Michael Jordan's Weblog

I once worked for a manager who would ask for deliverables that could reasonably be done in a variety of ways. The assignments, when given, were relatively simple but also a bit ambiguous -- which left me with kind of a "however it gets done is ok"-feeling.

After some period of time and providing the results of different approaches, this manager would produce an example from a past job of exactly what he was looking for, then add "This is what I had in mind" -- which left me with kind of a "why didn't you just give that to me to begin with?"-feeling.

I saw him do this to others in our group, explaining that he told everyone that he needed 'X' and that if they didn't get him "the right answer" he would make the decision (as much as he said he hated to do that).

I suppose I can see why a manager might do this. But it also seems like a waste of time. I'll have to think about it...