Between running errands today, I just happened to check my home e-mail and see that a fellow PCA member was having a little birthday get-together at Fat Jack's tonight. (This bar is now nationally famous as it is frequented by Sam Shepherd.) I decided to join the festivities.
I enter the bar and see some PCA people and a manager from my area at work who likes to hang out with the PCA crowd (he owns two Corvettes, a '60 and an '08--we're not picky
). What surprises me is that next to him, is his boss, who is my boss's boss.
Now, I just switched managers last week. (Not uncommon in my department. In fact, the fact that I have only had 4 managers in 9 years is somewhat unusual in my department. Most people have had many more!) I got some insight into the political issues that are going on a level or two above me. Quite the education!
Being a peon, I kept my mouth shut and just listened. It was clear to me that my old manager wasn't well-liked by the other managers, and my new manager isn't really that popular either. It seems my prospect for a promotion isn't all that great for the time-being. I also learned that my old manager had a habit of dumping work on the good-looking women in the unit. I'm not sure, but when I joined this guy's unit three years ago (old manager), a female friend of mine, who had had him as a manager seemed mighty suspicious, though she wouldn't tell me why at the time. (I still think there is more to the story.)
Part of me would like to make it into management some day. Part of me has no tolerance for the politics that comes with the territory. Tonight was a real eye-opener. Perhaps I will go back to Plan A and just become an indispensable technical authority--some of them can be paid as well or better than management.