You have been aware of the situation for some time now. Bits and pieces of overheard conversations, some rather telling comments from your boss, cryptic glances from some employees. Putting it all together, it seems to add up to one thing: One or more of the people who report to you are going behind your back, taking ideas, complaints, whatever, directly to your boss while bypassing you.
But though you are aware of what is happening, you don’t know why it is. “And that’s something I’m going to have to find out,” you tell yourself. “I’m getting it from both sides—and I have to find a way to put an end to it.” Now you wonder, just what is the best approach to take in a situation of this kind?
No Hasty Moves. So far, you have realized an important truth for managers—the need to deal with an upsetting and potentially dangerous situation. Failure to do so could undermine your position in the organization and eventually erode your authority. But, whatever your present situation may be, it would not be wise to do anything hastily. You might say or do something ineffectual that you would regret later. Rather, you—or any manager in a similar position—would do well to take time first to answer, as objectively as possible, these two very important questions .. .
- What kind of relationship do you presently have with your boss? Many people make the mistake of thinking that any working relationship—be it with a boss, a colleague, a subordinate—continues on an even keel. If it was good yesterday, it must also be good today. But most such relationships veer in different directions from time to time—from good to bad to better, depending on people and circumstances. It could be, therefore, that the relationship between you and your boss isn’t what you thought it was. It could be that you have done something to cause anger. Or, it could be that there is a kind of power play involved—your boss may actually be encouragingpeople to come directly to her (or him) in an attempt to gain more power, possibly do you in. Thinking over the situation may reveal some problems that you hadn’t even realized existed.
- What kind of relationship do you presently have with the people who report to you? There has to be some reason why people circumvent their immediate bosses. Sometimes, of course, it may be just a ploy to ingratiate themselves with top management. More often, though, it’s due to the subordinates’ beliefs that their bosses don’t want to listen to their ideas, don’t want to hear their complaints, don’t want to be concerned with their problems— perhaps, because they haven’t “the power to do anything about them.
- Are you open with the people who report to you—and do they feel that they can be honest with you? Are you willing to do something about complaints and provide assistance with problems? Do you encourage people to come to you with ideas and suggestions? In analyzing the situation—again, as objectively as possible—you may find that you have been raising barriers between yourself and the people who report to you. Not intentionally, perhaps, but nonetheless the barriers are there.
- Stepping Forward. In line with your evaluation of the situation, you may then want to take the following steps . . .
- Get on a better footing with your boss. This will call for some decisive action on your part—you can’t expect your boss to make the first move. Make it a point to consult him or her on special problems. Discuss some of your ideas. Ask for backing on a project you would like to undertake. Do all this in person—and do it in an open, friendly manner.Should you discuss the fact that certain employees have been going behind your back? Probably not at first. But as your working relationship improves, you might bring it up and conclude: “I’d appreciate it if, when something like that occurs again, you would simply refer that person back to me.”
- In the meantime, encourage people to come to you. This may take some doing at first, particularly if you have fallen into the habit of shutting people off—or out. You might start by calling people into your office to talk over a problem—and you might stop by their offices to discuss ideas. Your aim should be to make them feel that your door is open and your mind is receptive to their thinking. Equally important, you must be ready to act on that thinking, when appropriate—be it in dealing with a complaint, pushing for a solution to a problem, or putting good ideas to immediate use.
When people come to realize that you are indeed in charge, ready and willing to hear them out, it’s very likely that they will see no further reason for going around you to get to your boss. They’ll see you as the boss—as someone who is both effective and always ready to listen.
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