As of 9/1, I am not sure who my boss it and I'm not sure what to do.
About three weeks ago, I had a meeting with my previous boss where the reorganization of the company was explained. Our team was being moved from the for-profit to the NFP side of the company and thus the chain of command would change. At that time, there were a couple of possibilities (Exec Dir who is new to the company and a sitting Administrator). Things were uncertain until I sat down with my boss again on 8/28 when she said that she still didn't know, but, the EVP was to be in on 9/6 and he should have an idea by then (but the changes were to be effective 9/1).
I pressed her a bit and did finally get back to me with an answer (it was to be the new Executive Director). I got the impression that she was a bit annoyed that I was not fine with the first answer of waiting for a few days.
At the end of this week, I requested through the EDs admin to set up an appointment with him to brief him on our teams operations (he's new to the company and his predecessor did not supervise our team). The initial reply that I received from the admin was that she was not even aware of the change in chain of command nor the change in company organization.
So, I ask, what's going on?
1. If the admin doesn't know, I am sure the ED doesn't know.
2. I seen a big problem in not knowing why my supervisor is, even if it is for only 3-4 days.
Am I missing something?
Thanks,
Not sure who my boss is.
This is not as unusual as you may suspect. Nor is it a cause for concern, unless it goes on for too long.
When reorg's happen, it can take a while for rationalization to occur. Sure, it'd be great if they knew exactly where everyone would land, and published a clear org chart the moment the reorg was announced.
Your now previous boss probably has concerns of her own (hey, she's lost some team members, and her future is probably uncertain). She's also not likely to be influential in the NFP side of the business so she can't help you much. Pressing her led to bad information (it may be true, but not public so setting up a meeting was imprudent).
You will report to someone, sometime in September. I recommend the following:
Be patient.
Focus on doing your job well.
Listen and think about what you hear.
No need to press for meetings. They'll ask to meet when the time comes.
One last bit of advice: the Mergers and Acquisitions casts are probably quite relevant for you now. Think of your division as having been sold off to another. Prepare your briefing book, and get to know the new folks on this side of the business.
Good luck,
John
Not sure who my boss is.
E,
I agree with John. There was a time last year when we went for 6-8 weeks without understanding a proposed structure or who our boss was. It's not ideal, and obviously, you're finding it very disconcerting, but this definately good advice:
[quote]Be patient.
Focus on doing your job well.
Listen and think about what you hear. [/quote]
Wendii
Not sure who my boss is.
Thanks for the insight. I wish I would have asked this question a week ago. A follow up to Wendii, though. During the 6-8 weeks you had mentioned, how did you get things done? That is, when something came up that needed higher authorization, to whom did you go? If you needed additional resources, etc?
As a side note, I want to foster a different relationship with my new supervisor than I previously had. The constraints were tighter than I thought necessary (but obviously, she thought they were necessary). It seemed that getting out in front of things was the way to go.
Clearly, my lack of experience shows here. With only 1 ½ years under my belt, there’s a lot (such as this) that is still new to me. Patience is challenging.
Thanks again.
Not sure who my boss is.
Christopher,
I'm probably fortunate in that my role doesn't require a boss - I decided my own diary, decide how I'm going to work with people and as long as the clients are happy, my boss doesn't get involved.
That said, there are things you already know the answers to. Situations you've been in or decisions that have been made where you can replicate the decision.
Other decisions you can take a good guess at. You could check those with other team members. A couple of weeks ago my boss was off sick and I called a team meeting just so we could have a chat and everyone felt supported. If you're less experienced, that might be daunting, but you can go to more experienced team members and say, I've got this decision to make, I think the answer is this, am I along the right lines.
If you don't know what the answer is, or it should be postponed until the organisation is clear, you can feed that back to the person who asked. Alternatively, you can ask your previous boss if she can help you make the decision.
Stepping up, making decisions you wouldn't normally make, doing work you wouldn't normally do and making this time of flux still ok for your client base is how you show you're better than they think you are - and this will help your relationship with your supervisor too.
Wendii
Update - no meeting yet
I still haven't met with the new boss. The initial meeting was cancelled. Since then, I've run into him once in the hall and said that he wanted to set something up after Shaun (our EVP) was over to talk with the team. That came and went. Since then, the the EDs admin contacted me asking for open dates / times in the next week. I gave her the list but made it clear that I could rearrange if they didn't work. Two more weeks have passed, and nothing further has come through. Just be ready and wait?
Thanks
Not sure who my boss is.
Wait. Be ready. Network as much as you can. Focus on your job. Update your resume. Listen to M-T podcasts. Be positive.
Remember: you just don't know what their priorities are. Don't assume the worst, and don't assume it's about you.
John
Not sure who my boss is.
Hi y'all
J's right. Since you started this thread I have a new job. which doesn't start till 1 Oct. There are things that need to be done now, which will be my job, but which need to do be done now. I'm doing those, so some of the clients have been told. The team hasn't officially because there can be no announcement until 10 Oct when there is some HR meeting.
So:
I know
My new peers know
Some of the clients know
My current peers (and new team) don't know (although I've told some of them off the record because one of them was in a client meeting where it was announced!)
My boss is pretending she doesn't know
Believe me.. it's not about you! It's what can I get away with so I can focus on the things that need to be done, and oh blimey, this job is completely different to the last one, and aghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
Well, it is for me anyway!
Wendii
Not sure who my boss is.
Well, Wendii, I didn't know congrats are in order!
It's a lot to juggle moving from one job into another. It's never *quite* a hard and fast line, it seems.
Right now we're in a transition, as well. The Director who hired me has gone, and a new one is not yet in place. Those duties are being handled by our General Manager and our HR Manager. It makes for an interesting juggle. Last week it was a little much for me, but back on track now. It's just a matter of keep on keeping on, and being open to opportunties at EVERY opportunity.
Not sure who my boss is.
When I work with clients during mergers or acquisitions, and/or reorgs, I draw them a graph of what the organizational climate looks like.
It starts out as a flat line, then SUDDENLY GOES CRAZY, like a heart monitor going from dead to one million beats a second. Like a Richter scale during a BIG earthquake. If I'm drawing on flip chart, I draw about one inch horizontally (pre-change), and then about ten inches of hyperactivity.
They all laugh, and agree.
Then I tell them I am going to draw a GOOD transition. One that's planned, that has input from stakeholders, etc.
It too starts with a one inch horizontal line....the SUDDENLY GOES CRAZY, like a heart monitor going from dead to one million beats a second. Like a Richter scale during a BIG earthquake.
Only this hyperactivity lasts for about 5 inches, not 10.
You're on inch one or two, maybe three.
Patience for now.
Check back in middle of October.
Mark