User:TheCookTravels/sandbox

Post 4/8 “That’s not my problem.” “That’s their supervisor’s problem.”  Or, my personal favorite: “They can wait, and someone else will tell them.”

I've heard variations on this theme far too many times in the past few months.

If you work in a managerial position within a bureaucracy, and someone below you asks you a question, then, yes it IS your responsibility to deal with it, even if you don’t feel like it. At least acknowledge their questions or concerns. No one should get to a supervising position and expect to only get the respect and paycheck of the promotion and not have to deal with the responsibility. It’s not always fun, but as you rise up the bureaucratic ladder, you’re going to have to eventually do some work.

I really wonder how promotions are decided. It's certainly not based on ability, intelligence, qualifications, or work ethic. My current leading theory is that there is a bingo caller somewhere in a dark basement office who makes these decisions: "G-48, G-48 -- You are now supervising commissioner of red tape and delegating work to others." And I’m guessing it takes at least 3 people to do that job.

http://fsowalla.wordpress.com/2013/04/06/the-death-of-a-foreign-service-officer/

http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2013/04/05/how_to_stop_nuclear_war_north_korea_cuban_missile_crisis?page=0,1