Management Lessons

Never start work on a friday, especially when the person
a) comes in at 10 am and leaves sharp at 5 pm, even when the office hours are 9 to 5, and you say the job is critical. Never mind the loss to the company when the website is down for the weekend. It is weekend in India, but still 3/4ths of a day is left in US/Europe
b) doesn't work unless you sit with him, has to be spoonfed in such a way that if you were doing the work yourself, you would be doing it faster, but he has three-times more 'experience' than you
c) is a web designer but has trouble using a WYSIWIG editor, knows not even basic HTML/Javascript, but disagrees with every bloody thing you say
d) with his 'experience' asks 'how?' when another guy, a newbie, does it without thinking
e) is in the payroll of a company but does freelance work at company hours
f) everybody else cribs about him to you, even your boss' minion

Start the work under such conditions, only if you don't have a personal life and/or can't afford to let the company website go down for even a minute AND you are willing to write off your weekend for this.

Next step

I am taking the next step to becoming Lumbergh. I have been made incharge of getting a guy do his work here. There is this web designer guy here. He has a different boss, but works for mine. Even my boss finds it very difficult to make him work. So, what does he do? He 'delegates' it to me, as part of my management training. It makes me happy, and sad at the same time. Happy - something to put in the resume, sad - high tension for nothing.

The forgotten one

September 14th: I am seriously pissed off. This was the seventh time in a row I have been left out of client meetings. Neither did my boss inform me, nor did his first minion, who got some documents from me for the meeting. It had been running for over two hours when I found out about the meeting. I opened the room, just looked at the minion, and walked out.

September 15th: I asked the boss about the client meeting. He casually says the meeting came up at the last minute, and he just 'forgot'. Just like I was forgotten when there was another meeting at the conference room right next to where I was sitting. I ask about another one and he tells me there is one tomorrow and he will send me an 'lotus notes invite'. After 10 hours, I was still waiting for it. My flatmate moving out refused to sell me his 14" TV. I went ahead and bought a 21" flatscreen. The sound is amazing and they look very big compared to the old one. Just about one year back it was priced at Rs. 20000, and now I got it for Rs. 9000. That happens to my first big-ticket purchase. The sweet smell of economic freedom!

It happens only in India!!

Rumblings around me again! My boss had to leave office early as he received news that his father's news back in Bihar was ransacked and a threat note left :o Looks like some of his fellow villagers were jealous of his NRI status. My friend's house in Chennai was burgled 3 times in 1 year, once upon a time!!

This Week Starts On Tuesday

Monday has been rescheduled - because of the non-stop drizzles! The 'stoic' people of this city panic everytime it gets wet, all due to one small rainy day. Now, I have to work this Saturday. Not everything has been going on well this week, starting today. Some work has been pending for so long that I forgot what I am supposed to do. I can't go ask my boss because I am supposed to be a brilliant guy who needn't be told things twice. I haven't found a flat-mate yet, and that doubles my cost of living here. But that appears to be the cost of avoiding a crazy flatmate. Most importantly, the old flatmate is not selling me his TV. I am afraid I might go insane.