Comments on: Are You a Project Manager from Hell?

By: Alec Satin

Alec Satin — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 13:22:54 +0000

Hi Heather,

What a perfectly horrible experience. Glad to hear that you are no longer working for this winner of a project manager.

Thanks for sharing your story.
Alec

By: Heather Locklear

Heather Locklear — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 16:05:22 +0000

I worked for Doug as a software developer for a couple of years.

About once a month he would tell me with a stern voice that he wanted to talk to me. Then he would proceed to tell me, without making any sort of eye contact, that he was hearing a lot of complaints about me from my co-workers. But Doug would never specify what the complaints were or who made them, making it impossible for me to address the problem.

At first I thought it was just me, but almost everyone on the team reported a similar experience. Predictably, Doug’s impeccable people skills and arm’s length approach to management led to a lot of intrigue and finger pointing by some, while others just left or were wrongfully dismissed.

By: 10 Keys to Being a Wildly Successful Project Manager

10 Keys to Being a Wildly Successful Project Manager — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 14:03:08 +0000

[...] is important, it’s no guarantee of capability in a PM. If you read my earlier post, Are you a Project Manager from Hell, you have some idea of how a person can be exceptionally knowledgeable and still be a walking [...]

By: Phyrric Victory or When the Medicine is Worse Than the Disease - The Project Manager from Hell Series

Fri, 13 Mar 2009 14:02:18 +0000

[...] Alec Satin on 22 August 2008 Print This Page This is an article in the Project Manager from Hell Series. Each entry is based on a real life situation. I’ll include what the project manager did, [...]

By: John Doe

John Doe — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 19:52:46 +0000

I’ve worked for a Doug before. Some choice quotes:

To a consulting agency: “We can’t hire anybody in a wheelchair because we don’t have an elevator here.”

After he terminated my contract and I didn’t bill him for the 2 hours I was away: “I don’t appreciate you taking time away from me so that you can look for a new job.”

To the team (in the consultant’s absence): “If he can’t pick up the technology in a week we can get rid of him and find somebody else.”

To a manager of the server group (and in full view of our entire group): “Why don’t you do your f-ing job!”

(he was doing his f-ing job).

To me: “I need you to work on something. Tell that you ran into some delays and his work won’t be ready until next week.”

To me: “I don’t like that you speak to your wife during the day. Doing things like that can break your concentration.”

He was fired soon after I left.

By: Hany

Hany — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 15:17:47 +0000

Doug still exist in corporate America because Management on a high level don't look for efficiency in their mid. managers, yet LOYALTY.. And Doug is very loyal as a Dog to his bosses.. but his loyalty goes to a hyena loyalty when dealing with his coworkers and subordinates ... The only way to get rid of him.. Well not him, but his behavior, is to make him feel that everybody is a source of authority; by implementing 360 reviews for everybody in the company. Then all have a say as to how he is performing, then his loyalty goes up to be a Dog with everybody.. Good boy Doug!

My 2 cents..