Margot

Looking for the ideal Christmas gift: Crap Managers: and how to survive them b... Reply w/ #AmazonBasket to add this http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1492824828/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_QxmIub1TPS4TW via @AmazonUK

Just ignore those people who say the aircraft noise is inconsequential. It's driven me insane over the last few years. When we moved to Nunhead 15 years ago, it was so blissfully quiet like living in the country. It still is as we have no traffic. But the aircraft noise has increased exponentially over the last few years. I notice it all the time. I wake up in the morning and don't hear the birds sing, but the aeroplanes. I go for a walk in the park and all I can hear are aeroplanes - 4 in the sky at any time. There is no doubt we in East Dulwich are now on a substantial flight path and CAA regulations have been relaxed to allow planes to fly lower and more hours, so they start at 4am. I can see which airline they are which means they are pretty low in the sky. It's one of the reasons I want to move out of London so I can go for a walk and not hear aeroplanes.Well done for organising the petition.

Does anyone know of a good reliable roofer locally - our skylight is leaking

Does anyone know someone who can repair a washing machine.

That's funny - made me laugh.

Does anyone know someone reliable and not extortionate who can repair washing machines?

Maybe he forsook his bonus JohnL!

In 1985, a film company facing financial pressure hired a new president. In an effort to cut costs, the president asked the two leaders of a division, Ed and Alvy, to conduct layoffs. Ed and Alvy resisted?eliminating employees would dilute the company?s value. The president issued an ultimatum: a list of names was due to him at nine o?clock the next morning. Good managers story - if only there were more of them like that. When the president received the list, it contained two names: Ed and Alvy. No layoffs were conducted, and a few months later Steve Jobs bought the division from Lucasfilm and started Pixar with Ed Catmull and Alvy Ray Smith. Employees were grateful that ?managers would put their own jobs on the line for the good of their teams,? marvels Stanford?s Robert Sutton, noting that even a quarter century later, this ?still drives and inspires people at Pixar.? Source: ?Givers Take All: The Hidden Dimension of Corporate Culture? by Adam Grant | The McKinsey Quarterly

We certainly don't want to encourage anyone to hang around gent's loos!

Unusual solution ladida. Maybe they should use that in management training!

?Too many companies believe people are interchangeable. Truly gifted people never are. They have unique talents. Such people cannot be forced into roles they are not suited for, nor should they be. Effective leaders allow great people to do the work they were born to do.? ― Warren G. Bennis, Organizing Genius: The Secrets of Creative Collaboration

Thanks for that information. It's good to know that yours was properly managed. Margot

Oh yeah hahhaha. It took me a minute to get that. When I first read it, I was thinking 'Is that some contemporary management theory' and then I remembered the film.

Hi I'm doing some research into blood thinners, especially Warfarin and whether patients are properly monitored after they are prescribed it. Warfarin and other blood thinners are routinely prescribed after operations for people who have heart disease. A couple of elderly people I know, including my father-in-law, have been prescribed Warfarin and then suffered severe bleeding. I'd be interested in hearing any stories form people who have had similar experiences or know someone who has. Thanks Margot

I saw a new one in Lordship Lane as I was driving past, like a cafe with Italian colours. Has anyone been there?

Thanks KidKruger - good story. Unprofessional to uncross your legs? - that's a new low in bullshit management.

5 signs it's time to quit your job Rachel Burge for CareerBuilder.co.uk When was the last time you woke up on a Monday morning feeling excited about the day ahead? Yes, competition for jobs is fierce, but sleep-walk your way through another week and you could harm your chances of ever making a move. 'If you put a frog in a pan of cold water and slowly heat it up, the frog adapts its body temperature but boils alive because it doesn't realise until too late. 'Many people hang on to a job too long out of fear of what they have to lose or of an unknown future,' says David Shindler, performance coach and author of Learning To Leap. With that in mind, here are five signs it's time to jump. 1. Work stress is affecting your health Work-related stress is your body's way of telling you that something needs to change. 'It's not just people swamped with massive workloads who experience stress,' says David. 'Profound boredom and lack of stimulation can have a similar effect. If the mere thought of work makes you feel anxious or unhappy, it's a sign to move on.' As well as harming your health, stress can have a detrimental affect on your family and relationships. Like the frog in hot water, the longer you leave it, the less energy and enthusiasm you will have to make the move. 'If you feel overwhelmed, ask for help,' says David. 'That might mean speaking to your GP, enlisting the help of an enthusiastic friend or hiring a careers coach. Sometimes the first step is the hardest one to take.' 2. Your relationship with co-workers breaks down Do you regularly fall out with your colleagues or feel constantly irritated by your boss? Familiarity breeds contempt (especially if you've been working with the same people in the same environment for years) but annoyance may be symptomatic of deeper issues. 'As irritating as your co-worker's particular quirks are, your annoyance is more likely to be caused by dissatisfaction with the role. If you were doing a job you absolutely loved, the same personalities would be unlikely to bother you so much,' says David. Sometimes it's not confrontation that's an issue but a lack of contact. 'If relationships with peers, your boss and others in the workplace begin to fade in quality and frequency of contact, take it as a sign to explore why this is happening, it may indicate you are being isolated and it is time to find other opportunities,' says Peter Fennah, a Chartered Psychologist and accredited executive career coach at careersynergy.com. 3. You're skills aren't being utilised When you're not learning new skills or developing, you're standing still - and treading water gets harder to do the longer you do it. If you've asked to take on more responsibility and put yourself forward for more challenging projects and are getting nowhere, you need to be realistic about your prospects. 'When you're passed over for promotion, are no longer invited to key meetings and the best assignments go to someone else, you're probably wasting your time at the company,' says David. 'Without opportunities for growth it's only a matter of time before you begin to stagnate.' 4. Your values no longer align Companies change - and the organisation you work for now may look very different to the one you joined five years ago. 'Sometimes, it's not an employee that changes but the company around them,' says David. 'Changes can be immediate, in the example of a take-over, or can happen slowly over time. 'Either way, if you no longer feel comfortable with the work ethic, company values or disagree with the direction the organisation is taking, the only solution may be to move on.' Once you feel you no longer 'fit', your sense of job satisfaction and faith in the company is only likely to be eroded. As Peter says, 'When the gap between what you or your boss espouses as core values and their enacted behaviour widens, it can result in a loss of trust.' 5. Your dream job is calling you Sometimes there's nothing wrong with your current work as such, it just can't compare with your dream job. 'If there's something you've always wanted to do and its pull is becoming greater than staying where you are, it can be a sign you need to quit,' says David. 'If you're not following your heart, you will never develop your true potential. 'Weigh up the pros and cons and do your research - only then can you decide whether to take the leap. After all, if you don't try, you will never know.'

I have a management joke for anyone who is interested: A crow was sitting in a tree, doing nothing all day. A small rabbit saw the crow, and asked him, "Can I also sit like you and do nothing all day long?" The crow answered: "Sure, why not." So, the rabbit sat on the ground below the crow, and rested. All of a sudden, a fox appeared, jumped on the rabbit and ate it. Management Lesson: To be sitting and doing nothing, you must be sitting very, very high up. If anyone else has nay jokes could they send them to me. Thanks

Unfortunately most crap managers do not know how crap they are. They always see themselves as good managers.

I'm glad you've picked up on this - most men in offices either don't know or enjoy the fact they are being treated more favourably. I have definitely experienced the syndrome where men are treated better. I've included this in the book - Remy the Raunchy Manager where the men employees can do anything - be late, not do their work - and they get away with it. But the women employees get crapped on for everything.

Hi numbers What would you say are the qualities a good manager should have. Or at least the good managers you have had, what did you like about them?

Hi Peckham Rose No I'm afraid you're right. A lot of women managers are crap. We always have hopes they won't be, but often they emulate men with the worst characteristics like bullying, and even sexual harassment. Margot

Couldn't agree more.

Excellent advice.

Ha,ha insufferable tossers - that's a good description.The book's available in Rye Books and Chenier. Hope you enjoy it. What is the Peter principle by the way?