I recently had a client bring up an issue where their direct
manager had blocked the client’s access to the next level up, and then
proceeded to misrepresent what work was done by my client versus, what was done
by their manager.
For ease of reading I’ll call the client Marissa, the direct
manager Bob, and the manager’s boss Sue. The real gender of the players is not
implied by their fictitious names.
In some ways, Marissa wasn’t too upset about this situation,
as she believed that others in the organization knew who was really doing the
work. But then an opportunity for a promotion to a newly created position came
up, and Marissa realized that Bob’s boss, Sue, did not really know what her
contribution, experience and skills were, and that would influence whether or
not she was considered for this position that she very much wanted – and was
well qualified for.
So, what to do?
Marissa was worried that going directly to Sue would be
viewed as insubordination by Bob, as she had been specifically told to channel
everything through him. In addition, how
did Marissa let Sue know about the work she had done without highlighting that Bob
had taken credit for work that was not his?
My solution was for Marissa to schedule a meeting with Sue
to discuss the newly created position, approaching from a perspective of
wanting to find out more about the position, what the duties and qualifications
were, and what Marissa specifically would need to do to be considered for the
position by Sue.
Since the new position reported directly to Sue, it would be
reasonable that this is who Marissa should meet with to get more information,
thus getting around the moratorium Bob had placed on direct contact with Sue.
Secondly, by starting with asking questions about the
position, Marissa is not yet sharing anything about who did what in the past,
merely gathering information. This then
opens the door for Marissa to respond with examples of her work when told what
qualifications were required for the position.
It’s a softer, more indirect route to say “hey – I’m the one who did
that, not Bob” and in the context of what Marissa really cares about: the new
position.
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