Tuesday, October 9, 2007

First up

I would like to create a forum to expose both good and bad management within MSFT. When I first came in the door someone said "Working at MSFT can be the best job in the world or the worst, it all depends on who your manager is". This is probably one of the wisest things I was told as a newbe. I have now been around a few years and have lived both worlds many times over. Sadly now I am in the worst job, but looking hopefully for my next Best job in the world at MSFT.

The question that everyone asks is, "Why is the current job so bad?".

1. Monotonous tasks
2. Doubled up jobs the norm (bill 80 hrs a week)
3. No clear career growth path
4. Focused on $ not quality delivery (billing 80 is more important than customer satisfaction)

What is driving this poor work environment?

I think the group took on overly aggressive revenue targets, which basically force managers to burn out their employees. So I don't blame my manager for the situation, but I do blame him for not understanding that the current situation will eventually lead to complete team burnout.

So moving forward, what are some of your situations, good, or bad, is your "good" group hiring?

13 comments:

The Dome said...

Wow, it looks like I'm the first comment ever on this blog. What an honor! (Hope I don't spend too long drafting this and come in second...)

Since i work at MSFT, I think we should devise a taxonomy of bad jobs. (Yeah, I know... but I did admit I'm with MS, so you shouldn't be surprised about a propeller-head idea like this.)

Sometimes the problem is the job itself. Sometimes it's the management. Sometimes it's either the structure or mission of the org.

Here's a proposed taxonomy of managers:

1st axis: Ethics. Is the manager naughty or nice? Angelic or evil incarnate? I'd stick crazy in the evil axis, even though true craziness and true evil are completely different in terms of motivation and free will, simply because they present so much the same.

2nd Axis: Competence. In their current position (not back in the day when they were a star doing your job), are they capable and respected? Or are they the joke of the org?

3rd axis: Mentorship. has the manager structured your job and your interactions so that you have the opportunity to grow, or have you been thrown in over your head and left to fend for yourself?

Hopefully we can do it on just three axes. For example, I think micromangement is usually evil/crazy, but might actually be competence or mentorship under some circumstances.

Just left a evil/crazy, semi-competent mentor. Now working for a mostly good, mostly competent non-mentor. (Weird, but the mentoring I got from Mr. Crazy helped get me to a place where I can focus more on the other aspects, and hopefully didn't taint me ...)

Anonymous said...

Since you mentioned billable time, I have to ask: do you work for MCS?

slyboots2 said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

A blog on managers - that could be quite a broad topic area especially since we have such a range at MS. I've been with the company a several years and had worked elsewhere prior to joining MS. I must say I've had 2 completely awful, couldn't pay me enough money EVER to work for them again managers. and I've had 2 pretty good ones and some in betweens. The ironic thing about the awful ones was that my teams (yes I'm a manager as well) all left, some following me, each time I moved on. The 2 really bad managers tried to ding me for my team leaving after I left on my reviews - huh??? If my team leaves when I leave with recommendations from me to their new managers and some come work for me in my new job, why does that make me "a poor leader and incompetant at managing". Some of my team went into the hi po programs, landed jobs that gave them a promotion and I totally supported the moves - never once blocking a loop. Unbelievable.

For people who manage other managers, you have to be ok with their management style possibly being different than yours. Hold people accountable to the outcomes - the business metrics, the people metrics and the general "don't be a jerk" bar which we often lack - and let it go. As a manager of managers, you might just learn something and if not, your directs definitely will. Too bad we don't have more managers willing to go that route.

Anonymous said...

How's this for a negative leading indicator. I just got a new manager in a re-org, which I will be leaving as fast as I can find a new gig. His first line to me, "I don't like to be a micro-manager, but..."

Translation..."I'm a micro-manager, I don't like that aspect of who I am, but it is what I am and can't escape"

GET ME THE HELL OUT!!!!

Anonymous said...

Or an even better manager who tells you that this is your direct report, but he's working for me. The when you ask the person to actually perform, they walk into your managers office to discuss what you just aske them to do, (which everyone esle that is reporting to you is doing) jus to make sure it's ok.

I've been at the "evil empire" 7 years and I've had 2 extremely horrible bosses. One of them is now a group manager. How I'll never know.

I truely find it amazing when I still see the empire building going on and the good old boys getting promoted at very rapid paces.

This is one of 3 excellent reason why, I'll be leaving the company to start my own business.

Anonymous said...

was this blog idea driven by the recent threads on the internal bloggers dl?

Anonymous said...

This blog is like one of the 500 topics discussed on Mini's blog. I can go over there and see 100's of posts on this very same "bad manager" topic. I am not saying you guys should be competing or anything, but I feel it will be very challenging for you to drum up enough traffic to keep this blog a compelling read.

Anonymous said...

Can we mention specific managers here? :)

Anonymous said...

This blog is great! Encountering bad managers will never cease at MSFT. From what I am told, it’s almost impossible to rid of a bad manager – especially group managers or above. If I had known about these insider blogs before coming on board at MSFT, I would have declined the job. My first year at MSFT was short of hell -- working 80 to 90 hours per week -- and initially told by my recruiter that if I achieved my goals, for sure, I can expect a nice bonus (at least 10%). So, I pressed on. I not only achieved my commitments, I exceeded all of them (quantifiably), was the one sent to represent my boss in his absence at “leads” meetings with his GM, was recognized no less than 4 times in the BG’s newsletter in H2, was recognized in the division’s GM quarterly update, received PR for my work in industry pubs, and contributed to MSFT winning an industry award. After all that, one would think I would have been rewarded at year end... Well, not so fast. With a horrible boss leading the way, and with him having notable conflicts of interests in getting his friends hired all around us, I got the lowest of rankings, I was put in the “limited II – 10% contribution”. And my bonus... well, as promised, I did get one. (LOL) I received the lowest possible bonus on the award poll. Where am I now? I am still at MSFT but definitely looking. Most of the adjoining teams were in disbelief of the outcome of such a stellar year. The good news is, I am no longer under this bad, conflict-ridden boss. I was immediately plucked by one of those adjoining teams – which my old manager tried to stop. I am now in a new position and working the bare minimum per week. After that experience, I will never be motivated to work more than 40 hours per week for MSFT. I would have quit post year-end review if I had the money saved to do so. My comfort about this whole thing: “Keep these types of blogs alive and spread the word about the horrific experiences one can go through in working for MSFT, especially under a bad manager”. When super performing outsiders tell me “I am thinking of joining MSFT”, I usually reply: “Well, first, let me tell you about a dirty little secret that HR or your recruiter will never tell you”. After I tell them my story, how the performance reviews work at MSFT, how you can be labeled a Kim after many years, and then explain how your manager can pretty much ruin your chances at anything by taking the smallest of things you write in your commitments to then twist and blow the smallest of words out of proportion in your reviews to make you look like the worst employee ever, these friends usually walk away saying, “No wonder Google is winning and so many of MSFT’s talented people are leaving. I totally get it now. Who wants to work there, not me! ”

高額バイト said...

速報!何かとお金がいるこの時期楽でなお且つ遊べてしかも高収入のバイトが遂に発表された!とことん自由に楽しく自分のペースで稼いで年末を潤して下さい

モバゲー said...

モバゲー利用者が集まるコミュニティ!!まったりのんびりSNSを楽しみたい方は当サイトをご覧ください。オフ会も用意してるので新しい出会いもあるかも

イクヨクルヨ said...

イククルで恋の予感っ!!今話題のイクヨクルヨだからできちゃう出会い…友達を作りたい人や恋人募集中の人などが集まる当サイトで、素敵な恋をSTARTさせませんか?