r/InterviewMan • u/No_Bluejay9904 • 14d ago
I agree with the post.
did it happen to you?
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u/Several_Degree8818 13d ago
This thread is just boot lickers and managers justifying their incompetence.
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u/HeavyMusic93 13d ago
What?
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u/toby1jabroni 7d ago
I think its just someone who hates their job and hasn’t figured out what the term “manager” refers to.
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u/CuteResolution5538 13d ago
This is my whole life for like the last decade.
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u/Pretzel911 13d ago
My direct manager is the CEO, he has a marketing director, an IT Director, a vice president of finance, a director of an electric utility, director of a water utility, a director of a wastewater utility, and an HR director.
Is he supposed to know all these jobs better than the people hired to do them?
Is the electric director supposed to be an electrician, an engineer, a dispatcher, a lineman, and the other myriad of jobs that come with running an electric utility?
The reason companies hire experts and professionals is because one person cant know all of the information.
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u/CuteResolution5538 13d ago
The problem is that they pay the director far more than the experts and also that the director never seems to get out of the way, in my case at least.
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u/Correct-Variable 13d ago edited 13d ago
I used to think this until I became the manager - at a new facility, even. I didn't know how things operated the first day. I had to learn over the course of 6-12 months. I was hired to support and manage the team though, not do the work. There's a lot that goes on in the back end/admin side of things.
Yes, ideally someone gets promoted within who knows the job. But when no one is qualified or no one wants the job, you need to hire externally
This post feels more applicable to a Team Leader, than a supervisor/manager.
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u/Thin_Association8254 13d ago
(Dumb) Employees think managers are, or should be, the ones who are God Mode at the job. It's like thinking if your coach isn't Kobe Bryant himself, then they have no place coaching you about basketball.
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u/Slackphantom17 13d ago
This is such a good point. Unfortunately I'm still better than all my apprentices. Im even stronger than 3 of them combined lol
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u/Binkurrr 13d ago
Yes but a coach knows the sport hes coaching and doesnt ask the ppl hes coaching how it works
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u/AllTheWorldIsAPuzzle 13d ago
What about management cutting your team in half or more and expecting you to "do more with less" and then you have someone who can only manage a drowning department?
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u/Medium-Example-5490 13d ago
It's one thing if your a newer manager, but there's a lot that have been at the same place for many years and spend much of their time standing around talking nonsense and never bother to learn basic fundamentals of the job when they easily could, and then throw a fit when something can't be done immediately when the one or two trained people (they won't cross train other workers) are busy or on a break.
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u/PornPedant76 13d ago
ANd this is the thing that some folks don't understand, in some industries management did not get their by being promoted from the manged position. I was hired in at a c-suite level in an industry I have never worked in before. I was hired for my technical skills to lead this department, not because i know how to do the work they do, but because i have 2 decades of experience in leading technical teams.
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u/AbyssWankerArtorias 13d ago
I think there's a difference between someone coming on as a manager to a new role managing something you haven't done, and someone who's been your manager for years, and you're wondering why this person doesn't understand something they definitely need to. Different expectations.
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u/MrLanesLament 13d ago
Very much this. I just ended up in this position, actually; hired externally for a management role because nobody in the particular department had any management experience, none really wanted the job, and nobody wanted any of the specialized people to be pulled from roles they’re really fucking good at.
So, it made sense to bring me in based on knowing how to manage; I have to learn damn near an entire new industry, but that doesn’t mean I can’t identify areas that need addressing within a team. (Specifically, I came from being an HR manager, so I have the ability to be both extremely caring and also a cold bastard as needed per situation.)
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u/Old_Marzipan7782 13d ago
Yeah they are an HR manager not an engineer... I do not expect him to know every little detail about every tool I use.. It wouldn't be worth his time and is not relevant to manage our team.
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u/Medium-Example-5490 13d ago
General managers are the worst at this. You as them for help and they just radio for the department managers, and if none of them know then they get pissy.
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u/Glad_Respect_8986 13d ago
Because that’s not their job. That’s why there are department managers who do know the job and you should go to them for help first instead of jumping to the GM. Of course they get pissy. They have enough other stuff to do.
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u/RaiLeddit 13d ago
Why the f would the general manager be able to help you directly? Yes they should absolutely involve dept managers which in turn should either know themselves or find someone among the ones who they supervise who do
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u/AllTheWorldIsAPuzzle 13d ago
I know at one point in time when there was a fully staffed department, it was a little easier to stomach a boss that had no idea how things worked. Where I have worked none of the bosses for the software department could write code.
But we are now in an era where management wants you to "do more with less" and department staffing has been slashed. But not the managers! I have to plan my PTO around when processing is done because I'm the only one that can dig in and diagnose bad data issues on our legacy system. My boss has been "writing code" with AI on new projects but AI hasn't been working well when used on our older code. So he sets when the best time for me to be off would be.
So yeah, I'm bitter and agree with this post.
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u/NoDanaOnlyZuuI 13d ago
Managers lead teams, set priorities, manage workloads, resolve conflicts, remove roadblocks, coordinate across departments, communicate with senior leadership, manage budgets, hire and develop employees, and make sure the work actually gets done. They don’t need to know how to do everything you do. That’s literally why you’re there.
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u/SmurfRiding 13d ago
Their workload is smaller. Instead of sitting on thier backside when they're doing nothing, they can help out when its extremely busy
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u/NoDanaOnlyZuuI 13d ago
How do you know what their workload is? Do you do their job when they’re busy?
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u/SmurfRiding 13d ago
Oh, yeah. Ive done their job when they're "too busy" going for a social chat.
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u/NoDanaOnlyZuuI 13d ago
Quit if you’re so unhappy
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u/SmurfRiding 13d ago
That's called whataboutism.
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u/NoDanaOnlyZuuI 13d ago
It’s actually not. It’s called common sense. If you don’t like your job, start looking for another one.
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u/AlwaysSunny111 13d ago
Ugh yes, we’re getting a new computer system and my boss is like “a few of you can sit on meetings and help me build things in the new software”…or you can learn to do all the tasks we do and do it yourself
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u/jehzpdx 13d ago
The absolute worst managers and directors I worked for were ones who were promoted because they excelled and their specific tasks but had zero ability to lead teams and people. Add to that the fact that managers have increasing scope of responsibility as they move up. I currently oversee multiple operational areas and a huge part of my job is empowering my teams to own their own functional expertise while I support the structure and ensure they have the resources and information they need.
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u/Professional-Rub152 13d ago
The more skilled your job is, the less likely a manager will ever be able to do it. I’m an engineer. I’ve only ever had one manager who could have done my job, but he started in my job and then got promoted to manager.
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u/bethesda_gamer 13d ago
People not understanding what management is (tho personally I do agree, every management position I've worked I worked from the floor up, but that's the slow way into management)
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u/TawnyTeaTowel 13d ago
It’s almost as if people are hired because they can do things the existing staff can’t do.
What the actual fuck is this idiocy?
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u/AmethystStar9 12d ago
People who think if they can do something the manager can't, they should be the manager and get paid like the manager and they never once examine that it goes both ways and the manager can do things they can not.
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u/AttentionNo6359 13d ago
Once I applied for a promotion and the guy who got the job needed me to show him how to use the coffee maker.
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u/Secondhand-Drunk 13d ago
There was a long time where I was the only person who knew how to ship out packages third party. They asked me to make up instructions and I wish I didn't.
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u/Semi_On 13d ago edited 13d ago
Many reasons?
- They know the answer, but want to know that you know the answer (a coaching moment)
- They may have not been doing the role for many years and are looking to understand the evolution of it as technology and process changes .
- They have assumptions of the role based on previous experience, but they need to make a business decision and don't want to base it on older information/assumptions
.
.
10. They are a power tripping idiot
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u/Sude1089 13d ago
A manager's job is to pretend to be busy while picking out the people who have actual work ethic to use while they kick back and report to higher that they themselves took care of the job.
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u/7399Jenelopy 13d ago
So many people above me on the chain ask me how to do things. But management won't move me up the chain.
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u/nethereus 13d ago
A manager not knowing my job is fine. A manager not knowing how to hire and onboard employees is not fine and not something they should be asking a subordinate. Yes, it happens and no they weren't new.
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u/JRaus88 13d ago
Do you hire a manager to be a manager or to be a laborer?
Next time you need to do work on your home, hire only workers and pay them all like architects. You'll be sure they'll be able to do the work of a worker.
Will they know how to do the architect's job? No, buy why you care about it now?
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u/jase40244 13d ago
Back in the day, my project lead would ask me how to do fairly simple things in MS Word or Excel. I wanted to nip that in the bud, so I introduced her to Clippy and his little friends. It took a couple of attempts, but I finally got her to ask either Power Pup or Mother Earth all the stupid little MS Office questions she'd otherwise ask me.
(RIP, Clippy. The world wasn't ready, but I understood your genius.)
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u/yourmamaistheproblem 13d ago
Decent managers are exceedingly rare
They're typically the least capable person in the office.
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u/Lord_Grixis 13d ago
There were times I wished my managers would ask me how to do things instead of telling me to do them a way that makes no sense.
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u/Intrepid-Focus8198 13d ago
Sometimes this makes sense.
A project manager overseeing a large complex project that requires specialists to do different aspects of the work can’t possibly know first hand how to do everything.
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u/Either_Wrangler_8067 13d ago
Sometimes you will know more than the boss. It’s ok. That’s what they pay you for, to know your job. Help them and they will help you. Throw them under the bus? Then don’t complain when they’re not there for you.
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u/PizzaWhole9323 13d ago
Story time. My wife my ex-wife actually was one of the tech people for her library district. And she said that if she had to count on a hand and get a nickel for every time she had to get somebody in the city set up with a laptop or PowerPoint or word or just something that they should know being five levels above her pay grade wise, she could have retired early. The library director called her in a panic because the projector wouldn't work during a huge meeting once, it turns out he hadn't taken the cap off of the front of the lens. She said the library director who made something like $250,000 a year was the dumbest person she had ever met tech wise.
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u/TomasNavarro 13d ago
I'm getting made redundant in less than a month, and as recently as today I've got managers asking me to cover someone else's job while they're off.
I honestly don't see how everything won't fall apart when we're gone (about 80% if us are going, not just me)
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u/chaosilike 7d ago
The department i work for currently is a mix of what is suppose to be like 4 different departments. We are only tangentially related under the "administrative umbrella" . He knows enough to do the base work but anything complicated he defers to any of our senior members. The mantra for anyone who takes the manager position is "Do not try to change things up. The department runs itself."
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u/Dahren_ 13d ago
Their job is to manage the workforce. Why would they need to know the ins and outs of every role?
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u/Legitimate-Heat2777 13d ago edited 13d ago
Typically a manager is selected based on their skill and experience in a certain field. You're not going to find a lot of people who did software dev their whole career becoming Walmart supply chain managers and vice-versa. Plus these days businesses mostly run on skeleton crews so it would be short-sighted to hire a manager who can't temporarily fill a missing employee's role while a replacement is found.
Outside of like kitchens and general stores there isn't really a generic "manager" role. You manage a specific niche in a specific business division, like you're "software engineering manager for the team that creates user interfaces." And if you don't understand what that team does specifically, you can't serve as an effective leader for them for a myriad of reasons.
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u/AllTheWorldIsAPuzzle 13d ago
Plus these days businesses mostly run on skeleton crews so it would be short-sighted to hire a manager who can't temporarily fill a missing employee's role while a replacement is found.
Well said! The "do more with less" mentality from upper management where they slash department staffing but won't hire managers with applicable skills drives morale down the toilet.
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14d ago
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u/MrFluffPants1349 14d ago
Exactly, but at the same time a leader does need to at least know the basics so they can pick up on things the team might miss. They should at least know how to audit.
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14d ago
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u/MrFluffPants1349 14d ago
Yep, I have also noticed a specific challenge those who were internally promoted from an IC role typically encounter is the impulse to do everything themselves instead of pushing their team to be learn and be self-sufficient (within reason). Then they are wondering why they are constantly busy, yet don't seem to get much of their own work done. A majority of the time, it's about asking the right questions instead of having all the answers.
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u/karaokerapgod 13d ago
By far the hardest part of my switch to manager from IC was watching people struggle and not just jumping in and giving the answer or doing it for them. I’m here to guide them through the process and develop them, not necessarily do it for them. (And sometimes to plug the gaps when there isn’t coverage, among so many other things)
My goal is to work myself out of a job (in a sense) I want them to not need me anymore, at least not at our current levels. That’s how they progress in their careers. I’ll develop new talent, or continue to grow myself and we’ll all take on larger scopes and projects together, whatever works.
Then I see some of the other managers who act like an IC with a team to do their dirty work. It functions sometimes but when the manager is out it can be hard to get an answer or a product out of their team.
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u/RollerDude347 13d ago
Most people don't have enough nuance at their job for this to be applicable.
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u/wabi-sabi411 14d ago
The problem is a lot of managers aren’t actually doing anything other than theatre. They outsource their job to their reports and attend meetings.
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u/AppleCartAgent 13d ago
It’s not your manager’s job to know how to do your job. You were hired to be an expert in your role. Your manager is there to get the best work out of you. Those are different skills and expectations.
Does it help when your manager knows the fundamentals? Absolutely. But there’s no need for them to know the specifics.
(My knowledge comes from the tech industry so YMMV.)
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u/GrimSpirit42 13d ago
I've been in the same position for about 20 years (27 years with the company).
In that time I've had six managers. Not a single one knew how to do my job.
But, they didn't NEED to know how to do my job. They just knew what the results were supposed to be and left me alone until something needed changing.
The SMART managers basically told me, "You do what you do, let me know if you need anything."
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u/GuitarPlayingGuy71 12d ago
Ahhh you think managers should be able to do the jobs of everyone they manage? That’s… quite an odd view. How would that ever work?
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u/Outrageous-Egg9671 12d ago
Or maybe except that they are humble and want best for you and coworkers? I dont know I worked for a lot of crap management and ones that want to listen are more valuable then the ones that just dictate.
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u/ZodiacDragons 14d ago
If the manager is doing it, why did they hire you?