Does your manager suck?
Do they not support you?
Gaslight you?
Lie to you?
Make your life miserable?
Never help advance you?
Always take the side of others who have problems with you?
So many clients I’ve met have this common problem in the workplace.
When you look on the internet, you’ll find it’s one of the major reasons why people quit a company.
THEY HAVE A TERRIBLE MANAGER.
OK!
Now what?
First, what’s your situation like?
Then, develop your game plan and try out options. It could mean:
Managing your manager.
Setting boundaries.
Getting commitments in writing.
Documenting all interactions.
Find your allies. Human resources is a good place to start. Other team members? Your skip level might be an ally or may either be part of the problem or exacerbate the problem.
A coach conversant in the workplace can also be a great resource.
It could also mean that you will want to leave the group and move to another team.
It could ultimately mean that leaving the company is the right thing to do.
For many clients, work visas make leaving a company very difficult. So we may need to work with that constraint.
It may also mean engaging legal help if the problem is severe, like discrimination or harassment.
Remember also that our current Zoom-dominant work from home society is NOT making things better. You may need expend extra effort to build and maintain a good relationship with your manager when you’re both remote. It’s worth examining that how you engage on Zoom and Slack may be the problem and not YOU.
Also be open to the fact that it may all be a misunderstanding. And that since there are TWO of you, there are always two sides to every problem. It will be good for you to fully examine and understand the other side before passing judgement.
But then, acceptable standards of behavior should always be followed, like respect and safety.
Regardless, whatever you FEEL is always VALID. It would be good to fully understand why.
So if you have a manager who sucks, what’s your next move? What’s your game plan and strategy to address?
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