If you want your boss's job...

denverpilot said:
Says something interesting about gun control folks doesn't it? I love asking them if I were to put a rifle on the table between us during our discussion if they're worried they'll pick it up and shoot me with it.

"Well, no of course not!"

"Then why are you worried that I own it? You don't trust me?"

[Blank stare... Wheels grinding in head...]

Next, they ALWAYS say they're worried about "the guy next door".

I then of course, always say, "Your *neighbor*? What, you don't know him?"

Speaks volumes about their attitudes on life and other people, it really does.

Once in a while you'll get one that just says they're a totalitarian and thinks no one should own anything "dangerous"... Guns, airplanes, doesn't matter...

"Do you support mandatory driver education and recertification on a pass/fail basis with no appeal then? You don't pass, you don't drive?"

"That would be unfair!"

Duh.
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And feeling the need to own a gun to protect yourself doesn't? :confused:
 
woodstock said:
And feeling the need to own a gun to protect yourself doesn't? :confused:
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Tell that to the guy up here who was carrying and saved not only his life, but the lives of three co-workers. How do I know he saved them? Because there were two other stores hit in the exact same manner on the same night, all the employees were slain in the previous store. They weren't carrying.

Go ahead. Tell him carrying a gun is stupid. Yeah, you'll never hear stories like that on the evening news. Can't have that now can we?
 
7500 is a way of life on the internet.
 
airdale said:
There is a concept in psychology called "projection." The experts explain it in a complicated way. My simplified takeaway is the we tend to expect from other people the way we ourselves would behave. In other words, we "project" ourselves into them. That's why it is easier to swindle an honest man than it is to swindle a crook.

Over many years in management, my most powerful interviewing question was "Tell me about the people in your previous job ... your managers, your peers. What were they like?"

99% of the time, the interviewee ended up telling me about him/herself. If they saw their former environment in positive and constructive ways, that was usually what they turned out to be as an employee of mine. If they saw politics, backstabbing, dishonesty, etc. that was more or less the end of the interview. Too risky a candidate to hire.

That said, there is politics, backstabbing, incompetence, etc. in the world, but none of these are the whole world. There is also integrity, collegiality, and hard work. The environment implicit in Peggy's post is this way and IMHO it is more common than uncommon.
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You would rather hire a 'liar' versus someone who tells the truth about their work environment and why they hope their new employer will be different. Like the fact that they moved the person up who takes 10 smoke breaks a day vs them?????
 
You would rather hire a 'liar' versus someone who tells the truth about their work environment and why they hope their new employer will be different. Like the fact that they moved the person up who takes 10 smoke breaks a day vs them?????
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1) Life is not fair, including the real world of interviews.

2) The question I mentioned is not the only question in the interview, but it has been effective for me over many years. I can't remember running into anyone who I thought lied in response to it -- probably because to the interviewee it is not obvious what a "right" answer to the question might be.

3) Two ways to look at your "smoke break" example:

First, life is unfair but I think I am usually able to detect the difference between a good guy who was treated unfairly and someone with an all-around bad attitude towards people and life.

Second, an effective employee who takes ten smoke breaks a day may well be more valuable than another one who sits diligently at his desk all day and does nothing of value. Remember the old joke about someone's giving Lincoln a hard time about Grant's drinking? Lincoln supposedly said "I'm going to find out what he drinks and send a case of it to each of my other generals." In my experience, the people with the greatest strengths often also have the greatest weaknesses.
 
Excellent advice here, however, it only applies if you have a good boss. At some places, you get ahead by being a d**k head, ignoring safety protocol, lying, and throwing your collegues under the bus. True story. Sounds like I'm whining, but there are still places where ethics, morals, safety, and honesty take a back seat, just to preserve a rough and tumble, cowboy-ish or "old school" type of culture, even if it ultimately hurts the bottom line. Sad, but true.
 
OkieFlyer said:
Excellent advice here, however, it only applies if you have a good boss. At some places, you get ahead by being a d**k head, ignoring safety protocol, lying, and throwing your collegues under the bus. True story. Sounds like I'm whining, but there are still places where ethics, morals, safety, and honesty take a back seat, just to preserve a rough and tumble, cowboy-ish or "old school" type of culture, even if it ultimately hurts the bottom line. Sad, but true.
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Like I said before, why would you choose to work at a place like that?
 
"
Why would anybody with a lick of sense ever try to manage doctors, lawyers or pilots?
"

No wonder my wife looks so harried all the time - and I'm her only employee.
 
JOhnH said:
Like I said before, why would you choose to work at a place like that?
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Two part answer:
First, because it pays well, and allows me to provide a comfortable life for my family.

Second:
Despite having a boss that is a punk, most of the rest of my colleagues are fantastic folks. Most of us still enjoy our jobs and each other, and a crappy boss isn't enough to spoil that. Of course, there are some who let the man get them down, but that is their problem. When the boss chooses his successor, he will likely choose from one of the few ass kissers that has followed his lead. If one of the good ones get's the job, great. Hopefully he/she will lead by a better example. If not, fine, at least we'll have a clear conscience. I suspect, that my boss will cook his own goose one of these days. He has bosses too. When I chose this job, the boss then was a real nice fella. He became ill and moved on, and he got replaced with this fool. I wouldn't quit a good job over a schmuck, and I certainly wouldn't immitate his foolish ways for a promotion.
 
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