So why did my inept former boss go:
What she pushed or went of her own accord? I think it was a bit of both. She knew her 6 mth probation period was drawing to a close and that she had delivered nothing apart from a team who were demoralised and miserable. Plus she had few, if any, allies left within the business and there was no way that that information was not filtering it's way to the very top. It wasn't just the marketing team complaining, it was everyone. There was no way that the management could continue ignoring it.
How did she view herself? I honestly think she viewed herself as being very good at her job, a real case of the emperor's new clothes. Towards to the end she was even saying to members of the team "well one day when you work for a real company" - implying that the she was above everyone else and that the company was at fault.
She must have truly believed her own hype that she was the bees knees. How else could she survive and be so confident even when out of her depth and sinking via her flood of bad decisions that people were picking up on more and more.
Why did she do it? She was in and out of work and had been unemployed for quite a while. I guess therefore her having any job, even one way out of her realms of understanding, was better than having none. It's always easier to find a new job when you are in a job.
She got to where she was by working by being brash and confident regardless of whether she knew what she was doing and taking credit for other peoples work and ideas. Her background in large agencies meant that she could hide away her actual ineptness. Far too many people who would have covered her tracks and the fact that she knew how to do nothing on her own, working for a small company with a small team left her exposed.
Really, there is no way to know what she thought and why because on the rare occasions that she actually spoke to the team what she said was often contradictory and blatant lies. Whenever we pieced together what she said nothing ever rang true. All I do now is that she's gone and thankfully the team are far happier and the business are actually talking to them again.
I still think that you jumping ship was the catalyst for her leaving. ;-)
ReplyDeleteFWIW consistency (and the inner voice) are a conceit shoved down our throats by bad novelists. Think of a new job: you can feel both apprehensive and excited simultaneously. One day, the excitement is at the fore and you give a positive opinion; the next day fear dominates and your answers are more low key
The out-of-work theory sounds plausible. We both know you can't turn down jobs on JSA. And we both know that being unemployed breeds desperation: if the wrong offer were to come along, you would take it and hope. My current contract, for example, was a poison chalice but it was the only offer I had (and given my performance, I'm not sure why I haven't been fired). So if it was just desperation, she has my sympathy.
But the comment about "well one day when you work for a real company" makes me think she overestimates her abilities. Things worked when she was in a big company and she doesn't understand that she didn't contribute to that. (Or maybe big business needs people to manage the bureaucracy?) Taking credit for other people's work hints at personality issues, too. (Although, it could be a sign of desperation.)
Hopefully she'll reflect, realise her faults, and grow. Has she moved on to another job?
She has moved onto another job for an IT company as a director again there. At least she knows a bit about that sector even though she is flawed in every other aspect.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes she had some serious weird personality issues. OCD, weird ticks, migraines etc - she was thoroughly unpleasant and left everyone on edge.
Would be good to think my departure hastened her departure but sadly I think other factors would have played a greater part.