What's truly eerie is that the same former boss also scored 10 out of 10 on my test of (poor) management skills:
Are you a CEO or senior manager in a corporate bureaucracy? Want to know how you stack up against your peers? Select your personal management traits from the following list, then tally your score and check it against the scale at the end of the list.
1. Flaunt the privileges of rank: Spend on frills and perks even as you're down-sizing.
2. Flout the rules you expect others to obey.
3. Put off hard decisions as long as possible so that rumors can grow wildly on the grapevine.
4. Pepper your staff with meaningless projects and pointless questions -- hire consultants to give you the "straight scoop."
5. Hire outsiders for senior management positions and create make-work jobs for your cronies.
6. Keep your door open to whiners and let them second-guess your managers' decisions.
7. Promise vision but deliver pap.
8. Talk teamwork but don't let anyone in on your game plan -- keep 'em all guessing.
9. Talk empowerment but micro-manage.
10. Keep your board in the dark, except when you turn on the rosy spotlights.
Score of 0: You lie to yourself all the time; see a psychiatrist.
Score of 1-3: You sleep a lot during the day; see a physician.
Score of 4-6: You're a normal boss, which isn't necessarily good news.
Score of 7-9: You could give Donald Trump a run for his money.
Score of 10: So you're the model for Dilbert's pointy-haired boss!
