Sounds like a man that will dim your star to make his shine brighter. Unfortunately there are many people like that in the world. Ultimately it's insecurity. I don't know how long you've been at the company or what your options are, but the best advice I can give is, if it makes you hate going to work then move on until you find a good fit.
If you are good at what you do and enjoy doing it, there is someone out there who will appreciate it.
Oh, I do many surveys in my sleep.
Trundle, post: 391427, member: 12120 wrote: my boss (the only PLS in the office) gave me a list of revisions that were all based on personal preferences. Change the font, don't abbreviate the word Township, different symbols, rewording some of the notes etc...
Oh, yes. Many times. I feel your pain. Even after being licensed - fundamental things you dig your heels in, personal preference things the boss gets to dictate. It's infinitely more frustrating when those personal preferences change week to week, project to project. If those preferences are written down they tend to stay put long enough for staff to learn.
It makes sense for a companies products to have a consistent look and feel, but the purpose of the consistency is to improve quality and efficiency, not just consistncy for consistency's sake. If your boss is going to critique things like the things you listed there should be a template file with layering, linetypes, symbols, text styles, and sheet borders with title blocks at a minimum.
If I was hiring a "new to me" 10+ year tech I would expect to have had a progress print well before the deadline so I could go over preference, look and feel items prior to making a delivery and I would have told them that too. Definitely he needs some management training. And if the deadline were that near I would have sent the map out and then marked up another copy with my preferences. He should have given you and example drawing if his standard deviated from published company standards.
Now prove to him on the next one that you can do it but have your resume ready too.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I am about as picky as an LS can be. I don't force the team to miss deadlines, work late or put up with being belittled. Of course I do my own drafting so that makes it a little easier...
Ryan Versteeg, post: 391460, member: 41 wrote: If I was hiring a "new to me" 10+ year tech I would expect to have had a progress print well before the deadline so I could go over preference, look and feel items prior to making a delivery and I would have told them that too. Definitely he needs some management training. And if the deadline were that near I would have sent the map out and then marked up another copy with my preferences. He should have given you and example drawing if his standard deviated from published company standards.
Now prove to him on the next one that you can do it but have your resume ready too.
I guess I hadn't thought of that...I read the company cad manual (which no one follows, apparently) and was confident enough in my work that when I handed it to my boss, it was ready to sign right then an there. It technically was, other than style issues (of which I had no knowledge of).
I handed it to him a day before it was technically "due", but didn't get comments back until the due date at the end of the day.
I am probably taking it way too personal. The owner is a non-nonsense business type who doesn't know a thing about surveying or cad, and right now he probably thinks I'm incompetent - based on poor wording choice from my boss (for all I know, my boss thinks I'm incompetent too?). I guess I am venting more than anything.
BTW, with today's modern CADD, it does not take long to change all the text to the same font, style and size, width, etc.
The surveyor should have sat down beside you and gone thru what you had done item by item to finish the drawing.
That is the way it should be done, IMVHO.
Worked with a fellow shortly after graduating college who had a terrible stutter. He didn't start out that way. It began while working for a boss who was incredibly abusive to his employees. When he was especially upset he would jump up onto the desk of the worker and scream down at him.
Holy Cow, post: 391472, member: 50 wrote: When he was especially upset he would jump up onto the desk of the worker and scream down at him.
All the mylars with footprints on them likely contained some errors ?
not much to add, more of a summary:
1. your supervisor failed. he should Never blame some other person or equipment. It Is His Fault for not managing his domain properly.
2. the owner should be able to recognize that lacking in your supervisor. it is an obvious flaw.
off topic: Every darn drawing going out the door should look the Same as all the rest. It can be done, just create and use standards, and get everyone informed.
Lastly, don't take it personally.
In my 40+ years I saw the same thing unfold in almost every shop.
If you take the fall for this cap, shrug it off and move on.
Be wary of a supervisor that is never responsible; it's always someone else on the team.
The buck has got to stop somwhere.
I only say this because, from your op, it seemed like you were unaware of any post-revision issue (deadline or otherwise) until you overheard the convo.
Others have said wise things (his stamp/ his way, every job has some suck) but, if the guy is Teflon in his own mind, and the top dog isn't ready to acknowledge it, I'd be keeping my eyes open for a better shop. More likely, prepping for a "passed" on your exam.
Good luck.
Looks like Mr. Ehlert was more efficient I his response. And, I concur.
Your post is a perfect example of a total communication breakdown. It never ceases to amaze me how people always have to blame others for issues which could have been solved with a simple question or explanation.
Communication starts at the top.
Trundle, post: 391427, member: 12120 wrote: ts.
I have 10+ years of experience surveying, and plan on taking the PS exam next year. Now, I feel like I should be lookong for a new job.
Anyone else experience this? Any advice?
Are you planning on using your current boss as a reference for the exam? He may well be aware of your status for PLS and may be setting you up for a take out block. Consider that he does not want you to leave, but may not want you to be a PLS either. Do you consider him mentor material? What you need to do is find a boss who is willing and able to be a mentor and a positive reference.
BTW, were you informed of the clients timetable or did your boss purposely exclude you from that information?
Recall why you left your last company, would that boss be a better reference?
You said you used the company CAD manual. Take your copy right now and note all non acceptable standards in red ink, with date the boss informed you. At your exit interview present that to the company owner and advise him that the manual is out of date. Better yet, have a marked up copy to take with you.
Paul in PA
Paul in PA, post: 391493, member: 236 wrote: Are you planning on using your current boss as a reference for the exam? He may well be aware of your status for PLS and may be setting you up for a take out block. Consider that he does not want you to leave, but may not want you to be a PLS either. Do you consider him mentor material? What you need to do is find a boss who is willing and able to be a mentor and a positive reference.
BTW, were you informed of the clients timetable or did your boss purposely exclude you from that information?
Recall why you left your last company, would that boss be a better reference?
You said you used the company CAD manual. Take your copy right now and note all non acceptable standards in red ink, with date the boss informed you. At your exit interview present that to the company owner and advise him that the manual is out of date. Better yet, have a marked up copy to take with you.
I never thought about my boss not wanting me to be a PLS either. I have some excellent references, spread across 3 states. I left my old job simply to return home and be closer to family. I've been at this job 2 weeks, and nothing about my boss suggests he is interested in mentoring ANYONE. Honestly, he seems to be killing time before his retirement in a few years.
And what I knew of the deadline is that "we'd like to send it out on Friday". I handed in a ready-to-sign ALTA on Thursday morning. I received the redlined markup back Friday just as I was leaving for the day as my boss was headed out the door as well.
I thought about taking the cad manual/markup to the owner but I don't think he would care. He inherited the business from his father (a PLS/PE) and went the business/marketing route. He doesn't understand cad and doesn't care to. One of the party chiefs told me he once tried outsourcing all survey drafting to some company in the Philippines, but that worked as well as you'd expect. He's all about the bottom line and doesn't much care how it happens.
The more I think about it, the more I think I may have picked the wrong company.
I got a chuckle out of your post because I think most everyone experiences the same thing at some point working under someone else. My very first subdivision plat I did all on my own from start to finish, field work, drafting, it was a thing of beauty and I was immensely proud of my work. Head drafter went into the drawing right before plotting the mylar and changed the 'drawn by' to his own name. Oh well, it all paid the same. You could ask your boss for a copy of his 'Manual of Style'. Roll with it and don't take it personally. One mark of a true professional in my book is someone who accepts responsibility without pointing fingers at others. Some day the shoe will be on the other foot and you'll know better how to handle it without discouraging your help.
Williwaw, post: 391514, member: 7066 wrote: Head drafter went into the drawing right before plotting the mylar and changed the 'drawn by' to his own name.
nice
Probably won't work, but what about asking your boss (rather than the head honcho to let you update the manual?
mkennedy, post: 391521, member: 7183 wrote: Probably won't work, but what about asking your boss (rather than the head honcho to let you update the manual?
devious, I like it
Some times you have to Manage Your Boss. This takes some effort.
Ask about the time-frame for your portion of the project.
Take the step to suggest an building in an allotted time-interval for review and revisions.
Mkennedy's idea of updating the Manual is excellent.
Develop a checklist for drafting projects. Also keep a notebook of the LS's personal preferences, and accommodate his desires.
Think of some ways to make future processes and schedules flow more responsively. Go to the the LS and boss, and let them both know that you understand that the project missed a deadline. Let them know of your concern for the happiness of the external customer and internal stakeholders. Bring up the suggestions for improving the process, so that such an issue does not occur again.
In reality, the LS did not allocate the proper time to the schedule, and should have, beforehand, made you aware of constraints and preferences.
Make this a learning experience for yourself and those up the leadership-line.
Be a driver to make suggestions for the process improvement, and ask your uppers for their input and guidance, so a smooth organized excellence is the resulting outcome from this current administrative chaos.
If they desire effective execution, the LS and Boss need to re-engineer their management style to assure performance objectives are timely achieved.
If you consistently become the scapegoat to their mismanagement, or there is not downward momentum to coach and mentor to build staff's confidence and success, then your consideration of moving on to another organization could be warranted.
Give it some time, analyze the current process, write down some strategy idea considerations for process improvement, and begin the conversations to influence those above you.
The other possibility is he could have been having a crappy week. If his dog bit him and the wife left (or the other way around) it may be a one off. Point being, talk with him first. You may end up with a loyal friend as a boss...
