A manager in Dallas told me my project idea was 'cute' in a team meeting.

We were all in the conference room last Tuesday, and I had just finished showing my slides for a new client process. He leaned back, looked right at me, and said, 'That's a cute idea, but we need real solutions here.' It wasn't the word itself, it was the tone that made my face get hot. I spent two weeks on that plan. Has anyone else had a boss talk down to them like that, and how did you handle it?

3 comments

3 Comments

ray_campbell461d ago

Maybe he just meant small-scale?

the_viola2d ago

Ugh, the "cute" comment is the worst. I started asking them to explain exactly what they meant by that in the moment, which usually makes them backpedal.

the_lee1d ago

What happens when you ask them to explain the word "professional" next? @the_viola has the right idea. I've had guys call a detailed project plan "adorable" before. Making them describe it forces them to hear how silly it sounds. They usually trip over their words and say something like "well, it's just neat." Then you can point out that "neat" is what you call a clean desk, not weeks of work.