By Tony
Deblauwe
Sometimes it’s tough to be in management. In a harsh economy, the challenges are
plenty: budget cuts, no ability to open jobs, can’t offer salary increases, no
training, etc. Competition remains fierce, however, and in a climate of
never-ending deadlines, the pressure to perform as a manager can lead many to
crack.
Employees are stuck in the middle. They too are tying to thrive, not just
survive, and when they need something from their boss, they expect to get help.
Trying to accomplish work and keeping proper communication channels open is difficult
if your boss has chosen to disengage from the work environment. Sadly, some
bosses engage their problems by becoming bullies – another side effect of a manager
who has lost the will to perform.
Here are some
warning signs, and what you can do, if your boss waves the white flag of
surrender:
1. Over-sensitive. Does your boss talk
frequently about deadlines and tasks to get accomplished and excludes everything
else? Can you see your boss operating in a kind of frenzy looking confused? Do
you have to walk on eggshells for everything? Is your boss’s door closed all
the time? If you see this pattern your boss is swimming in work and has not
figured out a good way to prioritize meaningful tasks with ones that can be pushed
out.
What you can do: Offer to help take the
burden of the low-hanging fruit items. They might be very operational and
tactical in nature, but the long term benefits to you of having a boss that
gets a handle on his or her workload is huge. Some bosses might feel like
asking for help is a sign of weakness so reassure him or her you want to keep
things moving not a gesture of pity.
2. Constant negativity. When your boss
changes from cheerleader to Debbie Downer, you may have to struggle with
listening to the apathy and lack of motivation. Managers often serve as listeners
to their employee’s problems or rants, so when the tables are turned, you have
to be sensitive to the mental decisions your boss is making regarding work.
What you can do: Focus your boss on the
successful progress of getting work done. Even if the accomplishment is small
like a successful meeting with a cross-functional team, or meeting a minor
deadline for a project, you have to provide moments the boss can get excited
about. If being a cheerleaders helps you can try, but generally showing compassion
around what your boss is experiencing on an emotional level can help adjust his
or her perspective.
What you can do. Catch your boss in the office and talk about his or her availability. Offer to help, not judge, why your boss has decided to play the avoidance game. Make your boss feel that you and the team are available to manage what needs to get done. Explain how your boss’s presence in the office is valued and meaningful to completing business priorities. You’re offering your boss a reason to come in that’s not purely paperwork or meetings. The genuine connection to the lives of people and work may be what your boss needs to her to feel back on board.
The reality is that burnout for a manager is the same as employees. The patterns we see of people withdrawing or becoming short-tempered and destructive are common no matter where you work. Managers who feel defeated and unable to cope with the demands of their job are doubly crushed because they not only feel defeated as an individual contributor, but as a role model to their team.
As an employee, you don’t have to play psychologist, but you can behave in the way any team helps a weaker player. From time to time we all have our moments and we appreciate it when our peers take the time to pick us up and get us going again. If your boss seems close to throwing in the towel, don’t wait for the problem to become worse – address it, show support, and your boss, your team, and your work environment, will reap the benefits
