My boss is a good guy with great intentions and a friend from many years back. I began working with him two years ago and our problem lies in him giving my staff assignments and work duties without even consulting me. He did so for a year-and-half, and then I got an opportunity to head another division which also came under his supervision, but in an industry that he does not master. After a few months in my new assignment he is doing it again, calling on my staff for information and asking them to report on matters related to current work and completely by-passing me. He does that once and sometimes twice daily. I usually find out from my staff that they’re working on something he’s asked them for. In the beginning I ignored it, then I tried to implement a system where we’re all on the same page – didn’t work, then I confronted him and explained to him he should maintain the chain of command and come through me when he needs information from my staff. Needless to say, nothing worked and this puts a lot of stress on me and my staff. I’ve got a Master of Science in management, worked in big and small organizations for over 25 years and everything I’ve learned tells me what he is doing is wrong. How do I deal with this situation? And, what can I do about it? [Read more...]