May 15, 2007
‘My new boss neither likes me nor rates me’
The chief executive of the company where I work has just been fired. He was my mentor, and under him I have been rapidly promoted to a senior position. The new chief executive is someone I’ve worked with for a long time. He is very political and has his favourites. I’ve had a couple of run-ins with him in the past, and I fear he neither likes me nor rates me. Clearly my job is now very vulnerable – he may want to give it to someone else. My problem is that I don’t want to leave; I like the work and the culture and the money’s good. What can I do to convince him that I’m worth keeping? Doing great work won’t achieve that – I do great work anyway and he has never valued it. I don’t think being smarmy is going to work either. Any ideas?
Apologies for being brutal, but you need to face up to reality: your world has changed and you may need to move on. It is often tough at the top.
Second, you need to be consistent. You say that you like the culture - but can this still be true now your mentor has been fired and the organisation does not recognise your good performance?
Start to research alternative jobs today while continuing to perform to the best of your abilities. If your new boss does recognise your value then you may choose to stay, but at least you’ll have an alternative if things don’t work out.
Posted by: Consulting actuary, male, 43 | May 15th, 2007 at 10:20 pm | Report this commentGrow up - you’ve ridden one horse to where you are now - if you cannot change horses mid-race, get out of the competition, and get into a race you can win. It’s what the game is about.
Posted by: Anonymous | May 15th, 2007 at 11:22 pm | Report this commentGet out now while you still enjoy the work. Your new boss will undoubtedly make life increasingly difficult for you. As he does so, you will find yourself losing your enthusiasm, followed by corosive cynicism as each attempt to persuade him of your worth is rejected. Protect your enthusiasm - it’s the driver for your skills and a quality that every other employer will want.
Posted by: Roger Evans | May 16th, 2007 at 10:56 am | Report this commentThe position of chief executive does not appear to offer a lifetime of job security. The new chief executive’s prospects and remuneration probably depend on the company’s performance and that performance is not going to be improved by eliminating employees who do “great work”, whether he “likes” those employees or not. Even if he has been “very political”, he might well now undergo a conversion to wanting the best people in the right jobs and if that happens, at least he knows where the bodies are buried or, perhaps more correctly, are over-promoted. Your problem is that you may be one of them.
Posted by: Ironybrew: 57, Retired, Male | May 16th, 2007 at 10:58 am | Report this commentYou need to ask yourself honestly how you differentiate between the processes of “mentoring” and “having favourites”. If the true distinction between your use of the two terms is whether or not you personally benefit from the activity, then you can take some comfort from the fact that your “senior position” may look flattering as you urgently update your CV. An idea that might be helpful in any event, is to suggest that you stop liking the “culture” that you’ve been working within. Serious company politics are destructive and normally stem from poorly executed acquisitions and/or international rivalries. A culture that has managed to foster organic growth of domestic company politics will not appear likable to those trying to optimise company results.
Mentoring is fine as long as it doesn’t have the unintended consequence of causing factions to emerge in the first place. You might well want to ask yourself how this situation really arose so you can avoid it in your next job. It could be that you are a victim, or it could be that you have unconsciously contributed to your plight. Of course, some people are just poisonous, and will never change. Being around them doesn’t help either - you may start to think like them. If you are good and really enjoy the work, you should do much better in a new firm.
Posted by: Vitsippa, Manager, Financial Services, female, aged 48, London | May 16th, 2007 at 11:26 am | Report this commentI would broadly agree with all of the previous commenters. If you absolutely refuse to move on - not necessarily foolish, but more risky in many ways - I have this advice:
Posted by: Marcin Tustin | May 16th, 2007 at 12:16 pm | Report this commentFirstly, to help yourself, make sure you take credit for waht you do, and make sure that people will openly give you credit for what you do, in every way that you contribute. Be visible!
Secondly, do what you can to combat factionalism. Do this informally, and do it formally by drawing attention to any communication or co-ordination problems that there are (yes, there may be somethings you cannot say). This should be good for the organisation, as well as being good for you.
Finally, still be prepared to jump before you’re pushed.
You need to move on and you are in a good position to do so, with rapid promotion behind you. If he wants to retain you he will let you know but the history between you and the fact that you have had “run-ins” with him in the past do not bode well for your continued employment or enjoyment of your job. In your next role be careful not to put too much faith in one person’s support at work and gain the respect of a range of senior managers - mentors can move on without a backward glance leaving you to deal with the results of having emerged from under their protection. You have been given a push up the ladder - now learn how to develop a more sustainable approach to your career.
Posted by: Louise, 43, consultant | May 16th, 2007 at 1:50 pm | Report this commentSounds like you’ve just got a bit of the ol’ transition jitters. Things will probably work out fine if you are professional. Remember the new boss has to learn to work with you as much as you him - unless of course he’s the kind to whip out his sharpest blade and go immediately for a brutal and bloody cull of potential malcontents, then I’m afraid you might as well just sit at home in your pants and watch the cricket.
Posted by: Anonymous | May 16th, 2007 at 6:21 pm | Report this commentYou need to buy yourself time. You must do this by making him realise that only by keeping you on in the short term will he know where all the skeletons are located. Furthermore he must be made to realise that in you he has a tangible scapegoat for any problems of the past that arise during his honeymoon period. This won’t last for ever - but in the meantime you can work on the only truly effective long-term strategy - ensuring that your respective partners become best friends ! Male analyst, 43
Posted by: Anonymous | May 17th, 2007 at 9:46 am | Report this commentUnfortunately, you’re doomed - the situation as you described has happened to me twice and both times I did not fare well. The first time I was made “redundant” (my new boss’s assistant got my job. The second time I ended up as the “Quality, Safety and Environmental Manager” - a non-job if ever there was one.
As an aside, I am amused at some of the “hard-assed” comments made, presumably by, “young thrusters”. There but for fortune!
Posted by: John Lockwood | May 17th, 2007 at 10:34 am | Report this commentSo you’re saying the only person who thinks you’re any good couldn’t hold on to his own job? You could write the best-selling “Who fired my mentor”, get rich on the royalties and quit. Or think of ways to increase your redundancy pay-off.
Actually, do this exercise. Write 10 good reasons why your CEO should promote you and 10 why he should sack you. You might find the answer yourself.
Posted by: Banker, male, 34 | May 21st, 2007 at 9:15 pm | Report this commentSad to say, repeated studies have shown that new CEOs tend to replace the people around the previous CEO with “their own people.” It might be best at this time to form an exit strategy and begin seeking a new position in another firm. Even if you are not formally removed, the culture that you indicate that you liked is very likely to change with the coming to power of a new leader. To be sure, it is a shame that such events are so common as to be predictable; we would certainly like to think that business leaders act from wisdom and in pursuit of the best interests of the firm. However we know from both research and experience that such is not often the case. Good luck with your future new firm.
Posted by: John Riutta, 39, corporate trainer, male | May 22nd, 2007 at 12:06 am | Report this commentRead this month’s Harvard Business Review article on Surving a new CEO. Lots of practical tips there.
Posted by: Intuit, 33 | May 22nd, 2007 at 12:32 pm | Report this commentYour name’s not Alistair Campbell, is it?
Posted by: Lawyer, 27, Female | May 24th, 2007 at 2:10 pm | Report this commentThis is the point in the classic rags-to-riches story where the hero undergoes a mid-adventure crisis and thereafter learns to cope without the “mystical” aid that they previously relied upon (e.g. Joseph being sent to prison in “Joseph and the Technicolour Dreamcoat” or Aladin losing his magic ring). Cheer up mate. It’s all a part of growing up.
Posted by: BL | June 20th, 2007 at 8:10 am | Report this comment