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This was actually posted on Facebook by another forum member, but I shamelessly stole it to post here because it is so funny, and so many of us are involved in IT-related project management in some way or other.

Enjoy.

[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=BKorP55Aqvg[/youtube]

Typical do nothing middle managers that do nothing more than fake their way through life without contributing anything to the overall goal. Can't shoot'em and can't tolerate'em. Hence, I am self employed.

I can relate to the "expert"

mojo84 wrote:Typical do nothing middle managers that do nothing more than fake their way through life without contributing anything to the overall goal. Can't shoot'em and can't tolerate'em. Hence, I am self employed.

And it's not just middle managers, because they can have their heads screwed on straight too, but my biggest irritant is salesmen who are afraid to say "no". It get it..... I'm a website designer, not a hardware guy, but if a client asks me if I can help them set up their office network, I don't say "no". I bring in a consultant who can say "yes", and then I decide whether or not to have him/her bill the client directly, or bill them myself and pay the consultant. But I'm talking about the kind of salesman who promises the client than they can have 7 red lines, all perpendicular to one another, with 2 of those red lines printed in green ink, and 2 printed in transparent ink.....like in the video. In other words, they know so little that they have no business selling the product, because all they do is end up generating ill-will between the vendor and the client.

TAM - tell us how you really feel about that!

I'm a software consultant and have come onto a project after the sales person trying so hard to make a deal, promise things that could not possibly work. Only after the deal is closed and the actual programming starts does anyone find out what happened. Doesn't work out too well in some cases.

I agree. That's another reason I'm self employed. I was competing against people that would say anything to get the sale. I got the impression a couple of the guys came across more as middle managers than salesmen. But your point is well taken.

That is great!
Boy have I been in a few meetings like that. Many times you get these kind of exchanges when corporate managers from out of town hand down directives to local middle managers who don't understand them, yet speak very knowledgeably and attempt to micromanage the process. The most frustrating thing is that most of the micromanaging middle managers who are blubbering on with the corporate speak, really don't know that they don't know! They think the fact that they know buzz words actually makes the knowledgeable. The Dunning-Kruger effect.
What I have learned to do is say, "sure thing, you got it", and then fix the problem however it needs to be fixed. Since the corporate-speak middle managers never understood the problem to begin with, they are none the wiser and are happy that everything is working again.

I've been in that meeting a few times...

For some reason, I don't get invited anymore.

karder wrote:That is great!
Boy have I been in a few meetings like that. Many times you get these kind of exchanges when corporate managers from out of town hand down directives to local middle managers who don't understand them, yet speak very knowledgeably and attempt to micromanage the process. The most frustrating thing is that most of the micromanaging middle managers who are blubbering on with the corporate speak, really don't know that they don't know! They think the fact that they know buzz words actually makes the knowledgeable. The Dunning-Kruger effect.
What I have learned to do is say, "sure thing, you got it", and then fix the problem however it needs to be fixed. Since the corporate-speak middle managers never understood the problem to begin with, they are none the wiser and are happy that everything is working again.

The perfect solution - everybody gets a "yes," nobody argues, and everybody is happy with the result.

I've done similar things, but usually with an agreement up front not to question what I did or how I did it - just to be happy with a good result.

Many times I wish I could master the Indian head wobble.

Heh, I don't mind you stealing it, TAM. I stole it from someone else.

12 years ago I had this same meeting in a foreign country which shall remain nameless . Sitting across the table from me were representatives from:
1. State owned company
2. Fortune 500 company (running the facility)
3. Fortune 500 company (that built the facility)
4. Government official (holding my passport)

They called me in (under false pretenses) and demanded that I fix a problem that didn't exist. After several weeks of insisting that there was no problem, I designed, built, and installed a piece of equipment (that did absolutely nothing) to fix the problem that didn't exist. I got my passport and returned home. I left the company not long after (wasn't interested in future such meetings), but I often wonder if the problem ever "returned" and exactly how someone would go about repairing the "device".

I've been in that role so many times I've lost count. Thankfully, I have been lucky enough as I've gotten older to have marketing folks actually LISTEN to what I have to say. Maybe it's the graying hair.

MojoTexas

MojoTexas wrote:Heh, I don't mind you stealing it, TAM. I stole it from someone else.

Hee hee.

Love this

Sending it to my Project mgr.