Involve Me When It's Too Late

There are times that a person's manager in Cube City is worthless beyond words. I've observed some pretty moronic management behavior over the years. My favorite is the whole "Involve Me When It's Too Late" management style -- you know, the manager who hangs you out to dry and tells you to "figure it out." So you no longer involve your manager with your pitiful requests for mentorship and growth. You go "figure it out" and march blindly forward. You have no idea what you're doing.

But somehow, you do figure it out. You get some resources, you get some advice and help from people who don't get paid to be your manager or mentor, and you develop a game plan. Then you put the game plan into place.

It is at this time, when the work is done and you're about to change the world by rolling it out, that your manager pops back into your life like a forgotten magic trick. And *poof!* Your work magically disappears as part of your manager's act. This either means that your work was really good, to the point of threatening your manager, or really bad...as it should be...because you didn't know what the hell you were doing.

I don't understand people who want to have no involvement in something until they see the finished product, at which time they rip it apart and suddenly have a great deal to think and say about it. Where were they in the beginning? Why wouldn't they help when you needed them? Why do they ignore you when you need help, and bother you when you don't? I don't know. I suppose I should just try to "figure it out."