Lord Lotus Blog Fri, 15 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0400 http://ww2.nutechs.com/hosting/msobczak/Blogs/BlogSphere-1_0_2/LordLotusBlog.nsf Flood victims in Ireland http://ww2.nutechs.com/hosting/msobczak/Blogs/BlogSphere-1_0_2/LordLotusBlog.nsf/d6plinks/MSOK-7HJ4GZHumorMike Sobczakhttp://ww2.nutechs.com/hosting/msobczak/Blogs/BlogSphere-1_0_2/LordLotusBlog.nsf/d6plinks/MSOK-7HJ4GZhttp://ww2.nutechs.com/hosting/msobczak/Blogs/BlogSphere-1_0_2/LordLotusBlog.nsf/d6plinks/MSOK-7HJ4GZ
]]>Fri, 15 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -04001http://ww2.nutechs.com/hosting/msobczak/Blogs/BlogSphere-1_0_2/LordLotusBlog.nsf/CommentsRSS?Open&id=59FC71EBF4F4620E852574A6000B91FFhttp://ww2.nutechs.com/hosting/msobczak/Blogs/BlogSphere-1_0_2/LordLotusBlog.nsf/PostComment?RunAgent&id=59FC71EBF4F4620E852574A6000B91FFThe coup de grace: The Top 25 Signs of a Dysfunctional Workplacehttp://ww2.nutechs.com/hosting/msobczak/Blogs/BlogSphere-1_0_2/LordLotusBlog.nsf/d6plinks/MSOK-7H9UKXNoneMike Sobczakhttp://ww2.nutechs.com/hosting/msobczak/Blogs/BlogSphere-1_0_2/LordLotusBlog.nsf/d6plinks/MSOK-7H9UKXhttp://ww2.nutechs.com/hosting/msobczak/Blogs/BlogSphere-1_0_2/LordLotusBlog.nsf/d6plinks/MSOK-7H9UKXtwenty-five more warning signs!

Scarlet Pruitt describes the damage in an article on HR World. For your convenience, here's what to watch out for:

  1. Nothing can get done without the boss's approval.
  2. Nothing can get done unless employees go behind the boss’s back.
  3. No one is sure who the boss really is.
  4. No one is getting paid on time — or at all.
  5. Cubicle mates IM (instant message) each other but never talk.
  6. No one contributes in meeting because everyone is busy IM-ing.
  7. Too many pointless meetings are being held.
  8. There's more than one "secret couple" on staff.
  9. Attorneys outnumber staff.
  10. Reward system? What reward system?
  11. The IT head gets arrested for hosting porn on company servers.
  12. IT rules are so strict that you’re not allowed to know your own computer login.
  13. Your boss — an eccentric Internet millionaire — offers to pay your monthly salary in gold coins because "gold is more stable than the dollar."
  14. Your manager was hired because she listed "whiskey" as a hobby on her résumé.
  15. Your co-worker decides to show, not tell, the visiting U.K. executive what a "wedgie" is at an office holiday party.
  16. The boss takes pride in his "wall of shame," where employee mistakes are posted and circled in red for the entire world to see.
  17. The boss screams at the assistant when there's skim milk instead of half-and-half in the coffee.
  18. Emergency drills are conducted without employees being told that it's a drill.
  19. At least once per week, you hear quiet sobbing from an adjacent cubicle.
  20. Entire departments go to lunch together every day, leaving parts of the company completely unmanned for hours at a time.
  21. What matters is not what you’ve accomplished in a day, but how many hours you were seen "working."
  22. The accounting department has accumulated 23 weeks of paid vacation because no one there has ever taken a day off.
  23. Managers are CCd on every company email, even when it’s just about where to order lunch.
  24. The only way someone can get promoted is if a senior staff member dies.
  25. No one ever gets fired, no matter how ineffective they are at their job.
Wow! Glad I don't at a company where #21 & #25 are the rule of law. Sounds like a government job! ; + )]]>Tue, 12 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -04000http://ww2.nutechs.com/hosting/msobczak/Blogs/BlogSphere-1_0_2/LordLotusBlog.nsf/CommentsRSS?Open&id=F0ECF845A0E0A82E8525749D007C7FE0http://ww2.nutechs.com/hosting/msobczak/Blogs/BlogSphere-1_0_2/LordLotusBlog.nsf/PostComment?RunAgent&id=F0ECF845A0E0A82E8525749D007C7FE0More dysfunctional team-ismshttp://ww2.nutechs.com/hosting/msobczak/Blogs/BlogSphere-1_0_2/LordLotusBlog.nsf/d6plinks/MSOK-7H9UFJCommentaryMike Sobczakhttp://ww2.nutechs.com/hosting/msobczak/Blogs/BlogSphere-1_0_2/LordLotusBlog.nsf/d6plinks/MSOK-7H9UFJhttp://ww2.nutechs.com/hosting/msobczak/Blogs/BlogSphere-1_0_2/LordLotusBlog.nsf/d6plinks/MSOK-7H9UFJblog by Mike Russell titled 10 Signs of a Dysfunctional Workplace:
  1. Nothing can get done without the boss's approval.
  2. To get things done, you have to hide them from the boss.
  3. Who is the boss?
  4. Meetings and protocols.
  5. Overuse of technology.
  6. Lack of Trust and Authenticity.
  7. Favoritism.
  8. What matters is not what gets done.
  9. The Blame Game.
  10. Training and is viewed as a cost or expense rather than an investment.
Looking over the above ten items gives me shivers. Glad I'm not on that team! ]]>Thu, 7 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -04000http://ww2.nutechs.com/hosting/msobczak/Blogs/BlogSphere-1_0_2/LordLotusBlog.nsf/CommentsRSS?Open&id=8AF5956E57B56C358525749D007BDAEBhttp://ww2.nutechs.com/hosting/msobczak/Blogs/BlogSphere-1_0_2/LordLotusBlog.nsf/PostComment?RunAgent&id=8AF5956E57B56C358525749D007BDAEBREDNECK COLLECTIONhttp://ww2.nutechs.com/hosting/msobczak/Blogs/BlogSphere-1_0_2/LordLotusBlog.nsf/d6plinks/MSOK-7HA2YBHumorMike Sobczakhttp://ww2.nutechs.com/hosting/msobczak/Blogs/BlogSphere-1_0_2/LordLotusBlog.nsf/d6plinks/MSOK-7HA2YBhttp://ww2.nutechs.com/hosting/msobczak/Blogs/BlogSphere-1_0_2/LordLotusBlog.nsf/d6plinks/MSOK-7HA2YBWed, 6 Aug 2008 20:48:24 -04000http://ww2.nutechs.com/hosting/msobczak/Blogs/BlogSphere-1_0_2/LordLotusBlog.nsf/CommentsRSS?Open&id=870C30A090C9ABEE8525749E00046EA0http://ww2.nutechs.com/hosting/msobczak/Blogs/BlogSphere-1_0_2/LordLotusBlog.nsf/PostComment?RunAgent&id=870C30A090C9ABEE8525749E00046EA0Reflections of...dysfunctional teamshttp://ww2.nutechs.com/hosting/msobczak/Blogs/BlogSphere-1_0_2/LordLotusBlog.nsf/d6plinks/MSOK-7H9U56CommentaryMike Sobczakhttp://ww2.nutechs.com/hosting/msobczak/Blogs/BlogSphere-1_0_2/LordLotusBlog.nsf/d6plinks/MSOK-7H9U56http://ww2.nutechs.com/hosting/msobczak/Blogs/BlogSphere-1_0_2/LordLotusBlog.nsf/d6plinks/MSOK-7H9U56article by Sandra Phillips, titled Top Seven Signs You Have a Dysfunctional Team…And What to Do About It that does an excellent job summarizing what I've experienced in the past. For quick reference, here are the seven warning signs:

  1. Team members are disengaged and show only minimal effort.
  2. Team members have difficulty moving into new roles as part of a team.
  3. Team projects have uninspired results.
  4. Arguments, tension and resentment develop among team members.
  5. Team members need to be more responsive to customers.
  6. Team leaders and members have trouble identifying and managing the team's needs.
  7. You, the leader, are at a loss for what to do.
If the team you're currently on exhibits any of the above symptoms, look for the nearest Exit sign! ; + )

I am definitely glad that my current team works in the exact opposite manner. It definitely makes work more enjoyable and more productive.]]>Wed, 6 Aug 2008 18:16:11 -04000http://ww2.nutechs.com/hosting/msobczak/Blogs/BlogSphere-1_0_2/LordLotusBlog.nsf/CommentsRSS?Open&id=FE79C6223B43B8048525749D007A5519http://ww2.nutechs.com/hosting/msobczak/Blogs/BlogSphere-1_0_2/LordLotusBlog.nsf/PostComment?RunAgent&id=FE79C6223B43B8048525749D007A5519Firefighter & the little girl http://ww2.nutechs.com/hosting/msobczak/Blogs/BlogSphere-1_0_2/LordLotusBlog.nsf/d6plinks/MSOK-7HA35JHumorMike Sobczakhttp://ww2.nutechs.com/hosting/msobczak/Blogs/BlogSphere-1_0_2/LordLotusBlog.nsf/d6plinks/MSOK-7HA35Jhttp://ww2.nutechs.com/hosting/msobczak/Blogs/BlogSphere-1_0_2/LordLotusBlog.nsf/d6plinks/MSOK-7HA35JMon, 4 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -04000http://ww2.nutechs.com/hosting/msobczak/Blogs/BlogSphere-1_0_2/LordLotusBlog.nsf/CommentsRSS?Open&id=2B95961DB1A062408525749E0005334Ahttp://ww2.nutechs.com/hosting/msobczak/Blogs/BlogSphere-1_0_2/LordLotusBlog.nsf/PostComment?RunAgent&id=2B95961DB1A062408525749E0005334ADon't mess with the snakehttp://ww2.nutechs.com/hosting/msobczak/Blogs/BlogSphere-1_0_2/LordLotusBlog.nsf/d6plinks/MSOK-7HAVU3HumorMike Sobczakhttp://ww2.nutechs.com/hosting/msobczak/Blogs/BlogSphere-1_0_2/LordLotusBlog.nsf/d6plinks/MSOK-7HAVU3http://ww2.nutechs.com/hosting/msobczak/Blogs/BlogSphere-1_0_2/LordLotusBlog.nsf/d6plinks/MSOK-7HAVU3
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