Going to lose a good supervisor

W

westsideworma

Guest
The best thing you can do for your friend is to help him realize there may be things he is doing that put him in the bosses doghouse.

See I thought about that too, maybe there is something we're not seeing, but I know the guy cares about his job very much so its just hard to believe that he'd be that foolish. Not that this is a cop out but maybe it is. It started when we got a new division manager in our building. Its possible he doesn't like the way he goes about doing things. I just don't see why. He handles things just like the rest of us line supes do and none of us are feeling the heat like he is. However I suppose you never know as we're not around all the time when they have dealings, its possible they're butting heads when in discussion, just doesn't seem likely.
 

Bubblehead

My Senior Picture
Many of our best supervisors have left in recent years leading me to several realizations. Money isn't everything. Unlike most of us drivers, they have marketable skills and are in a much better position to move on. If you have a geniune affection for him wish him well and support his quest.
 

Hedley_Lamarr

Well-Known Member
They just moved one of our on car sups from Edison to Dayton. 99% of the guys in our center were ELATED to see him go. I on the other hand was not. The guy is kind of hard on his people, but he really knows what he's doing. I have no problem with a demanding supervisor as long as he is competent and knows his job.....
 

john346

No more Brown!
Thanks for the insight. He's on vacation this week, and my money is he's actively seeking employment elswhere during this time. It's remarkable to me how someone else above him can have this sweeping idea, force it on our guy, who's runing the show while we wait for a new center manager, and when the whole thing runs like crap, they make it his fault for it now showing good numbers! Now it's like they smell blood in the water and somehow he's now been implicated as the cause of global warming. Sure makes me glad I never took the management bait in the past, as we both hired on in the same week. I really sucks though.
 

browniehound

Well-Known Member
I'm sure you see some examples of what you describe. But we aren't all like that. Your answer and Westsides are typical for those that don't understand the processes.

Think about this you have to like to deal with people to be in management some do it well some don't. Dealing well with people not only means those that report to you but those you report to. some can relate and deal with those that report to them very well. But to do well in management you also have to know how to deal with those you report to.

Some have called it managing upwards. Some manage upwards by establishing clear communication lines with the boss and those folks tend to handle the responsibilities of management better then others.

managing upwards is not only a skill that supervisors need to acquire but one non-management can benifit from. Harvard mentor teaches this skill. Doing a brief search of the internet I find this link which I think helps explain it in better detail.

https://web.archive.org/web/20070816204320/http://www.contacthrg.com/ManagingUpwards.shtml

Tie,
That was an enlightening post. Its something (managing upwards) that I never thought about and its a concept I didn't know existed. This leads me to another question.

What about the concept of managing sideways? By this, I mean the on-car, dispatch, and preload supervisors managing to help each other out. I ask this because it appears to me that each wants to make themselves look good, but what each other does affects how the other one looks.

Examples would be the pre-load sup putting overflow on a car that screws up the on-cars plans for the driver who got the overflow. Or the dispatch sup over-dispacthing two towns and not doing anything about it.

How are these things explained to their superiors?

I ask this because all summer we have been over-dispacthed. Every route in the entire town is "in the red" and the dispacth sup. does nothing with approved 8-hour requests. Now, when my on-car sup. is on vacation we are all screwed as nobody gets help. We he's here we all get help. He'll even add an extra driver if its really bad.

So what I'm getting to is, does he give crap to the dispacth sup for not moving any work around? And does the dispacth sup think "I was told to run x routes, now its up to the on-car to help people in the PM"

I understand my post is a convoluted mess, but can ya hear what I'm saying a little????
 

Jimmie the Tech

Jimmy The Tech
Being a good manager or supervisor is like putting money on a roulette wheel. If all your bets are posted then you have a better chance to get ahead. I have been advanced in the company because of where I was not on what I could do.
 

feeder53

ADKtrails
I would just shake his hand and wish him the best. Tell him how good a job you thought he was doing. He is in control of his destiny and must choose the path he feels will get him his rewards.
 

moreluck

golden ticket member
:thumbsup:Feeder53.......

O.T. I just want to unofficially give you an award for your constant, no-nonsense posting in a respectful manner. No matter what the topic, you are even-tempered, get your point across and you don't offend people.

You deserve it !! Keep up the good work and good attitude!

:congrats:
 

tieguy

Banned
Tie,
That was an enlightening post. Its something (managing upwards) that I never thought about and its a concept I didn't know existed. This leads me to another question.

What about the concept of managing sideways? By this, I mean the on-car, dispatch, and preload supervisors managing to help each other out. I ask this because it appears to me that each wants to make themselves look good, but what each other does affects how the other one looks.

Examples would be the pre-load sup putting overflow on a car that screws up the on-cars plans for the driver who got the overflow. Or the dispatch sup over-dispacthing two towns and not doing anything about it.

How are these things explained to their superiors?

I ask this because all summer we have been over-dispacthed. Every route in the entire town is "in the red" and the dispacth sup. does nothing with approved 8-hour requests. Now, when my on-car sup. is on vacation we are all screwed as nobody gets help. We he's here we all get help. He'll even add an extra driver if its really bad.

So what I'm getting to is, does he give crap to the dispacth sup for not moving any work around? And does the dispacth sup think "I was told to run x routes, now its up to the on-car to help people in the PM"

I understand my post is a convoluted mess, but can ya hear what I'm saying a little????

yes I can. no teamwork amongst the sups. Sounds like the center manager is not seeing what is going on?
 

browniehound

Well-Known Member
yes I can. no teamwork amongst the sups. Sounds like the center manager is not seeing what is going on?


Yes, but this justs adds a 4th person to the list that is "one hand doing one thing but doesn't know what the other hand is doing" I just can't believe the operation is run like this intentionally. What else am I to think though? Apparently, these aren't important issues to the center manager. That's what I have to assume. Either that or he's clueless. As much as I would like to call him that:happy2:, I hardly think its the case.
 

tieguy

Banned
Or maybe his boss is the problem?

you may be right. But at some point he has to have a conversation with his boss to ensure he knows what the boss expects of him and why his boss feels he is falling short of expectations.

It usually helps you if you intiate that conversation rather then waiting for the boss to counsel you.
 

shuffled

Member
With some of Tie's post's it reminds me of an aerosmith song, "Same old song and dance". Even if the sup asked the center manager what he was lacking, it does not mean he would get a straight answer.

Trust me, I asked and I got blacklisted for not being promotable to manager, because I did not go out and "hang" with the guys after work. Not my cup of tea.

Look where I am now, on the nightside being a dispatch sup in feeders.

You have to make the right decisions even if your center manager does like it or it will still be the sups fault of it not being right. Because most center manager's treat the FT sup as the fall guy when things go wrong.

That is what I am...
 
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