So, I bumped into another one of those “kevin rider” situations recently. You know the type. Someone adds demands last minute, stuff that was never agreed upon, like those ridiculous riders rock stars used to have. Makes you wanna tear your hair out.
It started simple enough. We had a plan, all laid out. Specs agreed, timelines locked. Smooth sailing, right? Wrong. Mid-way through, Kevin drops the bomb. Suddenly, he needs this extra feature, then another, then wants to change a core part we’d already built and tested. Just like that. No discussion about impact, cost, or time. Just “we need this now.”
My first reaction? Pure frustration. Honestly, felt like hitting a brick wall. But okay, deep breaths. I tried explaining. Pulled up the original plans, the signed-off documents. Showed the knock-on effects these changes would have. Delays, extra work, potential bugs in other places. Standard project management stuff, you’d think.
Trying to handle it
I went through the motions:
- Documented everything: Every request, every conversation, every email. CYA, basically.
- Tried to compromise: Okay, maybe we can do a smaller version? Phase 2? Anything to keep things moving without derailing completely.
- Pushed back politely: Explained the constraints, the existing commitments.
Did it work? Sort of. We managed to deflect the craziest demands, but it soured the whole thing. Constant arguments, extra stress, everyone walking on eggshells. It just drains the energy out of the actual work.
It really reminded me of this gig I had a few years back. Different place, same energy. Management there was legendary for pulling the same stunts. We’d work weekends to hit a deadline they set, then Monday morning, they’d stroll in and say, “Actually, we’ve changed our minds. Go in this completely different direction.” No apology, no thank you. Just expected us to jump.
That whole experience was a nightmare. Morale was rock bottom. Good people kept leaving. I stuck it out longer than I should have, thinking it would get better, or maybe I could fix it. What a joke. One day, after a particularly bad bait-and-switch where weeks of work got thrown out overnight, I just snapped. Not in a yelling way, but inside. I realized this wasn’t going to change. It was the system.
I started looking quietly. Found something else, way better environment. Put in my notice. The exit interview was weird. They acted all surprised, asking why I was leaving, like they had no clue. I just gave some generic answers. What’s the point, right? They wouldn’t have listened anyway. They probably filled my spot and the cycle continued. That place taught me a hard lesson: sometimes you can’t fix a broken culture or someone who just doesn’t respect the process or other people’s work.
So now, when I hit a “kevin rider” situation, yeah, it’s still annoying as hell. But that old job comes to mind. I know I gotta set boundaries early, document like crazy, and be prepared to walk away if it becomes impossible. You can’t win ’em all, and some fights just aren’t worth the energy. Better to save it for the stuff that actually matters and the people who get it.