brenda, perhaps a reciprocal gift card to a different coffee chain might be appropriate? (so, you know, it's clear you're not just recycling....)

Having been promoted into a managerial role recently, I hope that's not what happened to me! (I think I'm doing okay at it...so far)

I'm sure you're awesome! Just don't start lying to people (above or below you in the chain) to (try to) make yourself look better. I think that's the fatal error of a lot of my bosses.

Actually I think it's the in-betweenness. Managing people is tough, but when you're in middle management you're getting yelled at by people up the org chart all the time.

When I was in middle management, it wasn't the people up the org chart who gave me fits, it was the people across from me who seemed to think they were above me that caused problems.

I don't believe in the Peter Principle as much as I believe in something I call "Stupidity Cancer". It's based on the idea that people who are incompetent don't realize that they are incompetent.

Once an incompetent person gets into a position where they hire other people, they will tend to hire other incompetent people, since they are unable to recognize competency. Once a cluster of incompetent people gets large enough, they will drive away all the competent people and spread through the organization like a cancer.

According to the Peter Principle, it would take years and years for a bureaucracy to ossify, but a Stupidity Cancer can completely undermine an organization in a surprisingly short period of time.

Obama is going to appear on Mythbusters.

Heh, the man is making the rounds. I hope he can drum up a bit of Gen X & Y love for the elections.

Last week's there were rumors around campus, which have since been confirmed. He's also showing up at 'SC this Friday. Looks like I'll be canceling classes two Fridays in a row. I've never seen a standing president speak before. It'll be a clusterfuck, but I feel like I should at least give my students the chance to see him.

DH's theory is that incompetent people get promoted or move on in the company before their incompetence catches up with them. Or the Shit Floats to the Top Theory of Promotion.

I'll take her out for lunch or something next week.

The fact that my boss is apparently realizing only now how incredibly incompetent my co-worker (who started two years before me) was is all you really need to know about her managerial skills.

There was a study that sort-of proved that "incompetence doesn't recognize competence" thing.

Once an incompetent person gets into a position where they hire other people, they will tend to hire other incompetent people, since they are unable to recognize competency. Once a cluster of incompetent people gets large enough, they will drive away all the competent people and spread through the organization like a cancer.

And relatedly, there is a theory that "A players" tend to hire and nurture other A players, while B players will hire C players since they are less confident in their own standing and will not want to bring on anyone likely to outshine them.