Never Outshine The Master? 4

[gwillr]

I have been in my current position for just over a year now, and it is my first position in a larger corporation. I am seeing for the first time in my carreer how crazy interoffice and corporate politics can be. I would appreciate any advice or stories relating to what follows:


I have read many times, and for the most part, agree with the little piece of workplace wisdom: "Never Outshine The Master"

In plain english: Don't make your boss look bad, don't make them feel like you are gunning for their job, or show him/her up.

There will be times however, when a suggestion, project, accomplishment or something else that you will do might make your manager feel like you are gunning for their job or something higher in the chain than them.

My question is how can one effectively show their superiors what they have accomplished, or initiative that they have taken (in order to get adequate recognition) without making the manager feel like this.

Again, any stories or advice on this, or other ways to avoid or deal with office politics wwill be appreciated.

Gary

 

[DeanConsulting]

My advise...
Keep a written log of what you ACTUALLY do but on the surface allow them to share in the limelite, make them feel like they prompted you to do such a good job, or that they helped you through some difficult stages, etc. Get my drift??

Hope this helps ya.
Noble


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Noble D. Bell

http://www.noblesoftware.com

 

[Onyxpurr]

I don't think you should do this with anyone in the organization:
"Don't make your boss look bad, don't make them feel like you are gunning for their job, or show him/her up."

 

[gwillr]

Onyxpurr,

I agree, and perhaps I have not communicated that sentence clearly.

What it was supposed to mean, is that sometimes ones accomplishments are large, often better than those of their superrior. This could be seen by the superior as having the effects listed in the sentence you have referenced.


I guess the question could have been better posed as: How can one showcase their accomplishemtns in such a way that appropriate recognition is received, but in a way that does not threaten their superiors?

hope that clarifies my original post.

Gary

 

[rosieb]

If your boss has any sense, they'll not feel threatened, it just shows that they hired a good person.

They get the second hand credit for the achievements of all of their team.

Rosie
"Never express yourself more clearly than you think" (Niels Bohr)

 

[DeanConsulting]

I will have to agree with rosieb on that one.


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Noble D. Bell

http://www.noblesoftware.com

 

[mrdenny]

I would have to agree with rosieb as well.

A good manager will reconise that some of the people beneith him are smarter than him, and he should let those people shine. It will only make the manager look better when he can show his boss just how good his staff really is.

I know that a couple of jobs ago, my boss had no problems showing the VP just how much I was doing for the company. For his troubles we both got a huge stock option grant as a thank you, a grant much larger than most of the directors well above us in the food chain.

Denny

--Anything is possible. All it takes is a little research. (Me)

 

[Chopstik]

At the risk of being redundant, I believe the above posters have put it well. A good manager will not necessarily feel threatened by you doing a good job, or "outshining the master", so to speak. Frankly, it is their responsibility to ensure that the assigned tasks are done well and, if they are not, then it (should) reflect badly on their management skills. (Bear in mind these are just generalizations, not absolutes.)

If you are working for a manager who feels threatened when you do a good job, then this may be a sign that you need to change positions/jobs and find someone who will not feel threatened. In my experience (and I have worked for both extremes), a manager who feels threatened by your accomplishments will find ways to offset those accomplishments or take responsibility for themselves, leaving you with blame when/if there is any. A manager who is not threatened generally tends to encourage greater growth, learning and motivation for the employee(s) and makes for a much better working environment. There are still workplace politics, but a non-threatened manager will help to alleviate those politics for you.

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If you don't have a sense of humor, you probably don't have any sense at all.
- Anonymous

 

[Onyxpurr]

I agree with all above.

If you are dealing with a bad manager, then place emphasis on how you have helped them. Unfortunately with bad bosses' they only see things in two shades, "How has it helped me and how has it not helped me?"

Highlight your accomplishments with the spin of how it helped your boss directly. "In building this app I saved x amount of hours for the department."

But agree with the others. If you have a good boss, you should never feel you have to "spin doctor" your accomplishments.

 

[MasterRacker]

Unfortunately, good managers are not necessarily the norm and maybe not even all that common. I'm lucky to have good managers now, but in the past I've worked with and for some bad ones - with mixed results.

It's a delicate line to try and let them look good while making sure you're own contribution is visible and undeniable


Jeff
The future is already here - it's just not widely distributed yet...

 

[gwillr]

Jeff,

"It's a delicate line to try and let them look good while making sure you're own contribution is visible and undeniable "


Any experience with this? I guess that is a tough skill to learn!

Gary

 

[DoubleD]

One tactic would be to thank your boss for giving you the opportunity to excel.

Tooting my own horn:
"In building this app I saved x amount of hours for the department."

Letting the boss share in the glory:
"Your effective management allowed me to implement an app that saved x amount of hours for our department."

A very subtle difference in how the statement is made. But it now makes the manager feel appreciated and more successful. This will usually bolster the manager's opinion of you while letting you boast your accomplishment.

Pain is stress leaving the body.

DoubleD

 

[SQLSister]

DoubleD, the problem is in saying that with a straight face when what you really want to say is:
"In spite of the roadbloacks and problems you created, I still managed to implement this app which saved x amount of hours for the department."

Questions about posting. See faq183-874

 

[DoubleD]

SQLSister,
It's all about perspective. I may have liked more help and better management from my boss, but they were not so inept that I was unable to succeed. By pointing out that your manager had some part in your success, however miniscule that part may have been, you set the stage for greater support from the manager on the next project you work.

Pain is stress leaving the body.

DoubleD

 

[Tarwn]

So...

"Your relative ineptness allowed me to write software behind your back that saved the company money and time, something a truly inept manager never would have allowed"

or

"The company and I owe you a debt of gratitude, even one more argument againt this software would have kept us from savin $x and y time, but you knew just when to stop wasting our time with ignorant, meaningless objections. Thanks."

 

[SQLSister]

Tarwyn, if only I was independently wealthy so i could actually use those quotes! Unfortunately as long as the Project Manager is the CEO's girlfriend, my continued employment requires me to keep my big mouth shut about her incompetence. But you gave me a nice fantasy anyway!

Questions about posting. See faq183-874

 

[Onyxpurr]

I may just be raving here, but is anyone else kinda tired of the politics sometimes? Sometimes in my little cubicle, I fantasize about an office in which conversations are completely bs free and everyone is open and honest with eachother without getting offended. Opinions are shared freely and respected. <sigh>

I wish I could tell everyone, "Chill out and stop taking everything so personally."

 

[gwillr]

No no, you are not 'just raving', I agree completely with you. Unfortunately, though, your politic-free workplace rarely exisits. That was sort of the point of this post....to ask for stories of bad office politics and how they were dealt with, so that we can be better prepared when we all have to face them at some point.

Gary

 

[sedj]

We're humans, and as such will all experience the negative aspects of "politics".

I'm lucky to work in an environment where there is actually mutual respect, we all get on, there is no bs, and we say what we mean - if something is poor, we'll say to the person "hey - you screwed up there mate", and then we'll both go into fixing it - with no problems.

However, even in this "haven of work", there are still problems. We have another office a few hundred miles away, and the two offices are constantly embroiled in "email politics". Nightmare.

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[DoubleD]

I don't see this as BS. I see it as being supportive of my manager and complimenting them on their strengths, instead of focusing on and pointing out their weaknesses.
Historically I've been a very critical person, always willing to point out people's mistakes. In the last year, I've been trying to develop a more personable approach to people. Books I've read recently:
How to Win Friends and Influence People - Dale Carnegie
1001 Ways to Reward Employees - Bob Nelson
7 Habits of Highly Effective People - Covey (currently reading)

I've chosen to be more positive and supportive in my work and personal relationships. I don't know what my manager's situation is, so why beat them up just because they didn't do everything I wanted them to do to make me successful.

I am what I am based on the decisions I have made.

DoubleD