I am in a difficult situation. I have a manager who I do not trust. This person is constantly undermining the relationship I have with my staff. (The manager was in my role before moving to the current role.) The department is terrified of this manager but yet they cannot say anything. This manager holds grudges and will not let bygones be bygones nor take constructive criticism. Anyone who has crossed him has eventually ended up unemployed. This manager’s boss is offsite and does not communicate with anyone but the manager. The manager tells the boss what he feels she needs to know and that is all. The boss of the manager is someone who no one knows so they do not know if they can go to that person. Basically everyone is afraid of the manager and knows there is no way out. It is the manager’s way or nothing. Is there anything I can do to help the staff deal with this? Is there anything I can do to work with the manager even though I do not respect the way the manager does business or sees things? How can I get him to stop sabotaging my relationship with staff (there is validity and proof of the claims stated above) without upsetting the manager and slitting my own career throat? I feel as though I am a lone soldier trying to battle an entire city each day.
The Team Doc Says…
This is not a good situation. The first thing you need to do is determine how much risk you are willing to take to resolve this problem realizing that given the scenario you describe, you may become a casualty of your actions.
I see two issues here. One is your relationship with your manager. The other is your relationship with your team. I have assumed you are the team leader in this case.
1. Relationship with manager — One of the best things you can do is open a line of communication with your manager. This may be tough for you since you don’t respect him or the way he sees things. No matter how hard you try, those inner feelings will manifest themselves in some way. So be aware of this. Have you sat down with this person and discussed his expectations of your role and your team’s role? Often there is a disconnect in this area that can be clarified by having this type of discussion. Once this is accomplished, when there is a situation where the manager is changing (e.g. your interpretation of sabotaging your team) direction, you can point back to this discussion and identify where things have changed and what he would like you to do differently. Make sure you have this discussion as close to the situation as possible. Get clarity, identify new expectations and move forward in that direction.
2. Relationship with team — Do you have good communication within your team? Meeting regularly, even for a short period of time to discuss issues, clarify direction, identify roles and responsibilities can go a long way to helping your team get on solid ground. The more cohesive your team unit is, the stronger your position will be for making the workplace better.
And another note. Has anyone spoken to your HR folks about this issue? This is another risky move, but may be a course of action you could consider.
If things don’t improve, you may want to start looking around for another position. Not a good market for that, but may be a better option than being in a miserable situation where you currently work.
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