Bad managers

[dixieanchor]

For the first time in memory, I'm having to deal with managers (ND, GM) who possess no people skills and seem to delight in aggravating employees. The scenario: medium market, station makes tons of money, on-air team that is far and away the best respected and most popular in the market (no brag, just fact) in an area that demands familiarity and longevity in its on-air talent. Neither GM nor ND is from this part of the country.

ND is scared of his shadow, seems terrified for his job, is legendary for throwing people under the bus, seems unable to make a decision on his own and runs to the GM with everything. GM (first time) is an out and out jerk with no social or people skills and has infuriated every single person who has renegotiated lately. He has an in your face, take it or leave it "negotiating" style, if one can call it that; every employee who has had to deal with him has left feeling insulted. He and the ND remind me of Lord Voldemort and his sidekick, Wormtail. (What can I say? I read to my kids.)

How do you deal with managers who take every opportunity to show who's boss, treat successful and respected employees like children, and seem to delight in making good people feel demeaned? Why in God's name would they continuously aggravate the people who are in large part responsible for the success of the news team and the station? They are extremely close to losing a couple of front-line people, and in this market, it would be suicide. What goes on in their heads? Talking to them is useless; you are immediately branded a troublemaker and "not a team player."

I've been very fortunate for a long time, never having managers of this type before. I'd like to retire here, a decade or so down the road, but they have me seriously considering leaving the business to save my sanity.

[Another side]

And in another thread you said you were constantly having to show your producers how to write.

Are you sure your GM, ND and producers are the problem?

[Consider This]

Does your station have an anonymous suggestion box? Don't laugh. Many do and it's a good way to at least speak honestly to management without them knowing who's "not a team player."

The second thing I'd do is wait. When I was young and impetuous, a veteran told me: "Don't like management? Wait two years and they'll be gone."

If you have to renegotiate before then, hire someone to do that for you. It could be an agent; it could be someone local who knows contract law. Make sure it's someone your GM can reach easily so he can't use that as an excuse to circumvent your negotiator.

But if this GM really is a take-it-or-leave-it guy, be ready to take it or leave it. It could be that he was installed by ownership to cut costs at any costs. Getting to be jerks about it could be just a pleasant bonus.

[Pro]

Do your job. Do it the best you can, under the circumstances. That's all you can do.

[Sir Dropham Pants]

Originally posted by dixieanchor:
GM (first time) is an out and out jerk with no social or people skills and has infuriated every single person who has renegotiated lately. He has an in your face, take it or leave it "negotiating" style, if one can call it that; every employee who has had to deal with him has left feeling insulted.The GM's 'take it or leave it' style is something he probably perceives as being 'no nonesense.' Like a no-haggle car dealership. Like a previous poster said, you should be prepared to take it or leave it. This guy has no interest in real negotiating. This business (and many others I'd bet)is full of arrogant and unethical managers. Be glad this guy is only arrogant.
Look at it from his perspective - he's tired of dealing with news people who think they're worth more than they are (remember HIS opinion here), what better way to put an end to annoying and time consuming negotiations than being an annoying SOB from the start. He really may be a rude annoying jerk, or it could just be a means to an end to streamline his job.

[ February 28, 2007, 02:12 PM: Message edited by: Sir Dropham Pants ]

[dixieanchor]

Originally posted by Another side:
And in another thread you said you were constantly having to show your producers how to write.

Are you sure your GM, ND and producers are the problem?Based on the fact that feelings about the ND and GM are fairly universal, and because we often hire young, inexperienced producers who work cheap...yup.

[dixieanchor]

Originally posted by Consider This:
Does your station have an anonymous suggestion box? Don't laugh. Many do and it's a good way to at least speak honestly to management without them knowing who's "not a team player."

The second thing I'd do is wait. When I was young and impetuous, a veteran told me: "Don't like management? Wait two years and they'll be gone."

If you have to renegotiate before then, hire someone to do that for you. It could be an agent; it could be someone local who knows contract law. Make sure it's someone your GM can reach easily so he can't use that as an excuse to circumvent your negotiator.

But if this GM really is a take-it-or-leave-it guy, be ready to take it or leave it. It could be that he was installed by ownership to cut costs at any costs. Getting to be jerks about it could be just a pleasant bonus.The suggestion box would be great, if we had one (though they'd likely have a hidden camera trained on it...) I actually do plan to come up with a local lawyer well versed in contract law; very solid, sensible idea.

If we're lucky, we'll only be stuck with the GM another year or so...I'm sure he has his eye on bigger and better things, though this is a pretty good gig for him.

[Spike]

Originally posted by Sir Dropham Pants:
Look at it from his perspective - he's tired of dealing with news people who think they're worth more than they are (remember HIS opinion here), what better way to put an end to annoying and time consuming negotiations than being an annoying SOB from the start. He really may be a rude annoying jerk, or it could just be a means to an end to streamline his job.What you just described is called "management through intimidation." The idea behind it is that by being a hardass to people he knows will run and tell everyone else about their horrible experience with him, everyone else will come into any kind of encounter with the manager thinking that they're not going to get their way--and thus, many will not even bother asking. By creating an environment of intimidation, "problems" anticipated by management, such as people asking for what they're due, go away.

It often happens that people who don't realize they're intimidated and don't think of themselves as being capable of being intimidated really have been. Have you ever heard someone say they wanted to do something, like take next Friday off for instance, then say, "But I know I won't get it." That person has been intimidated, sometimes to the point of not even bothering to ask.

I had a boss like that. I got him removed from his position and reassigned so that he no longer supervises employees. How? By trying to organize a union. We didn't even win the vote, but we still got raises, better scheduling and a new supervisor who was terrific. Personally I don't even like unions, but they can be a powerful tool for equity in the right situation.

[ February 28, 2007, 04:21 PM: Message edited by: Spike ]

[Sir Dropham Pants]

Yep, and I am convinced there are plenty of managers in the news biz (and others fields too) who choose management by intimidation. Good on you, Spike for finding a way to push back that actually worked.

[ February 28, 2007, 07:32 PM: Message edited by: Sir Dropham Pants ]

[TV Dad]

I believe that one of the biggest obstacles America faces right now (in moving our economy) is the massive amount of incompetent managers we have in place. For too long, we've promoted aggressive people and not the people who might best motivate our workforce. Managing by intimidation only works as long as the workers continue to be intimidated. It's not a formula for lasting success.

[Sir Dropham Pants]

I agree. But the managers who've intimidated their way to the top would not.

[dixieanchor]

Originally posted by Sir Dropham Pants:
I agree. But the managers who've intimidated their way to the top would not.One would hope that this type of management style would ultimately blow up in their faces; for example, whenever there is any significant on-air change in this market, the ratings drop significantly for a good long time. Folks here hold a grudge against any station that messes with their comfort levels.

I think that, being "outsiders" (previous GMs have been local) there is not yet a good grasp of the dynamic at work in this market. Those of us who have been here a while have weathered plenty of storms (literally and figuratively) with viewers and there is an undeniable loyalty that has grown. If longtime folks bailed out because of the demoralizing atmosphere, there would be hell to pay to a degree I have not noted elsewhere.

[Spike]

Originally posted by dixieanchor:
If longtime folks bailed out because of the demoralizing atmosphere, there would be hell to pay to a degree I have not noted elsewhere.If they don't want to bail, they should really think about trying to organize. At the very least the effort will get the attention of the people above your immediate managers, and a lot of it can be done anonymously* at first. Local bad managers who are in charge when a union push comes very often get the axe as a result, because their bosses see them as the cause.

That's what happened with us. The VPs looked at my boss and realized one of the main reasons we revolted was because he was a terrible manager. He was actually just carrying out their own policies the best way he knew how, but the most immediate remedy was to move him away from us. Then they gave us a new manager and rethought their own policies.

And as I said, we didn't even win. They realized that even though we lost, we had the option of trying again 12 months later if they didn't live up to their promise to make things better.

Edit to add:

*From my own experience, I personally wouldn't recommend anonymity. If you put your name out there, you're protected by federal law. They can't legally fire you for trying to organize, and doing so can not only get you a settlement but can also end up getting the union recognized without a vote. But if they can plausibly deny that they knew you were the one responsible for organizing, they can trump up some way to fire you. Some people make the mistake of trying to remain anonymous, then getting reported to the company management by snitches among their coworkers who then fire them and say, "We had no idea he was the one who was organizing." If you put your name right out there and identify with it, it's difficult to claim they don't know.

[ March 01, 2007, 09:00 AM: Message edited by: Spike ]

[Clubbeat]

Dixie...like most here, I've been there ad done that. A couple of things you can do.
1) Make sure you conract is solid and favors your inerest as much as possible. Like one of the previous psoters stated, have an attorney or someone outside the station who know's contract law handle things for you.

2) Be Patient-Another poster here said it best...if you don't like the management, wait two years and they'll be gone. The other part to that equation is within two years, fi you don't see them gone, then maybe you need to be. They could be a couple of company pawns who are doing whatever, whoever owns them is telling them to do.

If that's the case, then getting out might be an option to consider.

Hang in there!

[dixieanchor]

Originally posted by Clubbeat:
Dixie...like most here, I've been there ad done that. A couple of things you can do.
1) Make sure you conract is solid and favors your inerest as much as possible. Like one of the previous psoters stated, have an attorney or someone outside the station who know's contract law handle things for you.

2) Be Patient-Another poster here said it best...if you don't like the management, wait two years and they'll be gone. The other part to that equation is within two years, fi you don't see them gone, then maybe you need to be. They could be a couple of company pawns who are doing whatever, whoever owns them is telling them to do.

If that's the case, then getting out might be an option to consider.

Hang in there!We indeed have our fingers crossed about mgmt. moving on - couldn't happen soon enough.

It is a shock to everybody's system to have to deal with people like this (the GM is the real jerk, the ND his frightened toady.) Like me, a number of people have been here 20 years or more and have weathered multiple ownership changes and an affiliation change. We keep plugging along, doing good work, and have been rewarded with good ratings and research that is phenomenal. I have kids, a mortgage, college tuition, a wedding upcoming for one of them and roots in the community, after so long. Frankly, the possibility that I might feel compelled - or even BE compelled - to move infuriates me. However, times and the business have changed.

I don't see me leading a charge to unionize - just couldn't take the stress involved with that, though I loved hearing that story. I will make sure that, when they approach me to re-up (I'm guessing they will, based on our success, but who knows?) I will have a strong negotiator. I already have in mind someone who knows the market, can't be snowed, and is impossible to intimidate. That should be fun.

[TV Dad]

Originally posted by dixieanchor:
I already have in mind someone who knows the market, can't be snowed, and is impossible to intimidate. That should be fun.Umm....this person didn't happen to represent Kiran Chetry recently, did they? graemlins/eusa_shifty.gif

[dixieanchor]

Originally posted by TV Dad:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by dixieanchor:
I already have in mind someone who knows the market, can't be snowed, and is impossible to intimidate. That should be fun.Umm....this person didn't happen to represent Kiran Chetry recently, did they? graemlins/eusa_shifty.gif </font>[/QUOTE]Hah! Heck, no.

[Spike]

Originally posted by dixieanchor:
I will make sure that, when they approach me to re-up (I'm guessing they will, based on our success, but who knows?) I will have a strong negotiator. I already have in mind someone who knows the market, can't be snowed, and is impossible to intimidate. That should be fun.Once upon a time I attended a lecture at a film festival by one Bill Butler, ASC, cinematographer for Jaws, among 80-something other films. During his lecture, he mentioned his agent. In the Q & A, someone asked him whether it was necessary for a cinematographer to have an agent, and I thought his answer was interesting. He said that while he didn't like giving the agent 10% of what he made, his agent made his money because he was a tough bastard and liked to fight. That way, he (Butler) could remain a nice guy. The agent could be as much of an ******* as necessary to get Butler what he needed, both in contract negotiations and in negotiating disputes; but since it wasn't Butler being the *******, his working relationship with the producers wasn't harmed by it.

I don't know at what point that becomes cost effective, but if you have access to someone you can trust who can negotiate for you, perhaps it's worth a shot.

[dixieanchor]

Originally posted by Spike:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by dixieanchor:
I will make sure that, when they approach me to re-up (I'm guessing they will, based on our success, but who knows?) I will have a strong negotiator. I already have in mind someone who knows the market, can't be snowed, and is impossible to intimidate. That should be fun.Once upon a time I attended a lecture at a film festival by one Bill Butler, ASC, cinematographer for Jaws, among 80-something other films. During his lecture, he mentioned his agent. In the Q & A, someone asked him whether it was necessary for a cinematographer to have an agent, and I thought his answer was interesting. He said that while he didn't like giving the agent 10% of what he made, his agent made his money because he was a tough bastard and liked to fight. That way, he (Butler) could remain a nice guy. The agent could be as much of an ******* as necessary to get Butler what he needed, both in contract negotiations and in negotiating disputes; but since it wasn't Butler being the *******, his working relationship with the producers wasn't harmed by it.

I don't know at what point that becomes cost effective, but if you have access to someone you can trust who can negotiate for you, perhaps it's worth a shot.</font>[/QUOTE]I know (believe me, I know) that any raise they give will be nowhere near what would justify giving anyone 10%. My salary has inched up over the years to a nice sum; I am not a greedy person, and value my stability and the nice vacation time I get. I am someone who very much prefers to remain the "nice guy" - anything else is totally against my nature (sometimes I wish it were not, but that's what has contributed to my success and longevity here.)

I do have a couple of options for negotiators: the former manager I know who would charge little and take it on for the sheer sport, and a sharp young lawyer versed in contract law who would charge an hourly fee only. I have decided that it would be extremely damaging to my health and sanity to attempt to deal with these folks on my own.

Excellent advice here; much appreciated.

[ March 01, 2007, 01:48 PM: Message edited by: dixieanchor ]

[Spx Guy]

Fortunately, my station was able to rid itself of an unbearable ND. She fled to Alabama or something. Her management style was intimidation. Not good. Thankfully she's gone. Things are more pleasant now.

[Basically A Nice Guy]

Originally posted by Pro:
Do your job. Do it the best you can, under the circumstances. That's all you can do.Short, simple and to the point.

Nothing more need be said.

It's their playground.

[dixieanchor]

Originally posted by Basically A Nice Guy:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by Pro:
Do your job. Do it the best you can, under the circumstances. That's all you can do.Short, simple and to the point.

Nothing more need be said.

It's their playground.</font>[/QUOTE]Pretty much what I've been doing for 20+ years here...

[Irony]

Bad managers are the norm no matter where you go, anymore. There are very few who have any idea at all how to lead people and more importantly ACT like a leader. Most of them can't lead their car down a driveway.

These managers are the equivilant of the low-dollar high school reporters you're also hiring.

They aren't even close to being the most qualified for the job, but they were the cheapest. They're *so* damned thankful to have a job as a ND, they'll do *anything*....including you.

If only they had an idea.