I'm now thinking of leaving the profession entirely, which is sad because my previous job (that I left for non-work related reasons) was great, I was a senior architect and running some quite nice jobs and handling them OK I thought.
But the office manager I now work under loves to be in charge of ALL the details, big and small. If we don't check with him first we are liable to screw up, as we mere mortals aren't the ones attending the meetings, sending out the correspondence, dealing with the various agendas of planners and clients etc, plus the office has a team structure where we all work on projects for a spell before it ends up with someone else, so knowing the current status of any project and why anything is done a certain way near impossible. I also end up having to fix up other peoples screw ups, which marks me out as nothing but a complainer, and which doesn't encourage me to bother myself.
Each time I try to suggest (being proactive) that I could work on a particlar apscet or carry out a particular task I get told not to bother, its too early, too late, I'm told there is no point (even if there is an obvious one), its already done, not required, would be counter to someone's interests that I couldn't possibly know...and so on.
Taking the iniative, which I am frequently and snidely having suggested I should do, is therefore close to impossible as it simply isn't allowed unless expressly requested, along the lines of the joke: "I was thinking of taking the iniative but noone asked me to".
I'm not the only one copping it (a German colleague has talked about returning to her country she's getting fed up with it), but is becoming a bit of a bullying trend now, he sent out an email just before he went on holidays yesterday more or less saying that we his colleagues were incapable of dealing with anything more complex than the straightforward, anything difficult would have to wait until HE came back to the rescue.
I'd talk to the Director but I know from experience I'd just get my head bitten off for the "personality conflict" that I have failed to resolve. That or for "criticising his management" or some other bs that suits his argument.
He's also old mates with the director as they were at college together, the director himself being an honours graduate with poor communication skills who expects everyone to do what he wants and is highly critical if they don't. We are somehone supposed to know through mind reasing or osmosis or something what is required, and naturally the only person who comes close is his mate the Office Manager.
I'd change jobs, but frankly at the moment there aren't any to go to.
I'd like to get ahead professionally, but frankly feel trapped in a negative cycle of not being allow to anything of any consequence, and then being penalised for the fact that I haven't sone so. And this is despite having an otherwise good CV with plenty of (admittedly technical) experience on projects where I've had to everything that is demanded of me now that I am however not allowed to do.
I'd bring it up at my annual review except they never bothered to have one for me, or anyone else for that matter, despite in the case of one colleague there being 3 arranged.
So I'm frustrated, dissatisfied, gagged from saying anything about it, prevented from doing anything about it, and being criticised for the consequences of my boss' MicroManagement failures.
Your situation sounds rather awful. There ARE better places to work out there, as I think you realize from previous experience. Some firms just aren't worth working for. Perhaps it's time to consider moving to a city with more opportunities.
To be honest, I'm from Australia, and wife has been suggesting exactly that we go back there for the past year (we're currently in Ireland where the construction industry has, to use a term, collapsed).
Hassles are that we would have a house to sell in a falling market, and I would have to do the migration paperwork for my missus to move as well. But as soon as I get my daughter sorted for aussie citizenship the migration paperwork for my wife is next.
Seems a bit extreme though doing that to avoid someone who cannot handle not being the Alpha male.
Well, you will need to determine if his behavior is indicative of the rest of the firm and its culture or if he is just a sore thumb. If it's the firm culture, you will have many difficult years ahead if you think that you can fix it.
his behaviour, the directors behaviour, the cad manager who is 6ft tall well built and with a reputation for getting into fights at pubs and who gets angry real quick for any reason....
I've tried talking and been told to shut up or else, and was described as a "nightmare" by the uber-arrogant business manager who himself only last 4 months, which was of course after he oversaw the firing of several staff, some of who were equally bullied by the MM and rendered useless as a result.
Wow, I thought I had it bad with a micro managing boss... but I don't think your problem is a micro managing boss. More like toxic work environment. I don't mean to be down the place if you can't help but stay for the time being. But seriously consider leaving that firm. Especially if you've got a family and you have no prospects of advancing professionally. I guess the question is, is the office mostly keen on having you where you are for years and years because it works out for them?
You need to quite I'm afraid. And tell them exactly why you're quitting. If you can't talk to them about the situation you don't really have any other option.
Working under a difficult manager can be hell. And the problem is that no one else understands what a hell it is. No director/principal wants a squeaky wheel. It just causes problems for them. They'd much rather you bowed your head down and do your work, despite your frustrations. It's not THEIR problem, after all (or so they think.)
Unless this manager is a fairly exceptional individual, he probably won't change. The only control you have over the situation is to quit. Explain your reasons for quitting.
I did once try and bring up the subject of the design process in the office, it would seem that we tried every option out possible, up to and including drawing it to the extent required for submission for planning approval, before throwing it away, which to me seemed not only ridiculous but a waste of time, as well of course as being weird because you could never have the confidence that any part of the design we were working on, a project for 350 houses, was ever complete.
When I queried with the MD why we would change an area of the design that didn't really seem to need changing, that had been fully drawn up, and where the change seemed to be for change sake, the response was "is this about MM"? (Imagine a rising, insistent and slightly angry tone of voice) And repeated, is this about MM?
When I insisted it wasn't about the MM, and it wasn't, I was then pointedly asked whether I was "criticising his management".
I hadn't realised I was, made whatever pathetic excuses I could, and beat a hasty retreat. That was the last time I made the error of being critical, sorry, having an alternative point of view, and daring to express it to "the management".
A few weeks ago my german colleague made the same point to me, that we seemed to be always reworking things and frequently there was no benefit, the design process was less than it could be and we spent a lot of time redoing things.
I could only warn her of what my experience was, and tell her she would liely get the same which is very sad.
I hope she doesn't leave anytime soon, she's very talented and good to have around. Sure enough I'm only a "technical" architect, but having worked with less than talented "designers" I can appreciate one who has talent and has enthusiasm for what she does...which seems to be running out sadly.
Sounds like my job I was just let go from. they laid off a bunch of people - suspiciously everyone who had stood up to the bullying micromanaging boss (including all the female staff). The only people that are left are those who didn't speak up.
I'm just waiting for someone to file a lawsuit...
as for your job...
I say quit. There's no sense in giving them the satisfaction of letting you go. They'll never learn anyway, so you might as well leave on your own terms.
IMO - I think it's really scary at how much really bad management and abuse is happening in the field of architecture - I know other fields have their share of bad work environments, but after working for a while, I'm getting a sense that this problem may be systemic.
Systemic yes, I think so, though it is strange how you can work under one person or another in a company, enjoy the work and being part of a team, then go work under someone else in the same firm and find that your under the thumb at all times.
Today and this week MM is on holidays. Last week he informed me of what I was to do on a particular project, then sent an email to confirm that. Today I got into doing that and rang the 3d artists doing some work for us, and got no response; the junior colleague rang them and got no response despite several calls; we then found they hads sent the proofs to the MM' emails, which of course are bounced on to his crackberry, so after having had a look at them with a collegue and decided on a course of action....the MM on holiday sent an email to me telling to do what was already done, that he had already told me to do twice.
It ends up being your mother telling you to clean up you room, and you have to tell that you've already done it. She'll still feel like she's in charge because if she hadn't told you to do it you wouldn't have done it even though you did it before being asked. Doesn't have to be logical, the important thing is who is in charge. (Apologies to the mothers out there)
Irony I find is the MM frequently enough screws things up, but as the Office Manager that seems to be his right, whereas if anyone else does it is because we're incompetent or incapable, so he has to step in to the rescue. Having rescued so many times he is now "experienced" whereas the rest of us morons who haven't been allowed to screw up are left "inexperienced". The last MM I worked under was like that too.
Too many examples to note. You don't have to be recalcitrant, you just get ground down so often you don't bother fighting it any more.
What can I do/ Well for starters I sent CV's off to 5 firms last night, though with the construction industry contracting at a rapid rate and the biggest generator of unemployment in the country, and every other firm out there shedding staff, I'm not likely to get any.
I suppose I could move, and sell the house that I bought 9 months ago, and drag wife and 13 month old child with me to ....where? Rest of the country is the same, UK is no better, and moving back to Australia will cost a fortune and be no guarantee of anything.
Do the best with what I'm given. Hmm. Well I try and avoid complaining to colleagues, they won't want to know about it anyway, but my German one feels the same way anyhow. Should we just all shut up about and think happy thoughts? Sure fire way to keep the management happy I guess, if noone else.
Understand the system? Yes, the MM breaks work down into tiny little chunks that he parcels around the office, so noone has a full picture of what is going on. Noone knows what anyone else is doing, and only he has the full picture, so only he can use the "initiative" that he castigates noone else for having, as everyone else will predictably screw up if they try to. So he frustrates any chance of doing anything else by his management approach, which is of course beyond Reproach.
Chuck in the towel before you lose your sanity mate. I realize you have bills to pay but this job at this office for this guy is clearly not what you were born for. As per the other advice, hand in your notice and explain your reasons for leaving, and make sure it's down on paper.
Thankfully with architecture, there are plenty of different fields you can go into - perhaps you should look around related industries first and go for something before looking around architecture again if you are struggling to find work.
So far I've preserved my sanity through my mode of transport, I cycle 14 miles to work and then home again. And I go out witha club for a run on Sundays too, and am doing therefore around 160 miles a week in all weather.
As I said to the MM, it reduces my latent aggression to where I don't feel like punching people out....
Well that completely depends on what you are interested in.
My own interest is in social systems theory, so my line of pursuit would be to work with local community groups and get involved. I can guarantee you will find some sort of architectural solution to any problem, but a lot of the time you will be collating research and putting together documents. It's a noble thing but your effectively freelance so you will have to negotiate fees when whoever you work with realizes that you are in fact a valuable asset.
As a starting point, look around your local neighbourhood. I got myself involved with food growers and now thats landed me with a foot in the door with our city's council. The trick is simply to state that your not necessarily interested in their activity, but rather the people themselves and how you can help facilitate better efficiency and sustainability within an organization. In the case of food, perhaps designing storage systems and see what happens from there. From me doing a naturally cooled larder I got into the realms of city wide masterplanning for potential growing spaces and how you can enable local neighbourhood groups to do whatever it is you propose to do.
Taking advice off me isn't the best as I am still in academia, but I know of several practices that do precisely this and maintain a healthy stream of revenue.
I guess you can take it from there no matter what you're interested in. If photography is your thing, just go and take photos for your local community or whatever and word of mouth goes a long way for commissions if you are any good.
Better yet, get your biking buddies and do something. I know of two guys who got a caravan as a mobile studio and travelled around and got work just by turning up - you'd be surprised at who would require your services.
If you have financial sense, you can make money if you have the will power - I guess it beats being at a desk banging your head against the keyboard because you have a crap boss. Life's too short - go for the jugular.
Sep 9, 08 8:43 am ·
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Getting ahead despite a MicroManager Boss
Is it possible?
I'm now thinking of leaving the profession entirely, which is sad because my previous job (that I left for non-work related reasons) was great, I was a senior architect and running some quite nice jobs and handling them OK I thought.
But the office manager I now work under loves to be in charge of ALL the details, big and small. If we don't check with him first we are liable to screw up, as we mere mortals aren't the ones attending the meetings, sending out the correspondence, dealing with the various agendas of planners and clients etc, plus the office has a team structure where we all work on projects for a spell before it ends up with someone else, so knowing the current status of any project and why anything is done a certain way near impossible. I also end up having to fix up other peoples screw ups, which marks me out as nothing but a complainer, and which doesn't encourage me to bother myself.
Each time I try to suggest (being proactive) that I could work on a particlar apscet or carry out a particular task I get told not to bother, its too early, too late, I'm told there is no point (even if there is an obvious one), its already done, not required, would be counter to someone's interests that I couldn't possibly know...and so on.
Taking the iniative, which I am frequently and snidely having suggested I should do, is therefore close to impossible as it simply isn't allowed unless expressly requested, along the lines of the joke: "I was thinking of taking the iniative but noone asked me to".
I'm not the only one copping it (a German colleague has talked about returning to her country she's getting fed up with it), but is becoming a bit of a bullying trend now, he sent out an email just before he went on holidays yesterday more or less saying that we his colleagues were incapable of dealing with anything more complex than the straightforward, anything difficult would have to wait until HE came back to the rescue.
I'd talk to the Director but I know from experience I'd just get my head bitten off for the "personality conflict" that I have failed to resolve. That or for "criticising his management" or some other bs that suits his argument.
He's also old mates with the director as they were at college together, the director himself being an honours graduate with poor communication skills who expects everyone to do what he wants and is highly critical if they don't. We are somehone supposed to know through mind reasing or osmosis or something what is required, and naturally the only person who comes close is his mate the Office Manager.
I'd change jobs, but frankly at the moment there aren't any to go to.
I'd like to get ahead professionally, but frankly feel trapped in a negative cycle of not being allow to anything of any consequence, and then being penalised for the fact that I haven't sone so. And this is despite having an otherwise good CV with plenty of (admittedly technical) experience on projects where I've had to everything that is demanded of me now that I am however not allowed to do.
I'd bring it up at my annual review except they never bothered to have one for me, or anyone else for that matter, despite in the case of one colleague there being 3 arranged.
So I'm frustrated, dissatisfied, gagged from saying anything about it, prevented from doing anything about it, and being criticised for the consequences of my boss' MicroManagement failures.
Help!
Your situation sounds rather awful. There ARE better places to work out there, as I think you realize from previous experience. Some firms just aren't worth working for. Perhaps it's time to consider moving to a city with more opportunities.
To be honest, I'm from Australia, and wife has been suggesting exactly that we go back there for the past year (we're currently in Ireland where the construction industry has, to use a term, collapsed).
Hassles are that we would have a house to sell in a falling market, and I would have to do the migration paperwork for my missus to move as well. But as soon as I get my daughter sorted for aussie citizenship the migration paperwork for my wife is next.
Seems a bit extreme though doing that to avoid someone who cannot handle not being the Alpha male.
Well, you will need to determine if his behavior is indicative of the rest of the firm and its culture or if he is just a sore thumb. If it's the firm culture, you will have many difficult years ahead if you think that you can fix it.
his behaviour, the directors behaviour, the cad manager who is 6ft tall well built and with a reputation for getting into fights at pubs and who gets angry real quick for any reason....
I've tried talking and been told to shut up or else, and was described as a "nightmare" by the uber-arrogant business manager who himself only last 4 months, which was of course after he oversaw the firing of several staff, some of who were equally bullied by the MM and rendered useless as a result.
No, I'd rather leave them to their problems.
Wow, I thought I had it bad with a micro managing boss... but I don't think your problem is a micro managing boss. More like toxic work environment. I don't mean to be down the place if you can't help but stay for the time being. But seriously consider leaving that firm. Especially if you've got a family and you have no prospects of advancing professionally. I guess the question is, is the office mostly keen on having you where you are for years and years because it works out for them?
You need to quite I'm afraid. And tell them exactly why you're quitting. If you can't talk to them about the situation you don't really have any other option.
Working under a difficult manager can be hell. And the problem is that no one else understands what a hell it is. No director/principal wants a squeaky wheel. It just causes problems for them. They'd much rather you bowed your head down and do your work, despite your frustrations. It's not THEIR problem, after all (or so they think.)
Unless this manager is a fairly exceptional individual, he probably won't change. The only control you have over the situation is to quit. Explain your reasons for quitting.
I did once try and bring up the subject of the design process in the office, it would seem that we tried every option out possible, up to and including drawing it to the extent required for submission for planning approval, before throwing it away, which to me seemed not only ridiculous but a waste of time, as well of course as being weird because you could never have the confidence that any part of the design we were working on, a project for 350 houses, was ever complete.
When I queried with the MD why we would change an area of the design that didn't really seem to need changing, that had been fully drawn up, and where the change seemed to be for change sake, the response was "is this about MM"? (Imagine a rising, insistent and slightly angry tone of voice) And repeated, is this about MM?
When I insisted it wasn't about the MM, and it wasn't, I was then pointedly asked whether I was "criticising his management".
I hadn't realised I was, made whatever pathetic excuses I could, and beat a hasty retreat. That was the last time I made the error of being critical, sorry, having an alternative point of view, and daring to express it to "the management".
A few weeks ago my german colleague made the same point to me, that we seemed to be always reworking things and frequently there was no benefit, the design process was less than it could be and we spent a lot of time redoing things.
I could only warn her of what my experience was, and tell her she would liely get the same which is very sad.
I hope she doesn't leave anytime soon, she's very talented and good to have around. Sure enough I'm only a "technical" architect, but having worked with less than talented "designers" I can appreciate one who has talent and has enthusiasm for what she does...which seems to be running out sadly.
Sounds like my job I was just let go from. they laid off a bunch of people - suspiciously everyone who had stood up to the bullying micromanaging boss (including all the female staff). The only people that are left are those who didn't speak up.
I'm just waiting for someone to file a lawsuit...
as for your job...
I say quit. There's no sense in giving them the satisfaction of letting you go. They'll never learn anyway, so you might as well leave on your own terms.
IMO - I think it's really scary at how much really bad management and abuse is happening in the field of architecture - I know other fields have their share of bad work environments, but after working for a while, I'm getting a sense that this problem may be systemic.
Systemic yes, I think so, though it is strange how you can work under one person or another in a company, enjoy the work and being part of a team, then go work under someone else in the same firm and find that your under the thumb at all times.
Today and this week MM is on holidays. Last week he informed me of what I was to do on a particular project, then sent an email to confirm that. Today I got into doing that and rang the 3d artists doing some work for us, and got no response; the junior colleague rang them and got no response despite several calls; we then found they hads sent the proofs to the MM' emails, which of course are bounced on to his crackberry, so after having had a look at them with a collegue and decided on a course of action....the MM on holiday sent an email to me telling to do what was already done, that he had already told me to do twice.
It ends up being your mother telling you to clean up you room, and you have to tell that you've already done it. She'll still feel like she's in charge because if she hadn't told you to do it you wouldn't have done it even though you did it before being asked. Doesn't have to be logical, the important thing is who is in charge. (Apologies to the mothers out there)
Irony I find is the MM frequently enough screws things up, but as the Office Manager that seems to be his right, whereas if anyone else does it is because we're incompetent or incapable, so he has to step in to the rescue. Having rescued so many times he is now "experienced" whereas the rest of us morons who haven't been allowed to screw up are left "inexperienced". The last MM I worked under was like that too.
Too many examples to note. You don't have to be recalcitrant, you just get ground down so often you don't bother fighting it any more.
What can I do/ Well for starters I sent CV's off to 5 firms last night, though with the construction industry contracting at a rapid rate and the biggest generator of unemployment in the country, and every other firm out there shedding staff, I'm not likely to get any.
I suppose I could move, and sell the house that I bought 9 months ago, and drag wife and 13 month old child with me to ....where? Rest of the country is the same, UK is no better, and moving back to Australia will cost a fortune and be no guarantee of anything.
Do the best with what I'm given. Hmm. Well I try and avoid complaining to colleagues, they won't want to know about it anyway, but my German one feels the same way anyhow. Should we just all shut up about and think happy thoughts? Sure fire way to keep the management happy I guess, if noone else.
Understand the system? Yes, the MM breaks work down into tiny little chunks that he parcels around the office, so noone has a full picture of what is going on. Noone knows what anyone else is doing, and only he has the full picture, so only he can use the "initiative" that he castigates noone else for having, as everyone else will predictably screw up if they try to. So he frustrates any chance of doing anything else by his management approach, which is of course beyond Reproach.
As my wife said maybe he'll choke on his holiday.
Chuck in the towel before you lose your sanity mate. I realize you have bills to pay but this job at this office for this guy is clearly not what you were born for. As per the other advice, hand in your notice and explain your reasons for leaving, and make sure it's down on paper.
Thankfully with architecture, there are plenty of different fields you can go into - perhaps you should look around related industries first and go for something before looking around architecture again if you are struggling to find work.
So far I've preserved my sanity through my mode of transport, I cycle 14 miles to work and then home again. And I go out witha club for a run on Sundays too, and am doing therefore around 160 miles a week in all weather.
As I said to the MM, it reduces my latent aggression to where I don't feel like punching people out....
Actually Jordan, I've known a number of people who have gone sideways in their career, and have thought of it myself.
Any suggestions though as to what a frustrated architect might do that isn't in the building industry?
One of the guys in my bike club is emigrating because he can't get work here....
Well that completely depends on what you are interested in.
My own interest is in social systems theory, so my line of pursuit would be to work with local community groups and get involved. I can guarantee you will find some sort of architectural solution to any problem, but a lot of the time you will be collating research and putting together documents. It's a noble thing but your effectively freelance so you will have to negotiate fees when whoever you work with realizes that you are in fact a valuable asset.
As a starting point, look around your local neighbourhood. I got myself involved with food growers and now thats landed me with a foot in the door with our city's council. The trick is simply to state that your not necessarily interested in their activity, but rather the people themselves and how you can help facilitate better efficiency and sustainability within an organization. In the case of food, perhaps designing storage systems and see what happens from there. From me doing a naturally cooled larder I got into the realms of city wide masterplanning for potential growing spaces and how you can enable local neighbourhood groups to do whatever it is you propose to do.
Taking advice off me isn't the best as I am still in academia, but I know of several practices that do precisely this and maintain a healthy stream of revenue.
I guess you can take it from there no matter what you're interested in. If photography is your thing, just go and take photos for your local community or whatever and word of mouth goes a long way for commissions if you are any good.
Better yet, get your biking buddies and do something. I know of two guys who got a caravan as a mobile studio and travelled around and got work just by turning up - you'd be surprised at who would require your services.
If you have financial sense, you can make money if you have the will power - I guess it beats being at a desk banging your head against the keyboard because you have a crap boss. Life's too short - go for the jugular.
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