Last week, I described how my friend Stan had left a corporate computer department position to join a new, smaller company. I asked Stan to outline some of the warning signs that tipped him off that all was not well. Buying hands not heads One of the first stories Stan related was friction with his new manager. Although during the interview there had been much talk about bringing the company into the 20th Century the actual situation was much different. This is not uncommon and I have experienced similar situations myself.
Managers often profess a desire to be forward-thinking.
Managers can also fall victim to inflating the responsibilities and opportunities of a job to make the company and themselves look more important in the interview. Warning Signs Stan saw some warning signs before he was eventually terminated, but they only became clear after he was let go. I would come to him with everyday issues, like writing thank you letters to clients after a three day off-site seminar, and he would look at me like I had crap for brains. It is obvious that Stan and his manager had different expectations of the job. This was different from the role we had originally discussed when I was hired.