Action Item saves the day!!

[me4osu]

I work with a few people like this. Kind of makes you come out of a meeting with a confused look on your face.



#ad

 

[TDRadmin]

Been there, done that, left the big "corporate" scene

Very most excellent post. Got my day off to a smile.



Robin

TDR Admin

 

[Rotty]

Sounds like what is done here at work. Don't a darn thing done but more meetings scheduled!

I love it though, describes what goes on here.

 

[Jumbo Jet]

BS bingo

NEW MEETING PROCEDURE



Do you keep falling asleep at meetings? What about those long and boring conference calls? Here's a way to change all of that!



1. Before (or during) your next meeting, seminar, or conference call, prepare your "Bullshirt Bingo" card by drawing a square. I find that 5"x 5" is a good size. Divide it into columns - five across and five down. That will give you 25 1-inch blocks.



2. Write one of the following words/phrases in each block (or, custom-tailor the card by writing in your own organization's overused words/phrases):



Synergy

Strategic Fit

Core Competencies

Best Practices

Bottom Line

Revisit

Take That Off-line

24/7

Out of the Loop

Benchmark

Value-Added

Proactive

Win-Win

Think Outside the Box

Fast Track

Result-Driven

Empower(ment)

Knowledge Base

At the End of the Day

Touch Base

Mindset

Client Focus(ed)

Ballpark

Game Plan

Leverage



3. Check off the appropriate block when you hear one of those overworked words/phrases.



4. When you get five blocks horizontally, vertically, or diagonally,

stand up and shout "BULLSHIRT!"



The following are testimonials from satisfied "Bullshirt Bingo" players:



"I had been in the meeting for only five minutes when I

won!"

Jack W. , Boston, MA



"My attention span at meetings has improved dramatically!"

David D. , Tampa, FL



"What a blast! Meetings will never be the same for me after my first win. "

Bill R. , New York, NY



"The atmosphere was tense in the last meeting as 14 of us waited for the fifth box!"

Ben G. , Denver, CO



"The speaker was stunned as eight of us screamed "BULLSHIRT!!" for the third time in two hours !"

Kathleen L. , Atlanta, GA

 

[JFitzgerald]

Sounds all too familiar...

All those same empty BS terms have infiltrated my company too.



We were once a family owned, flourishing business full of folks who cared and liked to come to work (as much as anyone can). The company got bought up by a corporate giant, then new management came in and now - it's just a job. Not a one of us is happy. But, that seems to be the new way to run businesses. $$ is all that matters now, not customer service, quality, etc. Sad, very sad.



Jumbo Jet, that is too . :-laf :-laf

 

[dremelts]

Originally posted by Rotty

Sounds like what is done here at work. Don't a darn thing done but more meetings scheduled!

"And we're going to keep on having these meetings until we figure out why productivity is so low. " (quote from a Dilbert comic strip).

 

[Steve Graham]

OK, slightly off the topic, but my girlfriend sent me this today.



enjoy

Steve



Researchers have recently discovered the heaviest element known to science: administratium.

Administratium has one neutron, 12 assistant neutrons, 75 deputy neutrons and 111 assistant deputy neutrons, giving it an

atomic mass of 312.

These 312 particles are held together by a force called morons, which are surrounded by vast quantities of particles called

peons.

Since administratium has no electrons, it is inert. However, it can be detected because it impedes every reaction with which

it comes into contact. A minute amount of administratium causes one reaction to take more than four days to complete when it

would normally take less than one second.

Administratium has a normal half-life of three years. It does not decay but, instead, undergoes a reorganization, in which a

number of the assistant neutrons and deputy neutrons and assistant deputy neutrons exchange places. In fact,

administratium's mass will actually increase over time, since each reorganization causes some morons to become neutrons,

forming new isodopes.

This characteristic of moron transformation leads some scientists to speculate that administratium is formed whenever

morons reach a certain quantity in concentration. This hypothetical quantity is referred to as "critical morass". You will know

it when you see it.

 

[ZEEEW]

I think some corporations are more interested in power than in money. If they would treat employees like people, with some respect, instead of telling them that "work is number one, family number two", they would make MORE money, because people wouldnt hate thier jobs so much. Would certainly save money from less turnover if they would work on keeping the people they have, instead of trying to entice people to work there, then treating them like crap. There are still good companies out there, but it does seem that more are leaving out plain old decency in the way they treat people. .

 

[JFitzgerald]

I agree ZEEEW. That's pretty much what happens here. If it weren't for the currently slow job market, there would be some heavy turnover here. Watch out when the jobs start popping up...

 

[Rotty]

Steve graham: You are start to describe what management is doing here.

JFitzgerald: Almost the same here but the owner retired and the senior management is now running things with a high political factor.

Example: Director and VP have meetings for 3 days on what email to send to our austrialia office on requesting information and equipment that i had requested 3 months prior in a conference call and many emails.

I was recently demoted back to peon because management did not like my management techniques, I got things done and 10 times the work that they did. . Read, I did their work as well as mine and was making them look bad.

 

[JFitzgerald]

Rotty,

Same deal here. I was engineering manager before. Now I have two people. When the "smarter dummies" came in, they didn't like my style either. My "style" is treating people with respect and understanding, putting up with some of their quirks as long as they are productive, giving them the benefit of the doubt until you have proof of wrongdoing. Their style is "you should be glad you have a job", "you're not putting in enough hours", "you have a bad attitude" (because of the games they play with me and my co-workers), and "if you don't like it, get the hell out". If an engineer makes one mistake, these guys are on a witch hunt. Politics are very strong here now too. If you suck up, you're the best in their eyes. I resist their changes when they do not make sense (the usual), and continue to do things the right way, so I'm viewed as resistant to change. In fact, I'm open to change as long as it is for a good reason. I've been here 15 years, none of the management over me has been here a year yet. They continue to do things we learned were wrong years ago, but they won't listen because it was not their idea, and they're supposed to be proving their worth, right? Thinking about taking them up on their offer to go back to being an engineer, and not managing. Always on pins and needles.



Sorry for venting so long... #@$%!

 

[rmrc]

That cartoon is PERFECT!!!!



I just sent it to all me co-workers. We have been suffering through the most USELESS conference calls that one can imagine. Not only do they re-hash the same crap over and over, the topics that are discussed are totally useless regarding the bottom line of making a profit for the corporation. No wonder why America is in a bad financial condition.