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?

The Team Doc Says…

I’ll just cut to the chase on this one. Since this has been going on for so long, I don’t see anything changing. You either need to decide to live with this behavior from your boss or move on.

But there is something you can do to keep yourself in the loop. And that lies with your team members. You should set up a regular schedule of meetings with your team to find out what new assignments they’ve been given by your boss.

Plus you need to institute a communication link from your team when he has assigned them work. Set up some guidelines that require your team members to notify you when your boss has tapped into them. That could be a voice mail, email, or a hop into your office to let you know.

So the key here is to control what you can (as long as you decide to stay in that job), and do your best to ignore the rest.

Do you have any additional advice reader? Please leave a comment.

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? 

The Team Doc Says…

Your situation is not unique. As organizations age, it is becoming the norm for supervisors to be younger than their direct reports. Although there are people who will make it an issue no matter what the circumstance, the key thing you need to remember is that being the leader is what’s important — not your age.

Since it sounds like you are a little “green” in this area — that’s a big leap from a team of four to a team of 23, it would be a good idea for you to seek out a mentor to help you transition and hone your skills. There are plenty of training opportunitites to learn new skills too. Plan out what you need and get started.

And I wouldn’t worry too much about the technical knowledge. You were hired to manage the team, not do the technical work. If you manage properly, and match the right team member with the right task you can’t help but succeed.

As far as your team is concerned, take a few minutes to read one of my previous articles about how to leverage strengths to close the generation gap here.

What do you think reader? Have other advice to offer? Please leave a comment.

At some point in your work life you’re going to run into a situation where you will have to work with someone you don’t like. And if that person is a member of your team — because they have the unique skills required to do the job — it may be a big challenge for you.

Working with someone you don’t like can raise your stress level and impact your productivity, so you’ll want to make sure you find a way to deal with the issue. The key to this is to remember that the one thing you can control in the situation is your response.  As the saying goes,

Life is 10% what happens and 90% how we respond to it.

So, how do you cope? Do you have to set your values aside to make your work life tolerable? Nope. Your first step is to take a logical view of the situation. Determine what it is about the person that irks you so much. If it’s a behavior they can change, you might want to consider whether giving them feedback will improve the situation.

If you determine feedback won’t improve the situation, you’ll need to develop a relationship that enables the two of you to work together to achieve the goals of your team. This can start with a simple, frank discussion. Something like, “I know we have our differences, and that’s okay. We both bring value to this project and I’d like to make sure we have a good working relationship to ensure the project outcome is the best it can be. Here’s what I’d like to do to make that happen…”

It will take a bit more work on the part of both of you to make this relationship successful, but will be worth it in the long run.

What do you think? Have you been in a situation like this? Please offer your suggestions by leaving a comment.

Everyone seems to be stressed out these days because the economic issues just don’t seem like they are ever going to end. But that doesn’t give you an excuse for bad behavior. Sure, as a team leader, you’re human too. But you should pay special attention and never do these three things.

What do you think? Would you add other things to “never do?”

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.