Posted by denised in 
Daniell Eckert victim of bad management decisions. (Kenosha News photo by Kevin Poirier)
Really bad management decisions and the inevitable breakdown that follows - Case in point, CCRT Properties of Brookfield Wisconsin is going after Debbie Eckert for rent and early termination fees that her son, Colin Byars, could not pay…because he was dead. Debbie’s son died on February 21st and now the management company wants March and April rent and early termination fees. Debbie contacted the management company to advise them of the circumstances behind the early termination and non-payment of rent. They said they were already aware, but had been advised by their legal representative that they should go after the rent and fees. This is where a breakdown in management usually begins.
Manager A talks to Upper Manager B. Upper Manager B gives Manager A a directive that might cause the rest of us to say “you know what, that might not be a great idea and here’s why…” Instead, Manager A, without thinking twice, is off and running doing exactly what B told him or her to do. I’m pretty sure that that scenario playing out throughout history has been the demise of countless careers and companies. We saw it with the hospital manager who called a nurse out of surgery to lay her off because management said that the layoffs were “immediate.” And, I’m still convinced that at least one smart little worker bee at one of the big three automakers said “it’s probably not a wise idea, Mr. Auto Industry exec, for you to fly to DC. On a private jet. To make the case that you’re broke and need taxpayer money.” I’m just as convinced that that same worker was handed her a** for her initial warning and then just as she was about to retrieve it, had it handed to her again, this time for not insisting they listen to her in the first place. The question isn’t about what management is allowed to do – in the case of CCRT Properties, they are legally allowed to pursue the estate of the deceased 24 year old – the question is should they?
For us, the answer is no. Bad management decisions are far too frequent and often painfully shortsighted. In the long run, blindly following directives, particularly the ridiculous ones, have negative consequences. The negative consequences of this property management company going after the grieving mother of a young man could end up being much more costly than the couple of thousand dollars they would have lost in rent and fees. They’ve already made Ken Olbermann’s “Worst Person in the World” countdown, and in a housing environment where thousands of rental properties remain unoccupied because renters have so many places to choose from, many potential renters might choose to stay away.
What were they thinking? Of course the answer is, they weren’t thinking, and that’s the major beef we have with bosses today. A lot of them just aren’t thinking. We’d like to offer up some advice to these bosses. The first is to try thinking for a change. Try thinking beyond a couple of thousand dollars, beyond an eight hour day and beyond your personal comfort and satisfaction. Think about the future of your company, the customers it serves and the employees who might be able to teach you a thing or two. The second is for all bosses, but especially those at CCRT Properties; just because you can do something, doesn’t mean you should.
Source: Kenosha News
