tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5936951073896589340.post3369056277136406997..comments2024-03-29T06:34:24.945-07:00Comments on LLNL - The True Story -: What may have happened to ParneyUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger43125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5936951073896589340.post-85404054464963161702014-02-13T18:48:47.685-08:002014-02-13T18:48:47.685-08:00Again another response out of context. You are off...Again another response out of context. You are offering no new information. Boring. Zzzzzz. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5936951073896589340.post-83916952902753036482014-02-13T12:15:46.858-08:002014-02-13T12:15:46.858-08:00Goals will meet with the approval of some employee...Goals will meet with the approval of some employees, and the disapproval of others, no matter their specifics. That's real life. If you don't respond by considering yourself a "company of one" whose best interests must come first, you are setting yourself up for failure. If you grew up without having had firmly implanted in your mind the difference between a "boss" and a "worker" your early education was deficient.<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5936951073896589340.post-64921663349477094792014-02-13T10:05:44.526-08:002014-02-13T10:05:44.526-08:00No one here has said employer goals must meet the ...No one here has said employer goals must meet the exclusive approval of one "worker bee" employee. Where did this idea come from? This is a gross exaggeration. Advertise "open communications" but when load tested it is "our way or the highway"? This is your leadership grand plan? <br /><br /> Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5936951073896589340.post-51441095449030874332014-02-13T09:06:04.281-08:002014-02-13T09:06:04.281-08:00there is no such manager employee unified goal.
F...there is no such manager employee unified goal.<br /><br />February 13, 2014 at 7:32 AM<br /><br />I never said there was. I talked about unified *effort* towards the goals of the institution. The naive idea is to think that those goals must necessarily be ones you agree with. If they are, fine. If they aren't, then you have some decisions to make. Is it better for you to be unhappy and therefore lose the opportunity for fulfillment and success, or is it better for you to seek employment somewhere that can happen?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5936951073896589340.post-20906640832748944492014-02-13T07:32:35.593-08:002014-02-13T07:32:35.593-08:00"...I happen to think that the absolute best ..."...I happen to think that the absolute best job to have is one where everyone, employees and management, works willingly and diligently to support the goals of the organization, knowing that that is the road to career fulfillment and success..."<br /><br />You are a little naive but have the right concept. As 2-13-14 5:19am said, there is no such manager employee unified goal. It is an exclusive club. Employees are not included as you dream of but perhaps your dream will yield an A grade in your next High School economics essay.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5936951073896589340.post-47801273159345498182014-02-13T05:19:06.668-08:002014-02-13T05:19:06.668-08:00Well it's about empowerment, isn't it? It...Well it's about empowerment, isn't it? It's hard to work willingly and dilligently to support the goals of the organization if you have no input into those goals. Good managers make sure their people feel like a team, and if that team is a bunch of smart highly educated people, that means listening to them and treating their opinions as valuable for helping determine the goals of the organization. Instead, many treat management as an exclusive club with closed doors and soundproof walls. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5936951073896589340.post-74008532295511249692014-02-12T21:13:12.719-08:002014-02-12T21:13:12.719-08:00Don't worry, your cushy management job is safe...Don't worry, your cushy management job is safe. Don't be alarmed or flustered.<br /><br />February 12, 2014 at 7:39 PM<br /><br />Oh, I'm not a manager, far from it. I was just chuckling in amazement about your juvenile fantasy. It is very interesting that for all the employee-vs-management whining that goes on on this blog, no one ever proposes any kind of solution other than continued, ever increasing acrimony. Don't you guys ever actually talk to your supervisors/managers, in a professional, courteous manner seeking mutual benefit? No? Must suck to be in that kind of a job. I happen to think that the absolute best job to have is one where everyone, employees and management, works willingly and diligently to support the goals of the organization, knowing that that is the road to career fulfillment and success. If you can't bring yourself to do that, or if that isn't your idea of success, why do you stay in a job where you so obviously do not fit? Why keep up this giant self-deception that the employees should be the ones to determine the goals of the organization? Don't the windmills in your neighborhood have enough tilt-marks in them?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5936951073896589340.post-18255370072112030812014-02-12T19:39:51.419-08:002014-02-12T19:39:51.419-08:00There was no mention of the probability of "b...There was no mention of the probability of "bouncing" occurring, only that it is needed. Don't worry, your cushy management job is safe. Don't be alarmed or flustered. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5936951073896589340.post-55955278216995791512014-02-12T19:27:15.186-08:002014-02-12T19:27:15.186-08:00"Directive reset" meaning managers swift..."Directive reset" meaning managers swiftly and publicly bounced out of their managerial functions and into "low impact" assignments or fired.<br /><br />February 12, 2014 at 4:56 PM<br /><br />Yeah, that'll happen. Just who will do the "bouncing"?? I bet it will happen sooner if you hold your breath. Or stand on one leg. Or just keep saying "LaLaLaLaLaLa..." Any one of those should work like a charm.<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5936951073896589340.post-89909692065297880672014-02-12T16:56:49.106-08:002014-02-12T16:56:49.106-08:00".. This is why LLNS needs a "directive...".. This is why LLNS needs a "directive" reset...."<br /><br />"Directive reset" meaning managers swiftly and publicly bounced out of their managerial functions and into "low impact" assignments or fired.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5936951073896589340.post-40784656290581099112014-02-12T16:43:07.279-08:002014-02-12T16:43:07.279-08:00"...Sorry, that's *ineffective manager* d..."...Sorry, that's *ineffective manager* defined (in the eyes of other managers, which is all that counts to a manager who wants to keep his job. You may like to have the opposite as a manager, but that won't last for long..."<br /><br />You have just defined a "Borg" manager that cares not about employees or written policy. His only concern is protecting the "hive" management structure. This is why LLNS needs a "directive" reset. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5936951073896589340.post-89447826445583625262014-02-12T13:57:45.874-08:002014-02-12T13:57:45.874-08:00Sorry, that's *ineffective manager* defined (i...Sorry, that's *ineffective manager* defined (in the eyes of other managers, which is all that counts to a manager who wants to keep his job. You may like to have the opposite as a manager, but that won't last for long.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5936951073896589340.post-16464354213745237982014-02-12T09:52:54.043-08:002014-02-12T09:52:54.043-08:00"Effective manager" defined:
Answer 1....<br />"Effective manager" defined: <br /><br />Answer 1. "...Exactly my point. Thank you..." <br /><br />Very funny but dodges the question <br /><br /><br />Answer 2. "... Become perceived as someone who is <br /> not 100% behind the bigger manager, and <br /> you get left behind, which is the worst <br /> possible thing for that personality type..."<br /><br />Bingo! We have a winner!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5936951073896589340.post-46655978896022131462014-02-12T06:24:23.939-08:002014-02-12T06:24:23.939-08:00Low-level managers may be normal reasonable people...Low-level managers may be normal reasonable people, but it has always seemed to me that as you go up the chain you are left with people who increasingly only exist to please their own managers, with the exception of the occasional hard-charging maverick. It takes a certain personality type to want to go there, and that personality type will of course worry mostly about how they are perceived by their managers. Become perceived as someone who is not 100% behind the bigger manager, and you get left behind, which is the worst possible thing for that personality type.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5936951073896589340.post-3146171374844420292014-02-11T19:17:58.365-08:002014-02-11T19:17:58.365-08:00An "ineffective manager" is based on one...An "ineffective manager" is based on ones point of reference. Please define effective and ineffective managers. <br /><br />February 11, 2014 at 12:28 PM<br /><br />Exactly my point. Thank you.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5936951073896589340.post-35538038875932803652014-02-11T12:28:58.368-08:002014-02-11T12:28:58.368-08:00"...Having been a mid-level manager at the la..."...Having been a mid-level manager at the lab, I can say that the average manager is much more concerned, even fearful, of losing his job than the average non-management employee. The charge of being an ineffective manager is much easier to level against someone, and much harder to defend against, then the charge of being an ineffective scientist. The former is almost entirely opinion-based, while the latter is almost entirely fact-based..."<br /><br />An "ineffective manager" is based on ones point of reference. Please define effective and ineffective managers. <br /><br />If the bar is set so high for managers and "less than factual" charges against managers will endanger their jobs, why don't we see more managers pop in and out of existence at LLNS? For most managers the worse they can expect is a lateral move with their salary intact. I'm not sure your observation is as grave as you make it out to be. <br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5936951073896589340.post-24007664692266465402014-02-11T10:09:51.411-08:002014-02-11T10:09:51.411-08:00Having been a mid-level manager at the lab, I can ...Having been a mid-level manager at the lab, I can say that the average manager is much more concerned, even fearful, of losing his job than the average non-management employee. The charge of being an ineffective manager is much easier to level against someone, and much harder to defend against, then the charge of being an ineffective scientist. The former is almost entirely opinion-based, while the latter is almost entirely fact-based.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5936951073896589340.post-40374261333600761102014-02-11T08:31:10.691-08:002014-02-11T08:31:10.691-08:00Some LLNS managers are just not "prime time&q...Some LLNS managers are just not "prime time" material. Instead of addressing this fact, uninvolved managers get sucked into the vortex and end up circling the wagons due to peer pressure or career reasons. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5936951073896589340.post-88151967169047874342014-02-09T12:41:36.323-08:002014-02-09T12:41:36.323-08:00Yes the Tiger Team pendulum swung far. There are i...Yes the Tiger Team pendulum swung far. There are innocent and sincere managers and many with leadership qualities. The rough spectrum of innocence to guilty goes something like this in my view: <br /><br />1. innocent through career or a new hire<br />2. heard of the situation but a step removed from it<br />3. directly aware situation but not contributing <br />4. enabling situation to continue <br /> (3 and 4 are slivers apart)<br />5. directly involved or complicit with situation <br /> via an overlapping process or responsibility <br />6. directly involved and the source of the conduct<br />7. threatening coworkers or subordinates to hide <br /> conduct<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5936951073896589340.post-55781728033021557722014-02-09T11:19:37.763-08:002014-02-09T11:19:37.763-08:00The Tiger Teams are a flawed analogy at best when ...The Tiger Teams are a flawed analogy at best when discussing the prospect of legally culpable LLNS managers going to jail. It is very obvious to all managers which ones are in violation of the law. Misdeeds at that level cannot be hidden from your peers. If someone is actually prosecuted and convicted (vanishingly small probability) then the innocent managers will have no reason to fear. With the Tiger Teams, all managers were in jeopardy of losing their jobs if they didn't "get on the bus." They were presumed guilty until proven innocent, which is DOE/NNSA's preferred way of doing business. Of course, you will disagree if you are one of the ones who believe there are no innocent managers.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5936951073896589340.post-88502837744117086842014-02-09T10:34:45.416-08:002014-02-09T10:34:45.416-08:00I remember the tiger teams too. They served a pur...I remember the tiger teams too. They served a purpose and got a safety-first culture going that did not exist before. But the managers took it too far, and played "gotcha" games to earn points for appearing to be crazy about safety, to the exclusion of getting work done. Miller epitomized that, crying on stage about the topic. And every brown-nosed manager who wanted to climb higher suddenly found the safety Jesus, or fell off the ladder. It no longer mattered if it made sense, the appearance of being crazy about safety was all that mattered.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5936951073896589340.post-26677706806050085392014-02-09T09:24:06.336-08:002014-02-09T09:24:06.336-08:00"...Yeah, and a golden egg dropping on the he..."...Yeah, and a golden egg dropping on the head of a goose farmer in Michigan will have everybody buying geese right quick..."<br /><br />I guess you don't remember the "Tiger Team" efforts of the early 90s. There were eggs dropping around the complex back then but they weren't golden. Employees at some of these sites were prosecuted for environmental violations. A renewed and serious concern for the environment followed and contractors across the complex DID "find Jesus" or "enlightenment" right quick. <br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5936951073896589340.post-72068333680803034102014-02-08T21:31:15.914-08:002014-02-08T21:31:15.914-08:00An observation of a fellow LLNS manager being jail...An observation of a fellow LLNS manager being jailed will cause an "I found Jesus" moment right quick.<br /><br /> February 8, 2014 at 5:30 PM<br /><br />Yeah, and a golden egg dropping on the head of a goose farmer in Michigan will have everybody buying geese right quick.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5936951073896589340.post-14158739458061295952014-02-08T17:30:34.548-08:002014-02-08T17:30:34.548-08:00An observation of a fellow LLNS manager being jail...An observation of a fellow LLNS manager being jailed will cause an "I found Jesus" moment right quick.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5936951073896589340.post-22614539935819998442014-02-08T17:22:16.063-08:002014-02-08T17:22:16.063-08:00LLNS needs a "Tiger Team" like reset.LLNS needs a "Tiger Team" like reset.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com