You Did It |
| There you are, sitting at the regular Monday powwow, happy as morning dew, sipping your macadamia-nut coffee, when suddenly all eyes turn to you. The senior VP for operations has asked why the critical new warehouse isn't open, and your boss (who told you to shelve that project), shoves an apple in your mouth and serves you up as the sacrificial sucker. |
 |
| |
Game Analysis: |
"The insecure boss can't admit he's imperfect, and therefore can't admit to errors. So when errors do occur, he needs to point a finger. It's that simple," says Alan Weiss, Ph.D., president of Rhode Island-based Summit Consulting Group, and author of Our Emperors Have No Clothes. Of course, if the finger lands on you, things can get rather complex. |
| |
How To Play It: |
|
Take the bullet. You'll do more damage if you try to shift the blame to your boss. Your task is to minimise the bleeding. First calmly acknowledge the problem, being certain to drop the word "we" in a few times, to suggest that you weren't alone ("Yeah, we really missed the boat on this one."). This sends the subconscious signal flying around the room that your department, not just you, screwed up. And who's in charge of your department? Right, him.
|
|
| |
|
 |
Solve the problem. Show everyone in attendance what a solution-focused being you are, by talking up all the things that you (no longer a need for "we") will do to tackle the problem. |
| |
|
|
Collect the IOU. Once the storm has passed, say something to your boss like, "Hey, Jack, glad I could help out." You're serving a reminder that, by taking a hit for him, you delivered--and you expect it returned. |
| |
|
|
Practice defensive penmanship. "God created the cover-your-ass memo to deal with the finger-pointing boss," says Michael Mercer, an industrial psychologist with the Mercer Group, Inc., in Barrington, Illinois. Having the boss's orders on paper may be enough to intimidate him into no longer trying to frame you. And if the constant finger-pointing puts your career on the line, these CYA memos in your back pocket may act like Teflon--and keep you from sticking to the frying pan. |
| |
|
|
|
The Stolen Credit Game |
All Your Work for Naught
|
You envision a new product--say, a pedal-powered toaster
oven. Your boss calls the project a lemon; it winds up a peach. Next
thing you know, the great naysayer is getting slapped on the back for
his phenomenally brilliant new venture. And you're still pushing paper
in your windowless crypt at the end of the hall.
Game analysis:
"Maybe it's jealousy...He wishes he had invented the pedal-powered
toaster oven. It's possible that the guy hasn't had a major coup himself
in years. Maybe if some young upstart like you gets credit, he sees
himself on the way out," says Jeffrey Kahn, M.D., a New York psychiatrist
who treats executives, and president of WorkPsych Associates, a mental
health consulting firm.
|
How to play it:
To anyone who will listen, praise your boss for how supportive
he was to you on the toaster oven project. This will let others know--oh
so subtly--that this was your baby. And--with any luck--it'll also get
back to your boss how glowingly you speak of him.
|
Demonstrate your knowledge. |
| |
At meetings with the corporate
elders, figure out ways to bring up points about the toaster oven
project--inject fine little crumbs that only an insider could know. |
| |
|
|
Be your own spin meister. |
| |
Shameless self-promotion might
be the only way you'll ever get any credit, says Mercer. "Build
allies in other departments. Plug your successes. Write articles
about your projects for the company newsletter. Create a tidal wave
in your favor that will wash right over your boss's head."
|
| |
|
|
Be creative. |
| |
There are sneaky but harmless ways to make
yourself look more valuable to the company. One young exec, we'll
call him Tim, teamed up with a pal of his in another division, whom
we'll call Tom. Tim CCs Tom on all of his memos; Tom does the same
for Tim. This way, each of them appears to have considerable importance
in the company. Why else would they be CC'd on so many different
subjects? |
|
|
|
