Eight months in, and Klaus is making me question everything I thought I knew about management.
You know those days when you wake up thinking it’ll be just another Tuesday, but the universe has other plans? Today was definitely one of those days. And by “other plans,” I mean my manager Klaus decided to showcase exactly why some people shouldn’t be in leadership positions.
The Report Drama That Nearly Broke Me 📊
So here’s the tea. Klaus asked me to build a report – sounds straightforward, right? Wrong. So, so wrong.
For those catching up on my PO journey (check out my previous posts if you’re new here!), I’m still dealing with the classic corporate nightmare: zero proper knowledge transfer from my predecessor, Klaus juggling his personal drama and somehow making it my problem, and me trying to decode Azure workbooks like I’ve been doing this for decades.
I did what any reasonable human would do – I asked for help. Multiple times. I literally said: “Hey Klaus, could you sit with me once, show me the ropes, and I promise I’ll handle it solo next time?”
His response? “Here are the Azure workbooks. Filter them. Give me the reports.”
Thanks, Klaus. Peak mentorship right there. 👏
The Message That Made My Blood Boil 💀
After days of struggling (because surprise! learning complex systems takes time), I sent him a professional message suggesting we do a proper work session together.
His reply hit my inbox like a digital slap:
“It’s been so many days.. you couldn’t finish even a single report? What do you do all day? I guided you so multiple times..”
I. Was. Livid.
It’s been one month since this request landed on my desk. Thirty days of trying to figure out shifting requirements with zero proper training, while he deals with his “management shit” (his words, not mine) and decides I’m the perfect punching bag.
The Classic Goal-Post Shuffle 🏃♂️
Later that day, I asked him to stay back after our call to hash this out. After his “quick break” (aka 20 minutes of me wondering if he’d ghosted), he returned with that familiar German accent:
“Ja.. sorry ja.. I was going through some management shit so, I was rude to you.. blah blah..”
But here’s the real kicker – when I tried walking him through everything I’d attempted, he didn’t even look. Not. Even. A. Glance.
Instead? He completely pivoted to some brilliant new idea about quarterly reports. Classic Klaus: when stuck, change the entire scope and pretend the original ask never existed.
Oh, and he still squeezed in his usual flex: “I can do it in 5 minutes.” Sure you can, Klaus. Sure you can. 🙄
The Bandwidth Black Hole 🕳️
Plot twist time! We have a company audit that was supposed to be a 15-day affair starting later. Klaus decided to flip the script – 5 days, starting a week earlier. Most of my bandwidth? Gone. Consumed. Vanished into audit preparation hell.
When I mentioned this tiny detail about workload conflicts, his email response was chef’s kiss:
“Only 10% of your bandwidth should be allocated there.”
What dimension is this guy living in?
Then came the contradiction special: He told me he wasn’t this strict with my predecessor (thanks for the comparison, mate), expects “incremental improvements” from me, but also casually drops: “Ja I understand we only have 2 devs, it’s not possible.. but you should make it happen.”
Is he… is he okay? Like, mentally? 🤔
Klaus’s Brilliant Solution: More Paperwork! 📜
Oh, and here’s his genius fix for all our problems: certifications! Because apparently, my inability to build reports with zero training screams “needs a PO-Scrum certification and Project Management credentials.”
Yes, you read that right. Instead of actual mentorship, clear guidance, or reasonable expectations, Klaus thinks the solution is piling more coursework onto my already overflowing plate.
“Just get certified! That’ll solve everything!”
Because nothing says effective leadership like telling someone drowning in immediate work challenges to go study for exams that won’t help them understand Azure workbooks. The logic is… well, there is no logic.
The Meeting Marathon Runner 🏃♀️
Don’t even get me started on his communication style. Everyone – and I mean everyone – on the team is fed up with how much this man talks. We’re talking 1.5-hour minimum calls where he wonders why developers lose focus, then drops the crucial info in the final 10 minutes.
Klaus, buddy: Start with the important stuff. Revolutionary concept, I know.
The Mental Health Reality Check 🧠
Here’s what’s really eating at me – I’ve been pretty good about not letting his frustrations spill over to my teammates or personal life. But it’s absolutely wrecking my mental peace. Every single day feels like tiptoeing through a minefield, wondering what impossible task, passive-aggressive comment, or random certification demand is coming next.
Maybe It’s Time to Go Back to Being an IC? 🤷♂️
I’m seriously questioning if taking this management track was a mistake. Don’t get me wrong – I’ve been at this company for eight months, and overall it’s been decent. But this role? This constant battle with Klaus and his chaotic “leadership” style?
Maybe it’s time to dust off that resume and hunt for individual contributor positions. There’s something beautifully simple about focusing on code without dealing with Klaus’s mood swings, impossible deadlines, and his certification-based “solutions” to basic leadership failures.
Management isn’t for everyone. And maybe – just maybe – it’s not for me. At least not in this environment with this particular manager who thinks certificates magically solve communication breakdowns.
The IC Life is Calling My Name 📞
The more I think about it, the more attractive the IC path looks. No Klaus breathing down my neck about reports I was never trained to create. No quarterly planning sessions that morph mid-conversation. No being told to get certified instead of getting actual support.
Just clean code, clear requirements, and the satisfaction of building things that actually work.
Real Talk: What Would You Do? 💭
Have you ever switched back from management to IC roles? Was it worth it? Did you feel like you were stepping backward or finally stepping into where you belonged?
Have you ever been in a situation where work felt like it was slowly breaking you down? Where you started questioning your own abilities because of how someone else treated you?
Did you stick it out hoping things would get better, or did you trust your gut and make a change?
Because right now, my gut’s screaming that life’s too short to be miserable in a role that doesn’t fit, especially when reporting to someone who fundamentally doesn’t understand what good leadership looks like.
Because right now, I’m barely keeping my head above water, and I’m not sure how much longer I can do this.
Some days feel heavier than others. Today was one of those days. Tomorrow… well, I’m hoping tomorrow brings some clarity, or at least the strength to keep going until I figure out what comes next.
Let’s see what I pick up next. I’ll share more in the next post when I have new lessons to talk about.
Until then, Keep It Raw, Keep It Real! 😎✌️🔥