a great boss now (or manager as he likes to be referred) who empowers us to be the best we can be and it has been a great experience so far!
One thing I would say is that for all the mental and emotional stress my horrible boss caused me and my peers, I still find that I do have some respect for the man in the way a young athlete has respect for a horrible/tough coach years later. If nothing else, his poor management style and bad personality did cause me to want to up my game and be a better DBA. And if he happens to read this some day, I wish him all the best now and in the years to come!
December 1, 2018 at 7:49 pm
I've had a couple of excellent bosses, but for the most part I've experienced some really terrible situtations. I worked at a medium size comapny for a number of years. Having my associates degree I decided to try a company where I could work my way up into their IT department. After 2.5 years I got into the department as an operator. A year and a half later I was promoted to Programmer/Analyst. I spent the next 10 years going though the drama of multiple redevelopment attempts. Eventually one of my best bosses I've ever had was pushed out. I was given the option to leave or stay.
They replaced my boss with a man who honestly couldn't program his way out of a bag. He had no managerial experience either, but he was their new Golden Boy. It was amazing. He never understood what I talked about. How he earned a degree, I don't know; but my lowly Associates was always brought up in spite of the fact I fixed so much code over time, improved processes, automated processes, etc.. I worked close to 80 hours a week, but had alot of PTO and was paid well. In 2008 the company started targeting people for layoffs. I had survived 8 of them, had worked under a number of managers (besides the two I mentioned), and survived 2 CTOs. When the new CTO came on he wasn't terribly impressed with my hard work and put me on his hit list. I endured 8 months of what can only be defined as bullying. When I was let go I was so worn down and lacking any confidence in myself that I lived off severance/retirement for 4 years. There weren't many jobs for sometime, I had plenty of savings, and I was totally lacking any self-confidence. My current position is with a small company where I am the only tech person. My experience is just as bad but for their lack of understanding how to utilize their ERP, and how databases/data work. I've tried to educate them but to little avail. I've regained confidence, and love SQL/SQL Server. I'm just hoping as I move on I can find a place of employment where I can utilize my skills, grow, and find a team/boss who cultivate a healthy environment. So I've experienced bad bosses but never realized how denigrating and wearing they can be.
February 25, 2025 at 8:49 am
I went through a management training course and one of the questions was "what is the best bit about being a manager"?
We all agreed that it was seeing the successful results of nurturing a direct report, seeing them learn, grow and succeed. The course took us through actions we could take to achieve this.
It may come as a surprise but managers have a vested interest in your success. The best managers know this. When you think about it your direct reports are there to help you achieve stuff. The worst ones don't realise it and see your success as a threat.
I've been very fortunate in my career. I've had some good managers and a couple of exceptional ones. Only one has been appalling. Other than that one individual the worst of them wanted to do the right thing but hadn't really got a clue how.
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