Is my boss insecure, or am I insubordinate...

[AnotherChick]

Of course this is all from my perspective, but I will do my best to recap the situation impartially in order to get good advice. I really mean it when I say I want to do the right thing.

 

Initially I was so happy with my boss. It took me awhile, but eventually she convinced me she was interested in making the work environment fun and creating a cohesive team. Now, I still believe that she wants a cohesive team, but now I feel like I'm an outsider.

 

The facts:

• She has been traveling a lot.
  
• I have been left to manage my projects without her intervention. This is not a problem for me personally. I understand the company heiarchy and the boundaries. thereforeeee I feel confident that I know when to include her.
  
• Due to our fewer face to face conversations, there is a tendency to "blast" information at each other in lieu of time.
  
• Her communications to me have been that I need to not be speaking with individuals 1-2 levels above her. She is not interested or swayed when I state that I was specifically tasked to have these interactions, thereforeeee I delegated where I could and included her when I could not avoid it.
  
• She has recently stated I "inserted myself" into a situation where our COO delegated to me. I was able to offload 3 of the 4 tasks, with the guidance of my boss, however, the 4th one I could not offload. It was this task where I was accused of "inserting myself". Meanwhile, I agree with her trying to keep me out of topics, projects that are not mine, in order to manage our work queue.

My problem I feel crippled to interact with the people I need to, for fear of offending or creating an issue for my boss. I've never felt unconfident in my performance. Now I feel unconfident because I simply do not know if my good job is going to be overshadowed by somone's perception of my intentions.

 

I am struggling with wheather or not it is her issue or mine. My gut says her issue, I'm interested in other's opinions and advice to relieve the tension between her and myself.

[robowarrior]

One cannot have two captains on 1 ship, a good boss will delegate his/her jobs so he/she herself won't have to do anything, basically meaning that you 'automatically' have to know and do what this boss is expecting from you. Anything that goes out of the boundries will lead back into trouble for you.

 

So my advice is the following , do everything that she expects you to do automatically, and do not enter those things where she does not want you to be. The keyword is 'communication' you don't have a crystal ball, so inform yourself to her about where the 'boundries' are in what tasks that are delegated to you.

 

As you can see by now you have to stay 'inbound' , a working environment is like a boxing ring, one needs to stay within the 'ring' or rules. So in a case where you are under her supervision you have to stay under her rules, so if a task is delegated to you from another even more superior boss then her, and she starts making complaints, simply say to her, what am i supposed to do? Boss (x) asked me to do it, and if your not satisfied with that please discuss this problem them with him/her. That way you simply make a pin point out for the boss where the actual responsibility is, even after you say that they usually keep on harassing you, just say it again' look i can understand you completely but its not my juristiction, boss x goes over that he/she is sitting in that office please go there to get things organized as you see fit.

[Celadon]

^^ Good advice! I found it helpful for my own situation with my boss. Thumbs up.

[AnotherChick]

Well, I thought I would close the loop on this topic. I was geared up and ready to go into her office and discuss boundaries as suggested in the earlier post. Prior to our one on one meeting, there was a team meeting, where my boss announced she was resigning.

 

So, I think there may have been a lot of things going on with her once I heard her story about the interview process she was engaged in for her new company. Not that I do not have some ownership in the miscommunicating arena, she was clearly not tuned into her environement for good reasons.

 

I'm happy for her and her new opportunity. I can also say that I'm please that my immediate stressor has been relieved. Now, I have to prepare myself for a new supervisor...and start this relationship building cycle all over again. Wooo Hooo!

[Holiday]

I'd say Toodles, waving with one hand while giving myself a thumbs up with the other.

[Celadon]

Good luck with that, AnotherChick!