I have a (probably apocryphal) "do you know who I am?" story. On the opening day of the new Denver international Airport things weren't going particularly well. Many flights were delayed or cancelled so the reticketing agents had long lines to see them. One fellow barged to the front of the line and demanded to get a flight to Pittsburg right now. The conversation went somewhat as follows: "I'm sorry sir but everyone here is in the same situation. If you will join the line we will get you a flight as soon as possible." "DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM?" "Attention please! We have a passenger here at ticket stand two who does not know who he is. If there is anyone here who could shed some light on this situation, it would be appreciated." "WHY -- WHY -- FRICK YOU!" "I'm sorry sir, but you have to stand in line for that too."
As much as I've come to Loath Airports (well the TSA more specifically, get rid of them and their Asinine 'Security' Screenings and I'll be able to Tolerate Airports again), I would have given my left nut (WITHOUT Anesthesia) to be there to see his face when she told him he'd have to wait in line for that too after being told FRICK YOU!... 😄😁😆😅😂🤣
🤣🤣🤣🤣 That's even better than the, "ATTENTION PLEASE! THIS CUSTOMER IS ABOUT TO ANNOUNCE WHO HE IS TO EVERYONE SO WE CAN BOW DOWN AT HIS PRESENCE!" line I had in my head while reading yours.
I was a U.S. army medic. On several occasions, I told officers to do what their rank can handle. They would either back off or lose the battle when we went to the battalion commander or brigade commander.
Mom had a friend that was a nurse over in Afghanistan that took no crap from anyone of any army. She was close to becoming a 1 star and she could ask to be resigned any time she wanted to but she felt that she was meant to be where she was. She would tell her all her nurses and medics when units came back from patrol to let the words they say in one ear and out the other as they were still in a mode setting. Most of the time the units would say sorry for the way they acted once they de-stressed but a few times there were jerks.]] Her favorite event was when a captain and his team came back and were mandated to report to her for a check up. The guy has said some very nasty words that if she wanted she could have gotten that guy kicked of the base and demoted. However she outranked him by 3 ranks. She told the MPs or someone to wait until he was in the shower then drag him all the way to the medical tent in his birthday suit although she did tell the men to put something over his downstairs as she wasn't that cruel. She did her assessment then brought the biggest needle she could find making sure the captain saw it then jammed the needle straight into the leanest part of his behind. That was how she taught her nurses to deal with situations like so. She even told the commanding officer off once over something that he had no business to intervene about. I would have loved to see you team up with her. That would be so epic that no one would say no to anything you would say
I was in the US Army for just shy of 11 years. I was field artillery for around six and a half years, the rest of it I was commo assigned to a public affairs office as the Division Webmaster and social media manager working about 100 feet from the Division CO's office. There were several times that I would have people try and pull rank wanting xyz on the website or social media over the phone with phrases like "needs to be done now," followed by "do you know who I am?" I would just tell them that if they want it done sooner they can file an ETP (exception to policy) through my bosses (one silver oak leaf, one full bird, and then a two-star, in that order) and I'll get it done. They tend to stop and grumble when they realize they would need to deal with PAOIC, DivCofS, and DivCG to do it.
One of the greatest observations I've heard from a particularly wise friends of mine: _The main reason office politics are so vicious is PRECISELY because the stakes are SO SMALL._
I was a supervisor of a large team in a federal agency. I took a call one day from an obvious officer soldier who wanted to talk to one of my employees. I told him he was not there. He then proceeded to give me a long convoluted message involving date, times, places to pass on to the employee. He said, GOT IT? I said, yes. He was not convinced, THEN REPEAT IT BACK TO ME. I said, no, I'll let my employee know you called. He said, SOLDIER, DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM? I said, no, but do you know who I am. I'm a supervisor in a civilian agency and I will pass along that you called. The dummy thought he was calling another Army office and was going to pull rank on me. Not happening. I'm a vet and still cringe when thinking about these entitled nothings.
Story1 sounds like the premise of a MASH episode! "Colonel came in with a tiny piece of shrapnel on his tush, and a big chip on his shoulder. Got steamed when I told him he'd have to wait until the real casualties were treated." - Colonel Potter
I was a US Army medic once upon a time. I was told very carefully in training that we had "positional authority", i.e., in medical matters during peacetime we outranked the commander-in-chief. If the 2-star general base commander needed to be relieved of duty for medical reasons, even the lowliest E1 medic could legally do so. The phrase used was "You have all the authority you elect to use. God help you if you are wrong!" About 6 months before my ETS date, as an E4 Corporal, I was manning the Bat. Aide Station alone (the CW4 PA was at the local TMC) and by that time had proven to the PA and the MSO 2Lt in command of the medic platoon that I was a superior soldier, at least medically speaking. A soldier came in with a badly sprained ankle. I assessed and treated per the established protocol, put him on barracks protocol (no duty, no exercise, and mess hall meals delivered to the barracks), and told him to come into sick call the next morning to see the CW4. I then called the 1st Sgt to notify him of the protocol status. About 10 minutes later the newish HHC commander (CPT) strode ANGRILY into the BAS yelling about "Who do you think you are taking my soldiers off duty!" Top (the 1st Sgt) was running in behind him trying to calm him down.... Calmly, and with a slight smirk I said, "Sir, with all due respect, you have ZERO authority in this matter." If you interfere with my duty I will bring charges against you with the Battalion or Brigade commander. Further, if you attempt to retaliate in any way whatsoever, I will go directly to the IG. I'd hate for your brand new commander status to be tarnished in such a way. He departed quickly. Top muttered on his way out, "Damn son, you got brass balls!"
Help. Please, Mr Lee, write a manual no more than 10 pages long or 2,000 words (using English), which carefully explains every acronym, Three Letter Capitals shortened version of someone's position, rank, status or state of mind, and forward to me stat. Assume I'm a civilian who has never served in any man's army. I'd really love to know what happened. I enjoy defence forces stories. I'm endowed with adequate IQ to function daily. Usually. 🙂🙂
One thing I know about the Army. Don't mess with anyone who is related to what you ride on who keeps you healthy and who feeds you. The Doctors and medics can make that pain hurt a little bit worst. The Motorpool can give you the problem vehicle that the heater might not work or the 4wd is busted or dry rotted tires. The cooks will just make eating military which already one tier below whatever you get at a taco bell at 3am worse.
In Boot Camp I found out that green eggs are real. Thank God for ketchup and hot sauce. I woudda took Taco Bell anyday. Then again, there wasn't a Taco Bell back when I went to Boot Camp.
I always check the comments before I post so as not to give unneeded ones. Could not think of The Peter Principles name till I got just short of being able to read yours then it pops into my head I scroll another line or two and there is your post. I know completely unnecessary post but to quote the late great Flip Wilson "The Devil made me do it.".
Cake... cookies... whatever... I'll accept any kind of dessert. :) The tack on to the last story was so good... how clueless do you have to be... especially if it's a co-worker... OY Thanks to all 3 OPs and KCC for today's story.
Leaders vs managers, with 23.5 years in the military I have had both. One of the best was a warrant officer. One day he was upset about something that I knew nothing about and laid into me. I continued my tasks and about 15 minutes later an E-7 walked up to me and told me to follow him. He lead me to where I had been chewed out and everyone assigned to the shop was there in ranks and the warrant officer was standing where he had chewed me out. Then he gave me an apology. Someone that apologizes in public you can work with and we would have followed Mr Wall anywhere.
Meanwhile, I like the chapters for each story because if I heard it before, I can go straight to Rob's input on the situation. Man has good advice most of the time, and you never know when you'll end up working in a field related to the story in question...
Story 1 Yes, outside of Generals your rank means next to nothing to Medics and Doctors, there's always some spoiled/arrogant/ignorant officer/NCO who thinks that their word/rank all that matters until they have "that meeting" lol
Even Generals are outranked by a lowly Lieutenants, if that Lieutenant is a doctor ordering instruction on a medical matter. Unless that order actively interferes with combat operations, that is. Then, it gets messy.
@@merlinathrawes746 can also apply in other situations. My friend is an E-7 Intel officer and regularly has to prove that ranks mean shit to him if you don't know how to do your job. He also has the experience and track record that when people with 3-4 ranks on him get pissy he rejected their work he can ensure people with stars instead of bars educate them for him. Having to constantly prove his value is the only reason he's considered moving past NCO ranks.
As I understand Military Law/Rules, the ONLY way a General can overrule a Medical Order from a Medic, is if that General is also a Medic AND in the original Medic's Chain of Command, otherwise, the only Non-Medic in the Medic's Chain of Command that can Overrule him is the Chief of Staff for his Military Branch (Army, Navy, Marines or Air Force)
It reminds me of my 14-year-old self reading a woman's magazine and an article about office politics. I distinctly remember thinking, I can't believe that adults in the US actually behave this way and I thanked God, yet again, that I did not live in the US. Reality hit hard when I learned the corporate world, even in my country, is just high school in a business suit.
I have someone who went to military school and has had family in the military I always chuckle when a high-ranked officer or NCO forgets that some positions hold authority over them not the other way around, and then flying the rink around we'll get them nothing with those positions
Real shit, Colonels can be some of the most miserable people you can ever meet... but as soon as they get that star they're chasing? Holy shit do they chill the fuck out...
Mom had a friend that was a nurse over in Afghanistan that took no crap from anyone of any army. She was close to becoming a 1 star and she could ask to be resigned any time she wanted to but she felt that she was meant to be where she was. She would tell her all her nurses and medics when units came back from patrol to let the words they say in one ear and out the other as they were still in a mode setting. Most of the time the units would say sorry for the way they acted once they de-stressed but a few times there were jerks.]] Her favorite event was when a captain and his team came back and were mandated to report to her for a check up. The guy has said some very nasty words that if she wanted she could have gotten that guy kicked of the base and demoted. However she outranked him by 3 ranks. She told the MPs or someone to wait until he was in the shower then drag him all the way to the medical tent. She did her assessment then brought the biggest needle she could find making sure the captain saw it then jammed the needle straight into the leanest part of his behind. That was how she taught her nurses to deal with situations like so. She even told he commanding officer off once over something that he had no business to intervene about.
Never mess with anyone who is holding 1. A pot of hot coffee B. A kitchen carving knife or C. A hypodermic syringe in the course of their duties. Also for added safety and passenger comfort, never annoy the driver by changing the radio station or music selection without express permission.
Thing is, it's actually _not_ his job. It's something outside of his actual responsibilities that he was only doing for everyone's convenience. He likely wouldn't lose his job, but he may have a tedious task foisted on some else.
Story 3: The Peter Principle. Leaders are promoted until they reach their level of incompetence. Ex: A good programmer is promoted and is a terrible manager. A good manager is promoted and is a terrible director. Etc.
Listening to the comments on the last story reminds me of a popular book back in the seventies called the Peter Principle. The idea was that people who were good at their job would be promoted in the organization to the highest level of efficiency then once more whether they wanted it or not. Then when they fail at that level they would be fired. When my brother ran a chain restaurant he had to deal with.that all the time. He would have a really good assistant manager that corporate would take (they would fire you if you refused) and try to make them a manager. Sometimes it worked sometimes it didn’t but no matter how it turned out he was out a trained assistant manager. About the time he left the company finally started to realize the value of a good AM and that not everyone wanted to be a manager.
I’ve worked with a few corporations,including my spouse. Seen many people in positions of authority that had the mannerisms of Joseph Stalin, were paid millions and were a cancer for the company they worked at. To have that company eventually bought out and Stalin given early retirement to prevent future catastrophe’s. Just because a person has a degree or a family name doesn’t mean they run a good show…they have been fortunate that the underlings ran the show for them. Others I have seen spent and made the most extravagant expensive tools for a job only to have it tossed in the garbage bin for being to complex to use in a manufacturing environment. The best leaders I’ve seen were ones that listened to and learned from their workers. Enough said.
A DR with a patient or a medic working on one out ranks any officer who walks in It's the same on a plane the pilot is in charge regardless of how many people on board out rank him. I know Drs who if an officer had tried pulling the shit that colonel did would have chewed them up and spit them out back of the clinic.
It takes approximately 27 different instructions on how to make a cup of tea. Presuming, that A. the person knows where the kitchen is B. the person knows what a cup is and C. The person knows what tea is. If the person doesn't know any of this, add another page or two. True story: someone emigrated as a refugee to Australia; was given a house, and nearly burnt it down. Reason being, they'd built a charcoal/wood fire on TOP of the stove. They hadn't been shown or educated on how to operate an electric stove. For all those skills/knowledge we take for granted (otherwise misnamed "common sense") it takes longer to write it all out, step by step, than to show someone.
3rd Story: Assuming the story is legit, that Mr. So&so should have been disciplined/punished for his disrespectful and unprofessional behavior. Getting to just apologize would have me looking for a new job. Yes, the President took action; but she didn't go far enough. It shows the President will give an effective slap on the wrist instead of actually doing right by her employees. This, again, assuming the story is legit. I'm not confident the story is true, but I'm willing to take a leap of faith here.
Thinking about the comment OP said in the last story about the corporate world been petty. Made me think. How many kindergarten teachers left the profession to enter the corporate world. Then found out the pupils in the kindergarten classes were more mature than the company bigwigs.
Permissions are a godsend. I had local admin access on my work laptop, until it was upgraded. The procedure got fenched up, and I couldn't get permission past my director. Eventually, I needed a desktop, because of the work I was doing. When IT came to install, they asked if I needed any thing else...I said, "Well, I did have local admin access on my laptop..." IT was like, "Oh, OK"
I was a Medic and I've seen several middle level officers get smashed by this one and I was usually the one doing the smashing of them. Why? Because I was a Good Medic, with only one concern - the health of the soldiers in my unit - and the Generals I usually worked for Knew That....well that and I had a secret weapon, a crazy older than everybody 30 year Chief Master Sergeant who was literally Promoted by Congress (which would also take an act of Congress to Demote them as well, most people don't know that). I literally saw that little old Chief bend a Major backwards over a desk once using a wagging finger during a conversation once explaining to him Exactly in minuet detail Exactly what we would do if he ever messed with one of "his medic's" again (hint: It involved half of the chain of command and a Major General, all of whom would be angry). In All Circles, Military or Otherwise: Emergencies take Priority (Period). No I don't care "Who you are", sit your buttocks down and be patient or I have Military Police / Police Officers on Tap to Deal with You expeditiously. No I'm not kidding. Want to see a bunch of military cops freak out? Send them a call that there is "disturbance" at the hospital / clinic / military tent in the field treating everyone and I bet you will get everybody who currently isn't nailed down. Why? Because those clinics / tents are their life lines (literally) for them And their buddies, that is why and they Know That so having Anything happen there is about as welcome as a fire in your underwear, while you are wearing it. T.L.D.R. - Major got bent backwards over a desk once by a lil old enlisted man who didn't care if anyone tried to demote him because it would literally take an act of Congress and he knew that.
i always love starting off THE first meal of the day with some karma Comment chAmeleon, it genuinely warms my heart and maKEs me smile whenever I hear rob wiShing me A wonderfuL day today, It makEs my day a little better, and i HavE a better Listening exPerience afterwards :)
Last story when talking about promotions. Often people get promoted because they're good at the job they're currently doing, and continue to get promoted until they hit a job they aren't good enough at to justify another promotion. Since nobody really gets demoted except as punishment, we end up with a lot of people who are in roles they're mediocre at rather than the step down where they would be at the top of their game. It's a flaw in the system, especially when its' designed to keep better money/benefits behind promotions. Getting kept in the position your good at = stagnant pay/benefits. So in the end most jobs at higher levels get preformed by people doing mediocre jobs. Some people also get promoted because they're good at office politics/kissing @ss, which also puts people in positions they aren't very good at. But that's a different can of worms (though they're usually the cause of malicious compliance stories lol)
Base commander vs medic story: While a military doctor does have final say over a unit commander concerning MEDICAL matters (at least in the US military), that's not necessarily true for enlisted medics/corpsmen, though most officers are smart enough not to push it. I tend to think the base commander in this story simply didn't want the flack that would come his way from his superiors if he had tried to reprimand OP. But he did keep him from receiving any promotions, thus pay increases. About all that he could get away with without causing a lot of flak. Getting new employees in the system story: Why isn't this an HR task?
Not all companies have nor were they common in the past. Did not have any HRs where I worked but most had Personnel Depts, those these were more concerned with hiring and paying employees than any management activities. Then when I started working Sanitation Engineers were known as Garbagemen.
@@merlinathrawes746 Agreed. I misspoke the companies I worked for had administrators and had zero managerial functions the Dispatchers and Executives were the Disciplinarians.
Story #1 Your 3:00 Appointment Is Here... You are the kind of person the military doesn't want. You think too darned much. They think that's a bad thing. You didn't belong in their little boys club. You're better off out of it.
Last Story .... being a Leader is knowing how to manage other people and leaders = how to manage the manager. Unfortunately you need to play fair, work to the greater good & help to resolve disagreements towards mutually beneficial to all parties.
Love how I just randomly came across a story that happened in my country. My dad got drafted as well (in the earily 90s) but after his generation got out the draft was sort of banned (sort of because I was born in 1999 but I still got a letter from the government on my 17th bday saying that I COULD get drafted). Love the story though
I knew so many useless folks that somehow made rank in the military and abused the crap out of it. I was actually friends with one’s wife during their divorce and let me tell you it was a very nasty parting. The dude was given a no contact order by both the court and his unit, meaning obviously he wasn’t supposed to talk to her. What does he do? He gets on his MySpace account (yea it was that long ago) and sent her a string of PMs stating he can send those all day and there wasn’t a thing she could do. She forwarded all of the messages to her lawyer, his unit, his lawyer, and he got blasted hard. Don’t know what happened to him but the wife is still doing good and she’s got a nice little family now!
wait. the first story OP was drafted into the Army but didn't receive any military training? i'd think they train all soldiers regardless of rank in his army too.
Different country, different rules. Stop and think, the US hasn't had a draft since the late 1960's or early 1970's (I volunteered in 1974 and it was all volunteer at that time) towards the end of the Viet Nam war, despite young men still having to register for selective service at 18. I'm fairly certain OP glossed over military basic training, which was probably only a few weeks long. My basic was only 12 weeks. In the US any specialty training is after basic. They may have more of an on-the-job-training mentality.
Even the band members in an army have to be trained for battle, which leads to an interesting tale I read. The army band members were always overheating and damaging the barrels of the machine guns which they practiced on, by firing them for too long and not waiting long enough for the heat to disperse. Eventually, the person in charge realised that they were good musicians, and found a solution. It was a sheet of music with two bars in 4/4 time with four crotchets in one bar followed by a full rest in the following bar. That was mounted on the side of the machine gun whenever the band members had practice. There were no more melted barrels.
2 months medical training makes you ready to handle any emergency????? I worked Life Flight, Critical Care Air Transport, Trauma Resuscitation, Shock Trauma and Intensive Care Units. 2 months training prepares you for basic life support and first aid.
Seriously? Someone's breaking your horns over the humorous cookie issue? No problem, I'm down for cake, and shame on them for causing you grief. I hope our humorous responsive comments didn't cause you any difficulty. If so, I apologize. I guess we'll have to stop being human beings and start being automaton clappers. "Nice read Rob." -- end of comment.
The best way I have found two handle people whos complete identity revolves around their rank is to remind them that horrible people also possess their rank, therefore just because they have a rank doesn't mean they deserve complete respect and submission to them. And if you want to get extra spicy you can name examples
Not generally a good idea in the military, any military. There are regulations about disrespecting officers (and senior NCO's), especially senior officers. It doesn't matter if what you're saying is true.
As for the ass-hat colonel, I agree of the ability for medical personnel to take precedence over any rank if there was need to pull them up by the short hairs in treatment of the severely injured. If there is a medical emergency there is precedence. As a medic in the Navy, medical can even circumvent the admiral and caption of a vessel at sea if needed for the reason to move a patent throughout the ship including shutting a flight deck on an aircraft carrier when needed
Trying to learn a new system take time ,We had a new system install and even the people that train months to train us took 3hr to do one tasks. Now I am into computer and it took me two weeks to get good and a month before I could come up with shortcut to help my coworker.
I can understand that. I live right at CFB Trenton. Look it up! It's tiny compared to the air bases in the states, but it's Canada's largest Air Force base!
You can write an instruction manual because they will just tell you to train your replacement and go over everything you do with your boss before they can you. If the person you have trained quits because they refuse to work nights and weekends, then they will just hire you as a contractor without benefits or salary increases until they can get rid of you. You also will not be able to get unemployment with this method of being canned. You need to pay attention and have another job lined up before they decide you make too much money after working for many years. This is especially true if you work in IT. You need a side hustle so you can be self employed by middle age or you will be toast. Being a plumber or electrician is a safer bet and much cheaper than getting into debt.
I think you misunderstood what OP actually does when he wrote the Manual for setting up new Employees in the Companies Systems... The existence of that Manual isn't going to endanger OP's actual Job in the slightest since OP explained at the beginning of his Post that setting up new Employees isn't actually in his Job Description...he does it because he can in a few minutes instead of leaving it to the usual teams that are SUPPOSED TO DO IT that would do it in a few days... OP mentioned that if done the way it's supposed to be done, IT would be the ones starting the sequence AND THEY REFUSE TO EVEN START THE PROCESS UNTIL THE NEW EMPLOYEE'S FIRST OFFICIAL DAY OF WORK and said Employee CAN'T do their new Job until the setup process is complete, which would take DAYS of done according to Official Procedure instead of OP just doing it for IT... OP does the New Employee Set Up Process IN ADDITION to his actual Job Duties...
I love the way you say Malicious Compliance. It's like you're saying "Delicious Compliance " because I think that's how you feel. 🤣
I have a (probably apocryphal) "do you know who I am?" story. On the opening day of the new Denver international Airport things weren't going particularly well. Many flights were delayed or cancelled so the reticketing agents had long lines to see them. One fellow barged to the front of the line and demanded to get a flight to Pittsburg right now. The conversation went somewhat as follows:
"I'm sorry sir but everyone here is in the same situation. If you will join the line we will get you a flight as soon as possible."
"DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM?"
"Attention please! We have a passenger here at ticket stand two who does not know who he is. If there is anyone here who could shed some light on this situation, it would be appreciated."
"WHY -- WHY -- FRICK YOU!"
"I'm sorry sir, but you have to stand in line for that too."
Lmao
As much as I've come to Loath Airports (well the TSA more specifically, get rid of them and their Asinine 'Security' Screenings and I'll be able to Tolerate Airports again), I would have given my left nut (WITHOUT Anesthesia) to be there to see his face when she told him he'd have to wait in line for that too after being told FRICK YOU!...
😄😁😆😅😂🤣
🤣🤣🤣🤣 That's even better than the, "ATTENTION PLEASE! THIS CUSTOMER IS ABOUT TO ANNOUNCE WHO HE IS TO EVERYONE SO WE CAN BOW DOWN AT HIS PRESENCE!" line I had in my head while reading yours.
Brilliant!!!
I was a U.S. army medic. On several occasions, I told officers to do what their rank can handle. They would either back off or lose the battle when we went to the battalion commander or brigade commander.
People still haven't learned not to mess with Doc. 🤣🤣
Mom had a friend that was a nurse over in Afghanistan that took no crap from anyone of any army. She was close to becoming a 1 star and she could ask to be resigned any time she wanted to but she felt that she was meant to be where she was.
She would tell her all her nurses and medics when units came back from patrol to let the words they say in one ear and out the other as they were still in a mode setting. Most of the time the units would say sorry for the way they acted once they de-stressed but a few times there were jerks.]]
Her favorite event was when a captain and his team came back and were mandated to report to her for a check up. The guy has said some very nasty words that if she wanted she could have gotten that guy kicked of the base and demoted. However she outranked him by 3 ranks. She told the MPs or someone to wait until he was in the shower then drag him all the way to the medical tent in his birthday suit although she did tell the men to put something over his downstairs as she wasn't that cruel. She did her assessment then brought the biggest needle she could find making sure the captain saw it then jammed the needle straight into the leanest part of his behind.
That was how she taught her nurses to deal with situations like so. She even told the commanding officer off once over something that he had no business to intervene about.
I would have loved to see you team up with her. That would be so epic that no one would say no to anything you would say
I was in the US Army for just shy of 11 years. I was field artillery for around six and a half years, the rest of it I was commo assigned to a public affairs office as the Division Webmaster and social media manager working about 100 feet from the Division CO's office. There were several times that I would have people try and pull rank wanting xyz on the website or social media over the phone with phrases like "needs to be done now," followed by "do you know who I am?" I would just tell them that if they want it done sooner they can file an ETP (exception to policy) through my bosses (one silver oak leaf, one full bird, and then a two-star, in that order) and I'll get it done. They tend to stop and grumble when they realize they would need to deal with PAOIC, DivCofS, and DivCG to do it.
One of the greatest observations I've heard from a particularly wise friends of mine: _The main reason office politics are so vicious is PRECISELY because the stakes are SO SMALL._
"...lick his nostrils from the inside" that whole line had me laughing sir
I was a supervisor of a large team in a federal agency. I took a call one day from an obvious officer soldier who wanted to talk to one of my employees. I told him he was not there. He then proceeded to give me a long convoluted message involving date, times, places to pass on to the employee. He said, GOT IT? I said, yes. He was not convinced, THEN REPEAT IT BACK TO ME. I said, no, I'll let my employee know you called. He said, SOLDIER, DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM? I said, no, but do you know who I am. I'm a supervisor in a civilian agency and I will pass along that you called. The dummy thought he was calling another Army office and was going to pull rank on me. Not happening. I'm a vet and still cringe when thinking about these entitled nothings.
Any military folk tries that with me and I'll tell him I'm a civilian, my taxes pay for your job, and you can kindly sit down and shut up.
Story1 sounds like the premise of a MASH episode!
"Colonel came in with a tiny piece of shrapnel on his tush, and a big chip on his shoulder. Got steamed when I told him he'd have to wait until the real casualties were treated." - Colonel Potter
I was a US Army medic once upon a time. I was told very carefully in training that we had "positional authority", i.e., in medical matters during peacetime we outranked the commander-in-chief. If the 2-star general base commander needed to be relieved of duty for medical reasons, even the lowliest E1 medic could legally do so. The phrase used was "You have all the authority you elect to use. God help you if you are wrong!"
About 6 months before my ETS date, as an E4 Corporal, I was manning the Bat. Aide Station alone (the CW4 PA was at the local TMC) and by that time had proven to the PA and the MSO 2Lt in command of the medic platoon that I was a superior soldier, at least medically speaking. A soldier came in with a badly sprained ankle. I assessed and treated per the established protocol, put him on barracks protocol (no duty, no exercise, and mess hall meals delivered to the barracks), and told him to come into sick call the next morning to see the CW4. I then called the 1st Sgt to notify him of the protocol status.
About 10 minutes later the newish HHC commander (CPT) strode ANGRILY into the BAS yelling about "Who do you think you are taking my soldiers off duty!" Top (the 1st Sgt) was running in behind him trying to calm him down....
Calmly, and with a slight smirk I said, "Sir, with all due respect, you have ZERO authority in this matter." If you interfere with my duty I will bring charges against you with the Battalion or Brigade commander. Further, if you attempt to retaliate in any way whatsoever, I will go directly to the IG. I'd hate for your brand new commander status to be tarnished in such a way. He departed quickly. Top muttered on his way out, "Damn son, you got brass balls!"
Help. Please, Mr Lee, write a manual no more than 10 pages long or 2,000 words (using English), which carefully explains every acronym, Three Letter Capitals shortened version of someone's position, rank, status or state of mind, and forward to me stat. Assume I'm a civilian who has never served in any man's army. I'd really love to know what happened. I enjoy defence forces stories. I'm endowed with adequate IQ to function daily. Usually. 🙂🙂
Can you repeat that, please? In civilianese this time? The abbreviations and acronyms make my brain hurt.
One thing I know about the Army. Don't mess with anyone who is related to what you ride on who keeps you healthy and who feeds you. The Doctors and medics can make that pain hurt a little bit worst. The Motorpool can give you the problem vehicle that the heater might not work or the 4wd is busted or dry rotted tires. The cooks will just make eating military which already one tier below whatever you get at a taco bell at 3am worse.
In Boot Camp I found out that green eggs are real. Thank God for ketchup and hot sauce. I woudda took Taco Bell anyday. Then again, there wasn't a Taco Bell back when I went to Boot Camp.
About story 3. Read "The Peter Principle" which states "In any hierarchy an individual rises to his level of incompetance."
I always check the comments before I post so as not to give unneeded ones. Could not think of The Peter Principles name till I got just short of being able to read yours then it pops into my head I scroll another line or two and there is your post. I know completely unnecessary post but to quote the late great Flip Wilson "The Devil made me do it.".
Cake... cookies... whatever... I'll accept any kind of dessert. :)
The tack on to the last story was so good... how clueless do you have to be... especially if it's a co-worker... OY
Thanks to all 3 OPs and KCC for today's story.
Leaders vs managers, with 23.5 years in the military I have had both. One of the best was a warrant officer. One day he was upset about something that I knew nothing about and laid into me. I continued my tasks and about 15 minutes later an E-7 walked up to me and told me to follow him. He lead me to where I had been chewed out and everyone assigned to the shop was there in ranks and the warrant officer was standing where he had chewed me out. Then he gave me an apology.
Someone that apologizes in public you can work with and we would have followed Mr Wall anywhere.
I really like it that you use chapters in your videos! That way, if I've already heard the story, I can easily skip to the next.
Often times it's the little things that keep people coming back :) Thanks for the kind comment!
Meanwhile, I like the chapters for each story because if I heard it before, I can go straight to Rob's input on the situation. Man has good advice most of the time, and you never know when you'll end up working in a field related to the story in question...
Story 1
Yes, outside of Generals your rank means next to nothing to Medics and Doctors, there's always some spoiled/arrogant/ignorant officer/NCO who thinks that their word/rank all that matters until they have "that meeting" lol
Even Generals are outranked by a lowly Lieutenants, if that Lieutenant is a doctor ordering instruction on a medical matter. Unless that order actively interferes with combat operations, that is. Then, it gets messy.
@@merlinathrawes746 can also apply in other situations. My friend is an E-7 Intel officer and regularly has to prove that ranks mean shit to him if you don't know how to do your job. He also has the experience and track record that when people with 3-4 ranks on him get pissy he rejected their work he can ensure people with stars instead of bars educate them for him. Having to constantly prove his value is the only reason he's considered moving past NCO ranks.
As I understand Military Law/Rules, the ONLY way a General can overrule a Medical Order from a Medic, is if that General is also a Medic AND in the original Medic's Chain of Command, otherwise, the only Non-Medic in the Medic's Chain of Command that can Overrule him is the Chief of Staff for his Military Branch (Army, Navy, Marines or Air Force)
It reminds me of my 14-year-old self reading a woman's magazine and an article about office politics. I distinctly remember thinking, I can't believe that adults in the US actually behave this way and I thanked God, yet again, that I did not live in the US. Reality hit hard when I learned the corporate world, even in my country, is just high school in a business suit.
If someone can read that manual and understand it, more power to them. The people he gave it to couldn't seem to make it work.
I have someone who went to military school and has had family in the military I always chuckle when a high-ranked officer or NCO forgets that some positions hold authority over them not the other way around, and then flying the rink around we'll get them nothing with those positions
leaders want progress, managers want money
Real shit, Colonels can be some of the most miserable people you can ever meet... but as soon as they get that star they're chasing? Holy shit do they chill the fuck out...
Mom had a friend that was a nurse over in Afghanistan that took no crap from anyone of any army. She was close to becoming a 1 star and she could ask to be resigned any time she wanted to but she felt that she was meant to be where she was.
She would tell her all her nurses and medics when units came back from patrol to let the words they say in one ear and out the other as they were still in a mode setting. Most of the time the units would say sorry for the way they acted once they de-stressed but a few times there were jerks.]]
Her favorite event was when a captain and his team came back and were mandated to report to her for a check up. The guy has said some very nasty words that if she wanted she could have gotten that guy kicked of the base and demoted. However she outranked him by 3 ranks. She told the MPs or someone to wait until he was in the shower then drag him all the way to the medical tent. She did her assessment then brought the biggest needle she could find making sure the captain saw it then jammed the needle straight into the leanest part of his behind.
That was how she taught her nurses to deal with situations like so. She even told he commanding officer off once over something that he had no business to intervene about.
Never mess with anyone who is holding 1. A pot of hot coffee B. A kitchen carving knife or C. A hypodermic syringe in the course of their duties. Also for added safety and passenger comfort, never annoy the driver by changing the radio station or music selection without express permission.
For the final story. I think the reason he got the conference room was an I’m sorry and don’t sue for discrimination.
That would help explain why the big boss was so red-faced mad.
..."the cake is a lie" -GLaDOS
The boss in the second segment expected a PowerPoint slide would suffice to teach a novice how to perform a complicated procedure.
The last story is a prime example of the Peter Principle
Thing is, it's actually _not_ his job. It's something outside of his actual responsibilities that he was only doing for everyone's convenience. He likely wouldn't lose his job, but he may have a tedious task foisted on some else.
I have heard so many stories about workplaces where bosses act like mean girl cliques
Story 3: The Peter Principle. Leaders are promoted until they reach their level of incompetence. Ex: A good programmer is promoted and is a terrible manager. A good manager is promoted and is a terrible director. Etc.
Listening to the comments on the last story reminds me of a popular book back in the seventies called the Peter Principle. The idea was that people who were good at their job would be promoted in the organization to the highest level of efficiency then once more whether they wanted it or not. Then when they fail at that level they would be fired. When my brother ran a chain restaurant he had to deal with.that all the time. He would have a really good assistant manager that corporate would take (they would fire you if you refused) and try to make them a manager. Sometimes it worked sometimes it didn’t but no matter how it turned out he was out a trained assistant manager. About the time he left the company finally started to realize the value of a good AM and that not everyone wanted to be a manager.
I’ve worked with a few corporations,including my spouse. Seen many people in positions of authority that had the mannerisms of Joseph Stalin, were paid millions and were a cancer for the company they worked at. To have that company eventually bought out and Stalin given early retirement to prevent future catastrophe’s. Just because a person has a degree or a family name doesn’t mean they run a good show…they have been fortunate that the underlings ran the show for them. Others I have seen spent and made the most extravagant expensive tools for a job only to have it tossed in the garbage bin for being to complex to use in a manufacturing environment. The best leaders I’ve seen were ones that listened to and learned from their workers. Enough said.
A DR with a patient or a medic working on one out ranks any officer who walks in It's the same on a plane the pilot is in charge regardless of how many people on board out rank him. I know Drs who if an officer had tried pulling the shit that colonel did would have chewed them up and spit them out back of the clinic.
Destroy the document: NO, if you can’t be replaced, you can’t be promoted.
So the question is do you want job “security” or advancement?
Mmmmm, cake. Devils food with cream cheese icing.
Of course there are others but that is my go to.
Hope everyone is having a great day.
It takes approximately 27 different instructions on how to make a cup of tea. Presuming, that A. the person knows where the kitchen is B. the person knows what a cup is and C. The person knows what tea is. If the person doesn't know any of this, add another page or two. True story: someone emigrated as a refugee to Australia; was given a house, and nearly burnt it down. Reason being, they'd built a charcoal/wood fire on TOP of the stove. They hadn't been shown or educated on how to operate an electric stove. For all those skills/knowledge we take for granted (otherwise misnamed "common sense") it takes longer to write it all out, step by step, than to show someone.
3rd Story: Assuming the story is legit, that Mr. So&so should have been disciplined/punished for his disrespectful and unprofessional behavior. Getting to just apologize would have me looking for a new job. Yes, the President took action; but she didn't go far enough. It shows the President will give an effective slap on the wrist instead of actually doing right by her employees. This, again, assuming the story is legit. I'm not confident the story is true, but I'm willing to take a leap of faith here.
It may be that Mr. So & so would be expensive to replace, and it's easier to try to fix the problem than hire someone new.
@@Avrysatos Yep, as in he should have been punished, not just forced to apologize. Face some repercussions. Punishment isn't always firing
Thinking about the comment OP said in the last story about the corporate world been petty. Made me think. How many kindergarten teachers left the profession to enter the corporate world. Then found out the pupils in the kindergarten classes were more mature than the company bigwigs.
Hi, Rob. I had a really stressful day at work, and now I’m going to sink into the soothing tones of the KCC channel.
20:20 It's called Peter Principle, you are promoted to your level of incompetence
Permissions are a godsend. I had local admin access on my work laptop, until it was upgraded. The procedure got fenched up, and I couldn't get permission past my director. Eventually, I needed a desktop, because of the work I was doing. When IT came to install, they asked if I needed any thing else...I said, "Well, I did have local admin access on my laptop..." IT was like, "Oh, OK"
Rank is doled out by time, getting zero positive reviews if nothing negative will get stop rank.
Doc Shymansky is dead on.
13:39 I would have to disagree… documentation is important particularly for scaling
I was a Medic and I've seen several middle level officers get smashed by this one and I was usually the one doing the smashing of them.
Why?
Because I was a Good Medic, with only one concern - the health of the soldiers in my unit - and the Generals I usually worked for Knew That....well that and I had a secret weapon, a crazy older than everybody 30 year Chief Master Sergeant who was literally Promoted by Congress (which would also take an act of Congress to Demote them as well, most people don't know that).
I literally saw that little old Chief bend a Major backwards over a desk once using a wagging finger during a conversation once explaining to him Exactly in minuet detail Exactly what we would do if he ever messed with one of "his medic's" again (hint: It involved half of the chain of command and a Major General, all of whom would be angry).
In All Circles, Military or Otherwise: Emergencies take Priority (Period).
No I don't care "Who you are", sit your buttocks down and be patient or I have Military Police / Police Officers on Tap to Deal with You expeditiously.
No I'm not kidding. Want to see a bunch of military cops freak out?
Send them a call that there is "disturbance" at the hospital / clinic / military tent in the field treating everyone and I bet you will get everybody who currently isn't nailed down.
Why?
Because those clinics / tents are their life lines (literally) for them And their buddies, that is why and they Know That so having Anything happen there is about as welcome as a fire in your underwear, while you are wearing it.
T.L.D.R. - Major got bent backwards over a desk once by a lil old enlisted man who didn't care if anyone tried to demote him because it would literally take an act of Congress and he knew that.
i always love starting off THE first meal of the day with some karma Comment chAmeleon, it genuinely warms my heart and maKEs me smile whenever I hear rob wiShing me A wonderfuL day today, It makEs my day a little better, and i HavE a better Listening exPerience afterwards :)
Last story when talking about promotions. Often people get promoted because they're good at the job they're currently doing, and continue to get promoted until they hit a job they aren't good enough at to justify another promotion. Since nobody really gets demoted except as punishment, we end up with a lot of people who are in roles they're mediocre at rather than the step down where they would be at the top of their game.
It's a flaw in the system, especially when its' designed to keep better money/benefits behind promotions. Getting kept in the position your good at = stagnant pay/benefits. So in the end most jobs at higher levels get preformed by people doing mediocre jobs.
Some people also get promoted because they're good at office politics/kissing @ss, which also puts people in positions they aren't very good at. But that's a different can of worms (though they're usually the cause of malicious compliance stories lol)
Base commander vs medic story: While a military doctor does have final say over a unit commander concerning MEDICAL matters (at least in the US military), that's not necessarily true for enlisted medics/corpsmen, though most officers are smart enough not to push it. I tend to think the base commander in this story simply didn't want the flack that would come his way from his superiors if he had tried to reprimand OP. But he did keep him from receiving any promotions, thus pay increases. About all that he could get away with without causing a lot of flak.
Getting new employees in the system story: Why isn't this an HR task?
Not all companies have nor were they common in the past. Did not have any HRs where I worked but most had Personnel Depts, those these were more concerned with hiring and paying employees than any management activities. Then when I started working Sanitation Engineers were known as Garbagemen.
@@GhostRider-sc9vu HR or Personnel Dept. Much the same usage, though there are differences.
@@merlinathrawes746 Agreed. I misspoke the companies I worked for had administrators and had zero managerial functions the Dispatchers and Executives were the Disciplinarians.
Story #1 Your 3:00 Appointment Is Here...
You are the kind of person the military doesn't want. You think too darned much. They think that's a bad thing. You didn't belong in their little boys club. You're better off out of it.
Last Story .... being a Leader is knowing how to manage other people and leaders = how to manage the manager. Unfortunately you need to play fair, work to the greater good & help to resolve disagreements towards mutually beneficial to all parties.
Love how I just randomly came across a story that happened in my country. My dad got drafted as well (in the earily 90s) but after his generation got out the draft was sort of banned (sort of because I was born in 1999 but I still got a letter from the government on my 17th bday saying that I COULD get drafted). Love the story though
Good 🦎. Have a 🫑.
I knew so many useless folks that somehow made rank in the military and abused the crap out of it. I was actually friends with one’s wife during their divorce and let me tell you it was a very nasty parting. The dude was given a no contact order by both the court and his unit, meaning obviously he wasn’t supposed to talk to her. What does he do? He gets on his MySpace account (yea it was that long ago) and sent her a string of PMs stating he can send those all day and there wasn’t a thing she could do. She forwarded all of the messages to her lawyer, his unit, his lawyer, and he got blasted hard. Don’t know what happened to him but the wife is still doing good and she’s got a nice little family now!
Thanks for the awesome story
wait. the first story OP was drafted into the Army but didn't receive any military training? i'd think they train all soldiers regardless of rank in his army too.
This was the 80s and Netherlands so different rules
Different country, different rules. Stop and think, the US hasn't had a draft since the late 1960's or early 1970's (I volunteered in 1974 and it was all volunteer at that time) towards the end of the Viet Nam war, despite young men still having to register for selective service at 18. I'm fairly certain OP glossed over military basic training, which was probably only a few weeks long. My basic was only 12 weeks. In the US any specialty training is after basic. They may have more of an on-the-job-training mentality.
Even the band members in an army have to be trained for battle, which leads to an interesting tale I read.
The army band members were always overheating and damaging the barrels of the machine guns which they practiced on, by firing them for too long and not waiting long enough for the heat to disperse. Eventually, the person in charge realised that they were good musicians, and found a solution.
It was a sheet of music with two bars in 4/4 time with four crotchets in one bar followed by a full rest in the following bar. That was mounted on the side of the machine gun whenever the band members had practice.
There were no more melted barrels.
2 months medical training makes you ready to handle any emergency?????
I worked Life Flight, Critical Care Air Transport, Trauma Resuscitation, Shock Trauma and Intensive Care Units.
2 months training prepares you for basic life support and first aid.
Think there was just a bit of sarcasm involved in the OP's comment
Colonel Karen?
Sounds like you met tons of Dependapotamus! Pun intended
Awesome story
Thanks Rob!!💖💖💖💖
You see this in private practice and hospitals slot when it comes to wealthy people or higher ups with the hospital.
Have a good day Rob 👋
Have a good day everyone 👋🤗
Seriously? Someone's breaking your horns over the humorous cookie issue? No problem, I'm down for cake, and shame on them for causing you grief. I hope our humorous responsive comments didn't cause you any difficulty. If so, I apologize. I guess we'll have to stop being human beings and start being automaton clappers.
"Nice read Rob." -- end of comment.
The best way I have found two handle people whos complete identity revolves around their rank is to remind them that horrible people also possess their rank, therefore just because they have a rank doesn't mean they deserve complete respect and submission to them. And if you want to get extra spicy you can name examples
Not generally a good idea in the military, any military. There are regulations about disrespecting officers (and senior NCO's), especially senior officers. It doesn't matter if what you're saying is true.
As for the ass-hat colonel, I agree of the ability for medical personnel to take precedence over any rank if there was need to pull them up by the short hairs in treatment of the severely injured. If there is a medical emergency there is precedence. As a medic in the Navy, medical can even circumvent the admiral and caption of a vessel at sea if needed for the reason to move a patent throughout the ship including shutting a flight deck on an aircraft carrier when needed
Good morning Rob. I know rank is important but it shouldn't be the be all end all everytime.
Second story seems sus cuz they said iPhones work. XDD
The cake is a lie.
Hello Rob!
Yay, some cake sounds good, even more today, that is my birthday! 🍰
Trying to learn a new system take time ,We had a new system install and even the people that train months to train us took 3hr to do one tasks. Now I am into computer and it took me two weeks to get good and a month before I could come up with shortcut to help my coworker.
the cake is a lie!
The cake is a lie
Call me an idiot, but I barely think of military towns when I think of Canada
I can understand that. I live right at CFB Trenton. Look it up! It's tiny compared to the air bases in the states, but it's Canada's largest Air Force base!
You can write an instruction manual because they will just tell you to train your replacement and go over everything you do with your boss before they can you. If the person you have trained quits because they refuse to work nights and weekends, then they will just hire you as a contractor without benefits or salary increases until they can get rid of you. You also will not be able to get unemployment with this method of being canned. You need to pay attention and have another job lined up before they decide you make too much money after working for many years. This is especially true if you work in IT. You need a side hustle so you can be self employed by middle age or you will be toast. Being a plumber or electrician is a safer bet and much cheaper than getting into debt.
Good morning
No that full manual you sell to them
An job that cn be documented such that someone else could do it, is already expendabe
🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪 I'll bring some cookies for everyone
KCC bad take on story #2. Share the knowledge. Hogging know how to try to be indispensable is a great way to be out the door expeditiously.
I think you misunderstood what OP actually does when he wrote the Manual for setting up new Employees in the Companies Systems...
The existence of that Manual isn't going to endanger OP's actual Job in the slightest since OP explained at the beginning of his Post that setting up new Employees isn't actually in his Job Description...he does it because he can in a few minutes instead of leaving it to the usual teams that are SUPPOSED TO DO IT that would do it in a few days...
OP mentioned that if done the way it's supposed to be done, IT would be the ones starting the sequence AND THEY REFUSE TO EVEN START THE PROCESS UNTIL THE NEW EMPLOYEE'S FIRST OFFICIAL DAY OF WORK and said Employee CAN'T do their new Job until the setup process is complete, which would take DAYS of done according to Official Procedure instead of OP just doing it for IT...
OP does the New Employee Set Up Process IN ADDITION to his actual Job Duties...
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The cake is a lie.