Me: here’s a summary of X. I’ll talk you through it.
Him: okay (while checking his phone)
Me: progress on the project is (I proceed to explain)
Him: asks a question
Me: I answer
This can repeat maybe 2 or 3 more times.
Then he will typically say something that shows me he doesn’t actually understand what I have been telling him.
I try to clarify. Maybe a couple of times.
Then he will say something truly nonsensical. Let’s represent that as “djdjfj Hsbdjj dn hsbd ndjdjdbdjdbdbbjak yak yak”
I answer but am really just saying random things by now. I’m just doing words.
He replies with more gibberish: “bdk habd bricklayer duffing anabababavabjkckffmfnd jnbhgqd.”
Resigned I reply: “countag onernfkdb tub andjdkkklnnklnwwn deste wnabpofn”
The meeting ends.
10 replies (most recent on top)
Management do not come enough scrutiny.
Yup. The fancier the slide decks, the more these muppets think ‘good job’.
It’s also a gravy train for PWC and the like, who huddle in meeting rooms for days on end producing that sh--e.
The shinier the better.
Agree with beenandgone ! In addition to endless dry runs, the more Color in PowerPoint graphs & more animations, the better, even if value is minimal! Thirty years ago when management were expats, presentations were done in “back of the envelope “ drawings & they made more impact in oil & gas reservoir’s management.
I remember the countless (and pointless!) 'dry runs' leading up to meetings lol!
I'll never forget my first conversation, why are we buying x-x for $yyy MM, when we could do zzz that doesn't cost anything? - We already presented to the VP and he signed off on it so we don't want to embarrass ourselves or him.....That one suggestion could have saved more than my salary and benefits for two decades. After that, just yes sir that's a brilliant idea....
Don't forget about the backup slides and the back up to the backup slides and the backup to the backup to the backup slides
Pay’s the same…
So true… other boneheaded responses include:
“the colour of the slide fonts needs to be blue”…er but that’s the corporate template I’m using…
“ I don’t like circles change them to squares” …why is that relevant…but frankly who cares…
“You need to use verbs to begin sentences” WTF. So you’re an English teacher now, huh? You can’t even write an email without some expat.
Management are too stupid ( and inbred) to be able to have an opinion on actual content, but aramco culture means they need to look “big”, so these kind of responses are par for the course. One has to su-k it up unfortunately, don’t try to reason, they don’t do logical arguments. You cannot win. Remember KSA is backwards 7th-century hierarchical, tribalistic culture and Armaco just a version of that with a brush of greenwashing. One wonders when this place will eventually implode.
So glad I don't work in that industry (for now).
But pretty much always my experience.. trying to explain something technical to some boomer caveman who usually isn't qualified.. asks d-mb as sh-t questions.. then insist, in a forceful "I'mma a manager!" way, that we address some unimportant cosmetic issue he perceives is wrong, but most likely doesn't exist, and I have to spend hours gather evidence to show him otherwise.
Hilarious if not so true!