Boss Signing off impossible plans, calling others incompetent for not being able to implement them.

devnull

So, I have a problem at the moment with an ex boss of mine who I always had a bad relationship with. Essentially she's the kind of person who is always right and you are always wrong and if you dare to challenge her when she is wrong and you can prove it, she will talk down to you like a little child. It always used to create a lot of tension in our department because challenging bad policy or bad decision making was basically only going to end up with a big argument.

Anyway, she was moved aside to another department and we've not had much interaction for two years. However she is now in a more senior position and has singed off some plan for changes to the way we conduct our day to day business. As part of that business, we use some very specialist software for our industry that doesn't allow for us to implement what she has signed off two months ago.

The team tasked with responsibility for implementing this is one I am leading, We only found out about it today and have straight away let the powers that be know that what we have been asked to implement isn't possible on our systems and we have come up with some proposals that would work that are close as possible in terms of what was originally proposed based on our knowledge of the systems. We have also had this confirmed by an independent party and our third party support company who supports this specialist software. They back up my teams view and have suggest we take it to our senior management team to get them to rethink.

My ex boss has since literally gone off on one big style and told us that if we are not capable or do not have the skillset, experience or knowledge to implement something that is possible, then this is a real concern for her and maybe it means that we are not very good at our jobs because it is possible and that anyone who was up to the job would do it. This is obviously a deflection tactic to say it's not the plan that is the problem, but the people implementing it.

This is typical of the manager in question. As most of my dealings over the past few years with her, she has never ever admitted to making a mistake or getting something wrong. Now she is essentially calling me and some of my colleagues openly incompetent for not implementing an impossible solution that she should never have signed off on, And she has made it clear she will not be backing down and has the support of senior management who had her advise on technical aspects of the plan.

Since then we have called senior management in to explain the issue and that we are being put in a very difficult situation. They have spoken to her and she now wants to be in all meetings about our work. We had the first one today and all we had was incessant interruptions and commentary from her finding fault with almost everything that we say as she is determined to try and portray us as incompetent in front of senior management to make us the fall guys.

Does anyone have any experience of how to handle this? Effectively this manager has gone completely rogue and couldn't give a damn anymore about what the business needs and has gone to all out self-protection mode at the expense of everything else.

Breezy_

Is she shagging the senior guys or how is she still carrying on like this for years?

Do you look for other jobs? Obviously nothing is ever going to change. Sounds like an absolute sh1t show of a badly run company. Changes signed off before xmas and you (the guy whose job is to implement) finds out about them today.

If you're not then start recording all those stupid pointless meetings they seem to like having about the same thing. Record every meeting with everyone. Hit record on your phone and leave it recording all day.

Did you go to the right "senior" guy? I'd absolutely hammer her with facts in one of them meetings.

And if you plan to stay then sign up with a union if you aren't already. It'll be very handy later.

What are you worried about? It can't be done. You've had 3 teams say it can't be done. I'd love to be in your position.

NSAman

If she knows how to do it, let her do it.ask her to implement it herself. She is obviously more senior and experienced than the incompetent team she is working with.

unless she is sleeping with one of the bosses, then you’ve no hope …wouldn’t be surprised, her ilk normally do.

Thing is if you stand up to her, you have to continue standing up to her and take no BS. Have worked with idiots like this, either they pick everything apart and destroy everything that the team have developed, or the team band together and oust her by standing up to her completely.

Breezy_

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121708229#Comment_121708229

Be careful relying on your team for anything. Especially to verbally back you up.

SupaCat95

You may find chat in the locker room bravado dilute down to or even disappear in the boardroom.

If you are going for a full head on confrontation where it is "her or me" be sure to have your CV circulated before the shtf meeting.

thefa

Have never had this experience personally but i think the facts are you have to try to grin and bear it to a degree unless you want to move on. From her perspective, this is likely something she has spent a lot of time on and portrayed as significant progress to her seniors so won’t be backing down quickly.

Personally, I would have the team listing the problems in fine detail, tracking the steps/attempts to overcome each plus the decisions made by the ex boss that impacted each. Circulate it regularly as project updates.

It’s probably unlikely but maybe seeing all the detail will help the ex boss temper their expectations or at the very least, documents her impact if it turns out to be a shitshow when implemented.

Lastly, check the costs to overcome some of the problems listed. This may not be significant in your scenario but I work in finance and nothing kills flaky ideas quicker than big outlays.

Flinty997

Let them outsource it and manage it themselves. Keep it as far away from you as possible. If you're confident it will fail.

Squatman

sounds like she was moved aside to let progress resume. this project may be the catalyst that the leadership team were looking for. keep operating within the realms of physics, and let nature take its course. keep minutes and actions from any interactions, and share with the members that were involved. and don't get stressed over it.

Ash.J.Williams

If the company want it implemented and it's not possible, tell them it's not possible and back it up with a detailed engineers report stating why.

If that's rejected, then implement it , you still get paid

Bass Reeves

Give her enough rope and she will hang herself. Ignore her at meeting. Politely ask her not to interrupt. If she is finding fault ask her for a positive contribution.

Ask her how she would fix it. If you are sure of your technical knowledge do not be afraid. Use phrases like ''sorry can you wait until I am finished explaining this and I will take your question then ''

It's amazing how by seemingly been polite you can really piss people off.

You could not do it nowadays, I remember a lad that used when speaking to a female manager that was always giving orders and exerting her authority as ''Dear''

Sorry dear I get that done straight away,

Sorry I forgot that dear

I cannot start that now dear its too near lunch break

I have that straight away dear

It drove her nuts but he was so polite, it was 20 years ago though I do not think you could refer to a lady manager as dear nowadays

Aph2016

Life is short, don't let some clown who has no idea what they're talking about tell you how to do your job, especially if what's being asked is impossible.

Tell her where to go.

caviardreams

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121764984#Comment_121764984

Yes because it is blatant misogyny, so I can understand that it annoyed her.

Where I worked in public service, senior management were seriously clueless about how a new system they had acquired actually worked. Thankfully they were not critical of us as we struggled to make the square peg fit a round hole. In fact they disappeared into their offices and remained apart, doing management stuff. One of them came out to visit a service point, where the public dropped in. She was behind the desk when a member of the public engaged her in business, thinking she was a regular minion. Absolutely lost at sea when trying to do the most basic transaction on the system, she called over to one of us to rescue her! Management are so often very estranged from the core business of the organisation, and it’s a blessing if they leave you to do the best job you are doing and don’t admonish you for pitfalls of a system they have requested you to implement.