Years ago, I worked in a series of small publishing firms, each more determined than the other to hire good people, along with at least one manager who was a monster. When confronted with reasonable behaviour, normal business practices and common courtesies, these managers, like chimpanzees seeing a rubber snake, react with poo-flinging rage. One man made it a habit to creep into empty conference rooms to steal coffee and cocoa powder from a dispenser, then scurry, mouse-like, back to his office.
As he gathered the team to talk quarterly targets or some such serious issue, our eyes locked on his spoon as it dipped into a styrofoam cup, then came back out loaded with brown dust moving towards a glistening, outstretched tongue that, once cocoa'ed, would snap back into his head. It's hard to focus on one's responsibilities when the person telling you about them eats like a lizard.
In another company, we had a manager who never put aside a budget for new staff computers, despite us working with PCs so old they ran on hopes and dreams. When we hit a sales slump, he saw that there was only one way to save the company: fengshui statues. More money was spent on bronze turtles and water fountains than it would have cost to replace everyone's computer twice over.
Esta historia es de la edición September 22, 2024 de The Straits Times.
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Esta historia es de la edición September 22, 2024 de The Straits Times.
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Norris pips Verstappen to Singapore GP pole
Lando Norris' goal of getting his first Formula One Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix title and a first for McLaren since 2009 when Lewis Hamilton claimed victory -- was given a huge boost on Sept 21, when he edged out Red Bull's Max Verstappen to secure pole position.
S'pore unis' computing enrolment surges; stiff competition for jobs
Growing pool of such graduates soon entering a rapidly changing tech industry
Survey finds improvement in graciousness among neighbours
More are open to resolving disputes directly even as many report barriers to interaction
Tears and joy as bone marrow recipients meet their donors
When Mr Lim Wee Kiat was studying at Nanyang Technological University, he decided to impress a fellow student he had a crush on in an unusual way - by signing up as a bone marrow donor at a booth set up by the Bone Marrow Donor Programme (BMDP).
NO JOB, NO EDUCATION AND NO COUNTRY
Stateless young man seeks a better future here
Child abuse cases shine light on secretive Malaysian group
Police probing cult-linked group as an organised crime ring; 155 suspects detained
Malaysian King weeps over late son in meeting with China's Xi
The Malaysian King, Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar, became emotional when he told Chinese President Xi Jinping about his son who died in 2015 after battling liver cancer.
Medical Mysteries Man who doesn't drink alcohol gets drunk eating carbs
It was morning when the man was pulled over by the police, who assumed he was driving under the influence.
All eyes on Iswaran's trial set to begin on Sept 24
Former minister is first political office-holder in nearly five decades to be tried in court
UN urges states to use sway over Israel, Hezbollah to avoid war
UNITED NATIONS - A top United Nations official on Sept. 20 urged all countries with influence over Israel and Lebanese militant group Hezbollah \"to leverage it now\" to avoid an escalation of Middle East violence that she warned could dwarf the devastation seen so far.