I mean people at work who over plan EVERYTHING and who has must have a strategy or planning document for every single bloody action down to how many sheets of toilet paper they’re going to use that day in the office.
My current boss is like this. I work for a medium sized national charity. I floated the idea of an evening event for potential donors last summer. It will not have huge costs attached as we have a great venue so just catering. We have the budget.
As soon as I suggested it she asked me to put together an event plan, which I did. Since then I swear to god the plan has been discussed and analysed by everyone down to the bloody cleaner. It’s a simple concept. We have done these types of event before. They tend to be successful. I’ve had to update the plan at least ten times. Every time it’s ‘Can you write a summary of how this fits into our strategic aims?’ (to raise money?) Can you add in a couple of paragraphs about what we are hoping to achieve with this? (Done). And umpteen other questions. Every time I update it she will schedule a meeting at least a month away with yet another person in the organisation to ‘get their view’ which inevitably ends with more changes. A year has now passed, we had a meeting about it today, and she’s scheduled another fucking meeting with another person to discuss.
This is just one example. Everything - even a simple bloody meeting with a potential donor - has to be analysed and planned to within an inch of its life. Internal presentations to update the rest of the team need at least two planning meetings and a planning document and absolutely everything we do has to be scrutinised as to ‘how it aligns with our vision’.
I think it’s important to plan and am always well prepared for everything I do but I find her approach so painful. I have worked with people like this before and they kill productivity and progress IMO.
I also think people hide behind this stuff to avoid doing their actual job. I had a fundraising manager who spent nine months writing a strategy. Nothing else was done in that time. No meetings with donors, no new business development. Just the bloody strategy. When he finally produced it everyone read it, said how great it was and it was filed away. He’s now gone to another organisation where I bet he’s doing the same.
Planning is great and important but bloody hell some people overdo it.
Please hit me with your tales of similar colleagues!
Not interested in snark about how I’m obviously not very good at my job or similar btw, find another post if you’re looking for an argument.