Eisboch wrote:
"A Real Boater" wrote in message
. ..
wrote:
On Sat, 20 Sep 2008 13:02:00 -0400, A Real Boater wrote:
Palin, saying she did not authorize the expenses for the travel, cited
that trip as a primary example of the insubordination that led to
Monegan's firing.
And if this is an example of her "executive experience", Alaska can keep
her. WTF, the Public Safety Commissioner has to get his itinerary
approved? Talk about micro-managing. Try this in Washington and her
head will explode.
When I worked for the teacher's union, one of my subordinates in a
regional office needed a camera for some of his newsletter work. At one
weekend board meeting, the 30-member board debated that purchase for two
hours and finally turned it down. Money was not tight. So, after the
meeting, I gave him the camera I was using and bought another. I had the
power of the pen up to $5000; he did not. The camera was about $125. I
have a really hard time with micromanagers.
If he was your subordinate and you could authorize and sign up to $5k, why
did he have to go before a 30 member board for a $125 capital expenditure?
Something doesn't add up.
Eisboch
He reported to me for his assignments, but he reported to the regional
administrator there for operational (non-salary & fringe) budgetary
purposes. I had authority to recommend the hiring and discipline of my
subordinates, and to direct their activities. I don't know how it works
these days, but that is how it worked back then.
The board was deep into micromanaging in those days. The problem was the
organization was emerging from its old style of governance into a more
political structure. The old way was a professional staff exec director
who ran the professional staff and an elected president and board who
ran the politics. The board more and more was intruding into staff
management. The old exec director model is gone.
Those were really the fun days of my young career in trade unionism. I
had just joined the union staff after working on two political campaigns
in Michigan and after a stint working for SW Tom's hero, Saul Alinsky. I
spent a few months on the union flying squad and then was sent to New
York to handle a few assignments.
Hehehe.
When Nixon imposed his wage-price regs, I had to fly back out to Chicago
and tell 2000 teacher leaders why classroom teachers were not going to
be exempted. Now that was a interesting presentation.
But not as much fun as dumping caskets full of books on the steps of a
board of education building.