Manager deletes event planner's spreadsheet, insists on doing it their way, which takes more time; their micromanagement predictably backfires: 'He insisted his way was better. Alright then'

A micromanaging boss insists on a flawed system, only to regret it when it collapses into chaos. 

There are certain jobs that are basically invisible when they are done properly. Just like IT, and other break-fix types of systems jobs, where managers will scratch their heads, wondering, "There is never any server downtime! What do we pay them for anyway?" Yet, simultaneously, any time something does go wrong and there is an actual emergency, it's always, "Why is there a server outage? What do we pay you for anyway?" 

No matter what, your work is never going to be fully appreciated, and you basically just can't win ever. 

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  • 01
    A young woman works on a whiteboard at her office
    via Getty Images For Unsplash+

    The image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 02

    You want me to do my work your way? Sure.

    I've been handling this annual event for years. I know the process, the information we need from guests, when to handle their VISAS, and how to plan the event flow down to the minute. My boss, on the other hand, mostly knows how to look like he does.
    via awraq

  • Event planning is a bit like this, too; nobody has ever really appreciated an event that went off without a hitch. Because, well, that's the point of good event planning: make it seem effortless! But anyone who has ever been to an event where even one aspect of the planning wasn't perfect has likely noticed the flaw and remembered it long afterward. Things like bad sound, bad or late food, too few amenities for the size of the guest list, can really put a damper on what.

    Sometimes it's important to remember that just because you're in charge does not mean that you have the most experience. 

    This event organizer had a boss who seemingly was unable to absorb this fact through the sheer denseness of their head. And when their carefully created master spreadsheet, which had seen many events through the planning stages into execution without a hitch, disappeared, their boss proudly announced that they had deleted it. 

    This, of course, was obscene, and the boss wanted to replace the spreadsheet with their own system, because, well, it was theirs, I guess?

    This led to a somewhat awkward situation where the boss was eventually forced to acknowledge what the event organizer had known all along and had luckily been tracking their own way the entire time to make sure the project didn't collapse and fall in on itself; an act of good faith to their employer that was surely never acknowledged or appreciated!

  • 03
    Last year's event was a mess, so this time I came prepared. I built a shared Excel sheet for the committee. It was clean, structured, everything in one place. Guest names, designations, dietary restrictions, flight details. Fully tabulated, filterable, easy to manage. The idea was simple: input once guests have submitted their RSVP via a Google Form, and we're set.
    via awraq
  • 04
    At some point, my boss saw the sheet. He deleted it. No heads up, no informing anything btw. Just gone. Instead, he created a new tab linking directly to the raw Google Form responses. During a progress meeting, I mentioned (politely) that the working sheet had disappeared. That's when he admitted to deleting it because his version was "more automated", just use the form responses and add columns as needed.
    via awraq
  • 05
    In hindsight, it made sense but not for this kind of event. It was just waay more complicated. Guests submit multiple responses when details change. Some cancel. Some bring plus-ones with completely different flights and dietary needs. It gets messy fast. I raised these concerns, especially since I'd be the one managing it anyway.
    via awraq
  • 06
    Despite me explaining multiple times that it's gonna be very inefficient, he insisted his way was better. Alright then. I'll comply.
    via awraq
  • 07
    Every bit of information went exactly where his the form responses allowed it to go, no extra structuring, no cleanup. Duplicate RSVPs? Highlighted in red, no consolidation. Different flight details in one submission? All four flights crammed into a single cell. Dietary restrictions for multiple guests? All dumped together, good luck figuring out who's vegan and who has a nut allergy. Special requests? Full essay pasted in one cell, untouched. I followed his way exactly.
    via awraq
  • 08
    Eventually, he realized the sheet was unusable. Couldn't filter anything properly, couldn't find what he needed, and definitely couldn't present it proudly to management to take credit for someone else's work. Meanwhile, I quietly rebuilt my original Excel on my personal drive, so my actual work wasn't affected. But not gonna lie, was tough trying to switch tabs like a ninja when he's micromanaging at my desk.
    via awraq
  • 09
    Laundry0615 Yes, it's always a fun time when you have to accomplish your work "surreptitiously".
    via awraq
  • 10
    MCPhssthpok The problem's going to be that, when the event is a success because of your surreptitious work, your boss is going to be convinced that his version worked and get angry if you tell him you weren't using it.
    via awraq
  • 11
    A event planner works on a whiteboard while her boss watches
    via Getty Images For Unsplash+

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