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...]
New, Younger Team Leader Of An “Old” Team
I’m 29 and have recently started in a new job at an insurance company as, well, supervisor of about 23 people. With the exception of 1 or 2, all my new team members have been with the company for between 10-20 years and with the exception of a handful, they’re all older than 37; in addition, they’re all much more technically knowledgeable than I am, which is a bit intimidating.
At first, I thought they were a ‘well oiled machine’ having worked together for many years; however, there is some friction amongst the team (and as expected, a little towards me – although, I can understand why, particularly since a few of the team had applied for this position and were turned down). I know I shouldn’t feel daunted by all this, but it really does make me feel a little intimidated sometimes – especially since I’ve never really been in this scenario before (at my previous company, my team was 4 people.)
Budgets are tight, time is a rare commodity and some individuals think that team activities are beneath them. What can I, as the newbie, do to help foster a better sense of team within my unit – generally and on a daily basis, without really overwhelming them? [Read more...]
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