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Thu, 6 Sep 2012 08:26:19 -0700

Many people are suffering being Micromanaged. Some people fight it, some people work around it, some people don’t recognize it, and some people just don’t care.

Let’s take first a look at yourself. What are you doing while working in a Micromanaged environment? To which category do you belong?

You are fighting micromanagement:

Congratulations, you are still in a mentally healthy situation. You recognize what’s bad for you and you are fighting it. The only thing you will need is the tools which you need to win the battle.
Since Micromanager are full of fear, they can not really see positive things in the situation they want to micromanage. You do see the benefits and the positive pieces of the situation. So you know where to go but it makes no sense to convince the MM from the positive things. The only emotion they will react on is fear. So just make the unwanted direction more fearful for them as the one they want to go. The MM will change mind and follow the less dangerous way. Don’t get excited when you talk to the mm, he will stop immediately to understand you and he will turn agains you. Talk about how dangerous it is to.... and he will listen.
Tip: Make sure that your never agree with the fear yourself. Surround yourself with happy high level positive people where ever you have the chance to.

Another way to fight mm is to be very good organized and have the answers for their follow ups and reporting ready before they even ask for it. If you are in a position which demands more knowledge than the mm has, don’t hesitate to put the full data in the reports. Even if the mm does not understand it, he will be impressed and will be very satisfied with your reports.

Another way to fight mm is to set you own goals without broadcasting them widely. Just make sure that this activities support the company and your job. Then achieve this goals.

Its very important that you stay productive and efficient. Your moral stays up to the degree you do your job. Success will follow almost automatically. Don’t wait for acknowledgement, you don’t need it. Acknowledge yourself for good results and go on. You know what you did and you can be proud of it without somebody tells you. If you ever doubt this, just look where you are and be aware that you are aware of your situation, this means that you are in a good condition compared to the majority of the people who don’t even know. You are on the right way!

You are angry about being micromanaged

OK, this is understandable but it does not really help. You are mad at people and people will be mad at you. This leads nowhere (positive).

You have actually two ways to get out of the situation:

1. Go up and fight mm by following above advise
2. Quit you job and find a better one. This is at the recent situation easier said than done and the worst is, that you will most likely come in the same kind of environment again. The best is number 1: fight it with the advise above.

YOU are in fear about the situation will become worse if you do anything about it

This is the level on which you are very easy to be manipulated and the most you do is to try to do some hidden fearful actions behind the back of the mm. This leads nowhere. You can work for a long time like this, but your life is going to be very miserable and you will be faster “burned out” than you can imagine.

The best would be if you can manage to follow the above fighting advise. But this is very hard for you because your environment (people around you, TV shows, news papers, your church, government officials and least but not last your mm is very busy working to keep you where you are. People in todays society believe that people in fear are the easiest to control. Thats the reason why the news and the media in general are full of bad things and they don’t report a lot of good things. You need to break out of this deadly “bad news” circle first before you can do anything about your mm situation.
1. Stop reading newspapers, you don’t need this information
2. Stop watching news on TV, or on your computer, you don’t need this information
3. Stop listening to people who are always spreading the bad news around, you don’t need them
4. You will feel better after 2 weeks following this advise and you may come to the conclusion to try to fight mm with the advise above

Thinking about your situation in the company frustrates you and you are nattering about it

This is not productive, not efficient. It is destructive. Look what you can improve on your side and don’t blame others. Take more responsibility for your job and just be a more successful employe. You have the capabilities to be a valuable member of the team but you block yourself. Stop talking, start doing something about it. Bring yourself up to the point where you can follow the above advise how to fight mm.

I really hope this advise helps you to deal better with micromanagement and makes you to a valuable team member which people can count on.

MICROMANAGEMENT: Arguments/opinions/facts?

Sun, 8 Jul 2012 14:35:21 -0700

Many people work in a micromanaged environment and they don’t know what happens to them. Let’s see first what micromanagement really is:

Micromanagement is no management at all, it is just coping and dealing with everything, even if it is not someone’s job.

I can make some examples how you discover if you are micromanaged.

A very easy way is to count how often the name of people are mentioned in a company. If the name of the boss is mentioned way more than other names, you have the first indicator.

If no one can make a decision without asking the boss, no matter how minor the issue is, you have another hint.

If it takes for ever to get something approved and everything goes through the boss, there is Micromanagement.

If you feel that the control factor is very high in the company and there are things like camera surveillance for employees or login sheets for employees.

If employees get lazy when the boss is not around you found a typical pointer.

If employees don’t know what they shall do when the boss is on a business trip, You are micromanaged.

If the boss is overworked he is most likely a micromanager.

If the boss makes unreal decisions about things he is not familiar with.

If the boss wants to be copied on every email.

If the middle management in a company is missing.

If some people are overpaid while the most employees are underpaid.

If you find out that your emails, phone calls and your presents is scanned you can be sure that you are in a micromanaged environment.

If the boss explains to you even the simplest things even if you are the specialist you know you are micromanaged.

If the boss wants to have a written report about every little step and asks other people to follow up on you and you on them YOU ARE DEFINITELY micromanaged

If your boss does not answer your emails and he is telling you that he is 300 emails behind he is overwhelmed and does micromanagement.

The really bad thing is, that Micromanaged managers tend to become micromanagers themselves and they practically teach their people to micromanage on their post too.

Unexperienced young employees don’t know better and they learn this kind of management thinking its the correct way to control the organization.

Where does this come from? Why do people micromanage?

The key point is FEAR. Micromanages are in fear to loose control.
Micromanagers don’t trust other people because one can not trust them. They don’t even trust themselves.
Micromanagers can not think with future, they live in the past only.
Micromanagers are constantly overworked and don’t do their real job because they try to do other peoples job.
Micromanagers make mistakes because they lag knowledge of the thinks they want to decide.
Micromanagers are not successful and their organization can not grow.
Micromanagers have no sense of importance, even the color of the toilet tissues have the same importance as the bank appointment for he new credit line.
Micromanagers have a high amount of private business with their family because they call in all day and ask the Micromanager for advise.
The kids of micromanagers are very often not married and/or they live at home because they can not function without orders.
Micromanagers forget things and remember them later when the project is already in the next stage.
Micromanagers can people not let finish their projects, they change their directions many times a day.
Micromanager have usually a couple of spys in the company in different areas which are protected from above. These are mostly people which one wonders why they are still in company, because their work is not visible or worthless. A stupid secretary or a not so bright receptionist is mostly one of them.
Employees which are Micromanaged become extremely frustrated and when they have a chance they switch the company.
A Micromanager has tons of unfinished projects on their desk because they let no one finish his job.
Things are getting done in a micromanaged environment when the boss is away or if he is missing an area which runs on it’s own with capable people.
Sometimes you find the boss stopping very successful actions in order to let the employee who is responsible for it not get too powerful and famous in the company.
Because of the fear to loose control micromanagers use often hidden ways to control people.

Micromanagers are suppressive for employees and for the company itself.

Now that you have a good idea about what Micromanagement is, you may ask how can I get out of this? ...... I guess you need to wait for my next blog. My MacBook Pro knows already the solution, It found it in one of the files I prepared for the next blog already ;-)

Cars in China

Thu, 10 May 2012 12:02:45 -0700

If you read my earlier blogs you would not believe that anybody would drive an expensive car in china. But it is true: one can see cars in China which you can not even see in beverly hills. I have no idea how the drivers can prevent any damage to these cars but I never saw a dent in such a vehicle.
OK such a race car like on the above pictures is not something you see every day, but
a Ferrari, Lamborghini, Bentley, Maybach, Rolls Royce, Lotus is not seldom.
Porsche SUV are everywhere and not the small versions. It’s mostly the turbo model in a tuned version.
You would expect to see a mid age driver with white heir in it: You are wrong. The most people who drive these kind of cars are not even 30 years old.
Where they have the money from? I do not know.

more about elevators in china

Sat, 3 Dec 2011 16:12:23 -0800

This is some interesting experience when it comes to using an elevator in China. Elevators cost a lot of money and so they have only 50% or less of the elevators in office buildings than they would need. At rush hours you find up to 50 people wait for an elevator with a capacity of 15. But don’t worry, most Chinese are very light so that the overload alarm goes off very seldom. But don’t try to go in as the last person because the elevator will stop at every floor and you have to go in and out all the time. Here are the elevator laws in Chinese office buildings:

1. Go in as one of the first, because when the elevator stops for the first time, the guy who went in first in the very back needs to go out first. You will need continuously go in and out, until the crowd can sort inside the elevator.
2. When you choose the story you want to go to, press the button minimum 15 times (1 time for each person in the elevator) This makes you one of them and they respect you much more.
3. If there are 25 people in the cabin, you will find minimum 15 of them on their cell phone (14 of them are using the last model of the iPhone)
4. Calling in the elevator means you yell very loudly in your poor microphone. This gives you more respect especially when you talk German. Talking English limits your comments only to the nice ones because they understand!
5. When the elevator stops and the door opens, people always try to come in the elevator first before they let the people out.
6. Most of the time people don’t talk in the elevator except on the cell phone. They communicate with odor. And the good thing is even foreigners understand this language because it says: stay as far away from me as possible.
7. When someone presses himself in the elevator as the last person and the over-load alarm goes off, the negotiation begins about who has to leave.
8. When the elevator comes and you believe there will be enough space because there are only 5 people in front of you, don’t be surprised when there is a guy with pallet with goods on a forklift inside already. The right thing to do in such a case is to squeeze yourself in. I tried many times to wait for he next elevator, but there was another pallet inside. They are unloading a truck on the street and bring the stuff in the 30. floor
9. Be careful when you leave the elevator because the floor will not be even there is always a step. But don’t worry, if the step is still not bigger than 5” everything is normal.

Now since you read this, you are ready to use an elevator in a chinese office building. Next time I will tell you some tricks how to be the first in the elevator and how you avoid the special communication I mentioned earlier.

Autobahn rules in Germany

Wed, 14 Sep 2011 17:34:06 -0700

It’s hard for a German guy to drive in the US or even in China. I think it is as hard for Chinese people to drive in the US or for Americans to drive in Germany. The rules are different.... Way different. Please read this if you come to Germany and want to drive:

- If you want to loose your license in a minute, pass somebody on the right lane on the Autobahn!
- If you are scared or not used to drive fast, stay away from the Autobahn.
- If you are scared to drive in the rain or in sow and ice, don’t drive at all.
- If you want a ticket, drive on the very left lane on the Autobahn and drive slower than other people .
- You can earn another ticket when you drive on the very left lane and don’t change to the next free lane on the right.
- Another ticket can be earned by forgetting to blink.
- You will get rid of your car if you don’t pay insurance or show up to the regular technical inspections.
- You can count with heavy punishments up to prison when you drive without insurance.
- Autobahn intersections are always designed the same style. They are slow but secure and easy to understand.
- If you think US and CHina would have a lot of traffic signs, you will learn that you are wrong when you visit Germany.
- The EXIT signs on the Autobahn are very clear, they appear twice and they are always the same distance from the exit.
- The onramps are 99% exactly the same length and shape. If not you find plenty of signs to warn you that this exit will be a bit shorter.
- never mess up with pedestrians. YOU will LOOSE THE GAME.
- Don’t drink and Drive even to be caught drunk on your bicycle, you will loos your drivers license.
- 90% of the Autobahn in Germany has a speed limit with efficient controls.
- My Mac loves Germany because it knows where the 10% of the high speed tracks are

A fair counter blog

Sat, 10 Sep 2011 20:56:07 -0700

There are some traffic rules in the US you should know when you intend to drive in Los Angeles.

1. You pass other cars on the freeway on each lane possible.
2. Breakfast, make up, smoking, calling people on the cellphone, (simultaneously) is very popular in the morning .traffic.
3. Dreaming while driving seems to be a sport.
4. If the intersection is blocked in front of you, you enter the intersection and enjoy the sound of the horns of the people you block 10 seconds later.
5. The more cylinders your car has, the more rights you have on the street.
6. If you have a Lexus you have special rights and you are superior to everybody else.
7. You change lanes only without blinking... because if you blink, the neighbor lane does not let you in.
8. You drive only on the very left lane lane, no matter what speed you choose.
9. Police cars don’t follow any rules.
10. if a police car want to pass a red light they switch on the sirens and go.... you will find the same police car at the next donut shop.
11. if there is an issue you see always more than 3 police cars
12. If construction people need to work on the very right lane on a freeway, the shut down 3 lanes or more.
13. If a police car stops a driver on the very right lane, the complete traffic slows down on 5 lanes and causes a “rubber neck” traffic jam.
14. On an intersection with four stop signs, the biggest ass-hole drives always first.
15. If an american driver wants to exit on the right side of the freeway, he always does that from the very left lane.
16. If somebody wants to merge in a 5 lane street he always tries to make it to the very left lane and stops the whole traffic.
17. If you are friendly and let somebody in front of you, he will be thankfully slow down and makes you regretting your decision to be friendly in less than a minute.
18. The “golden law” is, that you never care about other drivers.
19. If you use the car pool line you find always somebody in front who insists to go slower than the rest of the world.
20. There are Toyotas and other cars in Los Angeles.
21. The biggest parking location in Los Angeles is called 405.... i use it every day.
22. My Mac book likes driving in the car because it knows that there is always the chance that his owner takes it to the next Starbucks where it will be proudly presented and it can talk to all its brothers and laugh about the PC laptops which are in minority.

observations in china

Sat, 2 Jul 2011 06:30:24 -0700

Shopping:
- The size of shirts are not the same than in Europe or USA. The same T-shirt which is XL in Europe is L in the US and XXL in China.
- The places where you can buy XXL sizes are very rear.
- Tailor made shirts are pretty inexpensive and have a very good quality.
- If you see a big brand name on cloth, be suspicious.
- negotiations are part of the deal in the most shops but not in expensive malls
- the harder you negotiate the more you will be admired by the salesperson .
- what ever the salesmen say after the deal, they still ripped you off.
- you never pay in the shop, there are pay stations on every floor of the mall.

life style in shenzhen:
- starbucks is everywhere.
- Papa jones, burger king and mcdonalds too
- almost everybody below 40 has an iphone 4
- There are not a lot of people above 40 in Shenzhen.
- Karaoke is not only singing.
- food massage is great.
- italian restaurants, scottish pubs and mexican cantinas brazilian BBQs are available and not bad.
- steakhouses are not steakhouses because chinese chefs seems to have problems with cooking steaks the right way. Go better to a chinese place
- clubs are always full
- shenzhen has a clean and fast MTR (subway).

My Mac likes the lifestyle in shenzhen because there are so many brothers and sisters even if some of them look like they have a different DNA. My Mac does not like to say fake.

table manners in china

Fri, 1 Jul 2011 21:05:02 -0700

1. before the meal begins, you sit together at a separate table and you drink some green tea.
2. While drinking the tea, the patron of the meal (the one who invited you) orders the food.
3. They always try to impress you with either unusual dishes and/or with way too much dishes.
4. If you cannot eat the unusual like fried bees, fried scorpions, not cleaned snails in the original housing or living animals it’s no problem. They are happy that they impressed you.
5. drinking is different. It’s not the game how much you can take without being drunk, the game is how much can you take and get totally trashed.
6. Ganbei means bottom up.
7. Wansui means cheers without bottom up.
8. You eat always from a little bowl, not from the plate.
9. you are welcome to put the whole bite, including bones and skin in your mouth, sort it all out with tongue and teeth and spit the bad stuff out right next to your bowl on a plate.
10. if the meal is outdoor don’t be surprised if they spit on the floor not without pulling the stuff with a lot of voice up their nose and finally spit it out.
11. Never use the chop sticks beside the dish to take food from the plate. Use always your own.
12. Soup has almost every time chicken feet as one of he ingredients.
13. Fish has always bones inside.
14. chicken has always bones inside.
15. pork has always bones inside.
16. beef has most of the time bones inside, if there are no bones inside, it is spicy like hell.
17. Parsley comes with every dish but is only decoration. Chinese don’t eat it.
18. chinese wine is no wine it is always strong rise snaps, brandy or whisky.
19. Shots are never smaller then two times double.
20. most Chinese don’t like beer, it makes them dizzy and hot in their face.
21. The more noisy you eat the better. its a sign of good taste.
22. My Mac loves chinese food because its always very nicely decorated.

traffic rules in china

Sun, 26 Jun 2011 06:43:38 -0700

1. if you have a car, you are superior to bikes, pedestrians and traffic lights
2. If you have a Mercedes, you are superior to other cars
3. if there is somebody in front of you: pass him
4. if you see police: cut their way off
5. if you want to make a right, go on the very left lane
6. if you want to make a left, go on the very right lane
7. if your traffic light is red, make a right, a u-turn, a right and squeeze your car back in the lane you were before.
8. if your traffic light is red, make a right on the next private property honk your horn and squeeze your car in the street you intended to go.
9. if your lane is blocked, use the counter lane; even if there is traffic.
10. if you drive against the traffic already and a car is coming against you and not slowing down, honk the horn
11. what ever situation shows up: honk the horn 11a. IF everything is ok: Honk the Horn
12. . you want to make a left on a very busy intersection with four lines coming against you: honk the horn, make a left, keep on honking the horn until the whole traffic stops go ahead and chase away the pedestrians which have green light.
13. if a bicycle driver with 3 people on his bike carrying big boxes is in front of you, don’t slow down, honk the horn and speed up.
14. if you are on an intersection which is totally blocked from all directions, honk the horn and find a tiny little space to squeeze your car in.
15. if there are pedestrians in your way don’t slow down, go go go ... honk the horn if you want to be a friendly driver.
16. If you are in the right direction in a one way street count with counter traffic.
17. IF you are in the wrong direction in a one way street, honk the horn and give light signals while you pick up the cell phone to talk to your friend about the plans for next night.
18. My MacBook Pro is jealous and shows this new error message every time i use it in china: “sorry, i can not perform this operation, because no horn is installed!”

what does a chinese mean when she/he says:

Sat, 25 Jun 2011 06:10:35 -0700

Chinese: no problem -> us English: big problem but you won’t discover it -> german: please help me I don’t know what I do

Chinese: yes I understand -> US ENGlish: i don’t get it but I will figure something out for you and you won’t discover it -> German: I don’t get it explain again

Chinese: Lets go to dinner -> US English: I will fill you up with our Rice Wine until you can’t move your tongue anymore and tomorrow I will say you gave me a big order -> German: i hope he will not drink beer with me because i can not make him drunk enough

Chinese: Cheers all the best for your family and your beloved -> US english: drink faster ammy. -> German: I want A big order even if I have to drink beer with you.

Chinese: see you tomorrow -> US english: go home Ammy -> German: may be i beat him next time in drinking

chinese girl: see you tomorrow -> US english: bye, this is the only sentence they know in english -> German: you are at the wrong place honest man save your soul!

chinese: karaoke -> us english: come, sing, fuck and loose your mind -> German loud yelling in a small room with warm beer and people who want your money

chinese: nice to email you -> US english: what can i write you today that you finally believe my bullshit -> German: be care full with what I’m writing you

Chinese: the samples are finished tomorrow -> us english:damn i forgot these stupid samples i need to call my friend to start working on it -> german: the samples are not finished, we did not even start on it... what can i do?

chinese: tomorrow -> us english: i will talk to my friend tomorrow -> German: next week, next month, may be never.

My MacBook loves emails from China, because they have these little funny symbols which look like houses, dragons or other funny things