Frances Horibe's

The Dangers of Being Too Capable at Your Job Some people have the charming but erroneous belief that all they need to do to get ahead is be really capable at their jobs. I have discussed this in other posts, but I want to focus on a particular subset—when it can actually be bad for your career to be good. When being really capable is bad A couple of things have to kick in for this to happen but they are not that uncommon. Your boss sees you as instrumental to his success First, of course, you have to be good at your job. And often be the only one in your area who can do whatever you do as well as you do it (did that sentence make sense? I think it did—anyhow, you are very, very good). Because of this, you’re instrumental in your boss reaching his goals, so he needs your work even if he never admits it. But he knows. He may even praise you in team meetings and other internal venues. Your boss is a jerk But there is a necessary second condition—your boss is kind of a jerk. Because your boss knows he needs…

A Risky Way to Leverage Your Boss Fighting with His The previous post outlined a way that you might be able to appease your boss Trevor if his boss, Jennifer, starts assigning you work. As I mentioned, might work, might not. Depends on how good Trevor is at maneuvering to get what he wants. A gutsy but risky way the leverage this situation was suggested by a friend[1]who is very politically astute. You: Hi, Jennifer. Got a moment? Jennifer: Matt! Ah, sure. You: You know, I love the assignments you’re assigning me. They’re really challenging. Jennifer: And you’re doing a great job. You: It’s just—and of course Trevor hasn’t said anything—I get the impression he finds the situation a bit awkward. Jennifer: Well, that’s too bad. You: Look, I don’t want to cause any hard feelings, so I was wondering whether you would consider giving me a temporary assignment reporting to you. Just for the duration. Jennifer: How would that help? You: Well, it would regularize the situation for Trevor and allow me to focus on your work. Jennifer: Hmm—not a bad idea. The Pros and Cons of using this leverage If things go well, you are in the money….

When Your Boss is Fighting with His In the previous post, your boss’ boss, Jennifer, was assigning work directly to you, skipping your boss (Trevor). On the one hand, this gives you great profile. On the other, it can get you into hot water with Trevor. Look at it from Trevor’s point of view. Jennifer is signaling she doesn’t consider him value-added. No matter how true, it would be hard not to resent that. In fact, the more true, the more it will be resented. Trevor can’t start fighting with Jennifer (well, not if he has any political savvy), but he can take it out on you. Two things which bear repeating This is Jennifer’s problem which she is handling inappropriately. If you have a very collegial environment or a good boss, none of this may apply. But don’t assume that too quickly. Undercurrents are undercurrents because they’re hard to spot. If you’re not sure, I’d assume it is an issue. Okay, three. Trevor can hurt you and your career. Your concern is to avoid being the inadvertent instrument of humiliating Trevor. What to do when your boss is fighting with his Well, obviously, it’s not an option to say…

Caught in the Middle when My Boss’ Boss Asks My Opinion In the last post, we covered what can happen if your boss’ boss asks you for work when your boss is out of the office. As we saw, if your boss (Trevor) is in dinosaur training school, he won’t be pleased. But it can get worse. You could be caught in the middle. What if Trevor’s boss (Jennifer) starts sending work directly, without going through Trevor at all? About a week after the last incident, an e-mail from Jennifer. You look at the top line. No c.c. to Trevor. “Matt, I really liked your work and want your thoughts on the attached document. How feasible is the proposal?” Would that happen? Absolutely. Especially in smaller companies where there aren’t that many levels of management. And often, nobody gets their knickers in a knot about it, particularly if it is a very collegial environment. If your work place has that quality, you can skip this post. If you’re not sure, keep reading. Nope, I’m talking about when your boss Trevor does get his knickers in a K. And by the by, just because he doesn’t say anything, doesn’t mean he…

Hey, My Boss’ Boss is Asking My Opinion! You have been beavering away in the bowels of your company, feeling as if you’ll be stuck in this job forever. Your boss (let’s call him Trevor) is something of a stick-in-the-mud who wants to do things as they’ve always been done. Then one morning, out of the blue, your boss’ boss (Jennifer), appears at your cubicle to ask your opinion. Jennifer: Hi, Matt, have you seen Trevor? You: He’ll be in later—something about his daughter. Jennifer: Okay. I wanted to ask about the Waverly contract. Do you think it’s worth going ahead? You: Oh, absolutely. There are huge upsides. Jennifer: Yeah, but some downsides, too. They’re such a new company. You: But with great potential. We could be their supplier of choice as they grow. Jennifer: Yes, that’s a thought….Could you put together the pros and cons—something I can take to the VP? You: Sure, I’ll get right on it. You have died and gone to heaven. Not only does Jennifer know who you are but she’s asked your opinion! This is your chance. You knock off the pros and cons right away and send it to her. Within the hour,…