Return of the PHB

Dear Reader,

I never thought I would see this day but nonetheless I have. I've actually encountered a PHB in real life. No really... I'm not kidding. I've really encountered one in real life. And this PHB exactly matches the one in Dilbert's comic strips. For those who don't know, PHB stands for 'Pointy Haired Boss' and is a character in Dilberts comics by Scott Adams. PHB is best described by the first few lines in his Wikipedia page. Copy and pasted below verbatim,

"The Pointy-haired Boss (or Pointy-headed Boss often abbreviated to just PHB^[1] or "The Boss") is Dilbert's boss in the Dilbert comic strip. He is notable for his micromanagement, gross incompetence, obliviousness to his surroundings, and unhelpful buzzword usage; yet somehow retains power in the workplace."

AND

The PHB's real name is unknown in the comic...

As much as I'd like to tell you the name of my real life PHB, I'll take a hint from Scott Adams and not name him/her.

What I've come to realize is that it is just not possible to deal with this person. Initially, I used to think that he/she will get over it, it can't be possible that someone is so much like a PHB. I've tried other ways to deal with situations but those too didn't help. Then I recalled PHB in Dilbert and started viewing things from a different lens. It then all made sense. I was able to relate to PHB's behavior in just the same context as in the comic book. Similar situations, similar behavior, and similar results. It was an eye opener and made it a little easy to get through a work day with a PHB around. I could not stop laughing when I actually came across some situations in real life as depicted in the comics (you can read some good ones at The 10 Best Pointy Haired Boss Moments From Dilbert )

I also realized that there are subtle ways to deal with them without them knowing. Here is one link that I found.

Leadership: Dealing With the Pointy-Haired Boss

Here is another one that I came across...

The Seven Habits of Pointy-Haired Bosses

This one was an interesting read...

The funny thing about PHBs are that they just don't know they are PHB material. They just survive and make other's lives miserable without even realizing it. To top it off they feel they are doing us a favor by being this way. Clearly trying their best to reach the top of the Moron-mountain.

Here is a typical conversation with a PHB.

• Dilbert: I discovered a hole in our Internet security.
• PointyHairedBoss: What?!! Good grief, man! How could you put a hole in our Internet?
• Dilbert: I didn't _put_ it there. I _found_ it... And it's not...
• PointyHairedBoss: It's your job to fix that hole. I want you to work 24-7!
• Dilbert: Actually, that's _not_ my job. But I'll inform our network management group.
• PointyHairedBoss: PASSING THE BUCK! YOU'RE A BUCK PASSER!
• Dilbert: Forget it! There's no hole! It got better.
• PointyHairedBoss: That's more like it.
• PointyHairedBoss (thinking to himself): I fixed the Internet.

This actually happened to me but in a different context.

We've all encountered a PHB in our work at some time or the other. I was fortunate to have not encountered one for 16 years and then I did. It took me a while to get around it and face the facts. But when you see things from a PHB perspective... well they will make sense from a PHB perspective ;-).

Tell me about the PHBs you've encountered in your work in the comments section.

Until next time.

Jyothin

PS: Stay safe... from the PHB :-)

One 'Action Item' list to rule them all; my precious 'Action Items'

Dear Reader,

Welcome back. It has been a while since I've blogged and I certainly need to get back into a regular rhythm. Lately, I've been tied up with a long list of action items. We all have lists of items that we need to work on and get done. One list for yourself, one list for your family, one list for work, etc. 'ToDo' lists are a very useful way to keep track of the things one needs to do and make sure you get them done. They also serve as an effective way to not forget things and have them written some where for reference. For some, writing them down is a form of committing to getting it done. For others, crossing items off a list gives them a sense of accomplishment.

I too use ToDo lists. I have a ToDo list for things that I need to purchase from the grocery store. I have a ToDo list for things that need to get done in general, such as, 'Clean the car', 'Pay my insurance premium', 'Buy gifts for someone', etc.. They usually don't have a deadline associated to them. They are just there so as not to forget things. When an item on my ToDo list is time bound, I put in on my personal calendar. For example, 'Pay the electricity bill' is a monthly reminder on my personal calendar. Since the item does not really require any prior work, it transitions from an item on my Todo list to a reminder on my calendar. Items that I do on a daily basis, that I usually don't forget, or that has been trained by my muscle mind; I don't put them down on a ToDo list.

I've seen some people get really fancy with ToDo lists. Almost to the point that they have an item on their list, to create a new list. Even things as regular as brush your teeth or take a bath, are on their ToDo list!! But I'm sure they have good reasons for it.

At work, these lists are most often also called Action Items: things that need to get done by a specific person within a specific time frame. BUT there is a big difference when an action item is assigned by someone else vs. an action item that you assign to yourself. An action item assigned by someone else is, most often, perceived as 'extra work'. 'I already have a ton of things to do during a day and I certainly don't need someone assigning me more work'. Most often action items are not scoped out appropriately enough to know if they can really be done within the time frame or need more time or are simply complex enough to warrant its own list ;-)

At work, I maintain a list of items in a hand written book along with other notes for quick and easy reference in the future. However, for me it is just a way to not forget things or to refer to an important discussion point in the past.

I was once in a meeting where the meeting organizer was assigning items to someone who was not even in the meeting and not even in the organization!! In the next meeting, the meeting organizer was calling on to them to give a status update and they weren't even invited to the meeting. How wierd is that!! I've also been in meetings where the debate is on what exactly should be written as an item on the ToDo list!! And the person assigned to the item was not even part of the debate. How crazy is that!!

There is tons of research on why ToDo lists work and why they don't work. I haven't come across an article yet where a successful leader has said, 'I live by ToDo lists'. I also believe that's not how a leader should lead i.e. by making ToDo lists and assigning them to others. I don't do it.

ToDo lists don't work

Why lists don't work and how to change that

ToDo list alternative

So, what's next on your ToDo list? ;-)

Until next time.

Jyothin