I used to have a boss that was very vocal. He wouldn't hesitate to tell anyone that their idea was idiotic. He also wasn't afraid to sit in his office with his shirt off. Odd, I know. Anyway, he was in charge of the whole department and he made a few enemies while he was driving the IT team. At times I thought he was being overly aggressive or perhaps not sensitive enough to everyone in the companies needs when it came to utilizing the IT department. Then one day he quit. And the very next day I became the department head. Then a week after that our only other developer quit. Effectively leaving me as the department head and the sole developer. Like Atlas, the whole world rested upon my shoulders. Ok, that's a little dramatic, but as far as getting results produced in the code base, I was and am the only resource our company has. Holy fuck was I worried. I tried my hardest to appease everyone. If any single person had a request, I took it upon myself to get it done and make sure they were happy with the results. I did not want to be my old boss. I still don't want to ever be my old boss. I can't be my old boss. I hated how he ran things. I hated tons of things about him. I can't be him.
It's now been about 2 months since I've been in control of the department. We've hired a new boss, but he's not a developer, so he doesn't provide a lot of use to me other than someone who can tell business "NO!" when they ask me to do something. We've also hired another developer, but we hired one who doesn't know the programming language in which we develop, so for the time being he doesn't help me either. In fact, since he doesn't know the language or the structure of our company he's actually more work, because someone has to train him (read: I have to train him).
Today I found myself pretty much telling a business person "I don't give a fuck, I have a lot to do and you don't bubble to the surface of shit that matters to me right now." She barked back. I barked again. She swung. I walked away.
I don't think it's possible to make everyone happy. I actually know this, just ask any one of my ex-girlfriend. When it came to making me happy and making my girlfriends happy, I normally chose myself. That didn't sit well with most of them. But it's not always about making everyone happy. Especially in the business world. It's about making sure things keep moving forward and that the overall direction of the department and the over all direction of the company is positive. And that, I believe, is what is happening at my job now. And I'm fucking tired of it. I need to win the lotto and get the fuck out of here. Or a big raise.
On a positive note, 10-1 says I get laid today. Anal included. So as much as I hate my job, my coworkers, the predicament in which I'm stuck...things are going to get a whole lot better once this flight lands: CLICK ME.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
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I like how "make everyone happy" and "make somebody happy" are the same when you use ex-girlfriends as the direct object. Dating logic loophole ftw.
ReplyDeleteI hear you, I'm in a similar situation. More work than I could ever do and you just have to tell some people to get bent or pound sand. Come to find out they don't like it but hey, if the business is moving forward they get over it. Also, isn't it amazing how shitty of a job people do at hiring someone for you instead of just letting you hire someone? Hiring people that cost money and provide little blows my mind. ROI?
ReplyDeleteSigh, you misspelled 'throats'
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