RateItAll: The Opinion Network

I had one platoon sergeant that kicked unholy ass and I like a few other NCO's, but the rest of the bunch suck.

I have had a couple of bosses who I have really respected. The things that I look up to them for are their hard working nature, and the respect that they have for you. I admire people who have inspired me to work hard for them because I felt their respect, and not just to do enough to get a paycheck.

In my various work life incarnations, like most people, I have been forced to suffer a variety of personality types many of them severely warped. How most of these people managed to stumble or claw their way into management positions has nearly always been a mystery to me. But if nothing else it taught me this; even miniscule amounts of power can corrupt in one way or another and one of the results is the emergence of whatever personality disorder this individual may be harboring. Types I have experienced include those who were into sexual harassment, stupid mind games, cheating, lying, micro-management, playing people against each other, favoritism, nepotism, sadism and just plain mean spirited SOBs. But once upon a time, I actually had a supervisor who was none of those things. He was kind, compassionate and cared about the people who worked for him. And, though he was one of the most intelligent people Ive ever met, he was comfortable enough with it to be humble about it. When someone was new on the job and a bit nervous, he had a way of building up their confidence with small, but sincere compliments. Even if youd been around awhile he never forgot to say thanks for a job well done. Needless to say, everyone who ever worked for him respected and adored the guy and felt compelled to give 110% at all times. Call it positive reinforcement or just simple human kindness. All I know is that it works and it wouldnt have if it had been simply some step to managerial success that hed learned in some dippy seminar. It has to be sincere and it has to be real because people always know the difference.

Throughout my working life, the person I admire most was a man who was the service manager for a Ford agency in Scarsdale, NY from 1975 until 1981. I was just a few years out of high school when I went to work in the parts department at this dealership. Every month he would hold a general shop meeting with the mechanics, parts dept, and other shop related personnel. It was at these meetings that I learned the proper way to solve problems and to this day I can still recall his words; It's not who is wrong, it's what is wrong, Get the customer satisfied and out the door and then solve internal problems in private and Nobody is 'only' anything in this place. As an example of the last statement, we had a janitor named Rocky who did not drive or have any knowledge of cars. One day a customer asked Rocky how to operate a feature on a new car. Rocky replied I don't know, I'm only the janitor. The service manager heard that and at the next meeting he made Rocky stand on a desk and he said to us Do you know why I am disappointed in this man? Not because he didn't know how to operate the feature, it's not his job to know that. But he said he was 'only' the janitor. Let me tell you what happens when 'only' the janitor doesn't show up. Then pointing at the first mechanic he said You have to do his job pointing back to Rocky. Then he went pointing down the line to each mechanic and you have to do his job, and you have to do his job He then gave examples of how we would have to be called away from our regular job to solve a problem because only the janitor didn't show up. If we didn't need a janitor, we wouldn't hire a janitor and as long as I am service manager nobody is 'only' anything in this place he said. 16 years later while visiting friends in NY I stopped at the dealership to say hello to any co workers who might still be there. It did not take me long to spot Rocky. He was still there after all of those years because once upon a time a man stood him up in front of his peers and said to them This man is important. It instilled a loyalty that could not be purchased at any price yet it cost the dealership nothing. I wanted to work directly for this service manager so I moved to Florida to attend a school for auto repair. A few years later when I returned to New York I discovered that the service manager had suffered a heart attack in 1981 and was now working in a sales capacity. I could also see that the entire service department along with it's relationship with management had fallen apart. I was amazed at the ripple effect one person can have in an organization. But thanks to this one service manager I learned more lessons than I can ever thank him for and was fortunate indeed to have seen his ideas in practice in the real world. There are many more examples that I could cite of his leadership and how it worked but it would not be practical to do that here. Let's just say I was one of the lucky ones who was given a gift that I still possess today, and it has served me well over the years. Not only did he make me glad to come to work every day but I was proud of the fact that I worked for him. That is a rare commodity in any industry, and a man among men in the automotive service trade. *UPDATE* I recently learned that the service manager, Mr. Dick Racioppi, passed away. The Ford agency found a very capable man to perform the job of service manager but in my opinion, no one can ever replace Mr. Racioppi. He was one of the finest men that I ever knew and the best automotive service manager who ever lived. The list of things that I learned from him is incalculable and I am grateful that a few years ago I had the chance to tell him and thank him for all that he gave to me. Because of Dick Racioppi, I am a better man than I would have been if I had never known him. Thank you Mr. Racioppi and rest in peace.... forever your friend, Flick

I do not admire the people I work for.Most of them are ignornat and have no idea how to run a business.The postal service as a whole is pretty good, but the management is lousy.