the last assignment for the "Lead like an entrepreneur"

1. Situation: I am very good at finding
information on the web so my boss asks me to
do marketing researches for particular topics
of his interest. Since I am not with the
marketing department, all the kudos for the
good findings are not attributed to me and at
the same time I have to delay other tasks
relevant to my job function.
Diagnostic: my boss is very smart but has
recently been questioned as the chief of the
department because he has missed some big
opportunities, so he’s trying to put himself in
good positions to get praised by the big boss. I
am currently stuck in a rut with my routine
job, so helping him to improve his image
could give me a chance to make a lateral move
inside the department.

2. Currencies: I have what my boss currently
needs to keep his position safe (abilities to
seek new business opportunities), but I
wouldn’t be able to exploit my abilities
because I am working in a completely
different position. I want to propose a fair
exchange: he decreases my workload so I can
work in parallel with the marketing
department; this way I can hone my abilities
and he receives good inputs for his meetings
with the Board. If this scheme proves to be
working very well, in a year my boss will
propose to create a small marketing position
for me inside his department.
Trying it out: my boss and I are the same age
and understand each other quite well, so the
relationship has almost always been friendly.
So I have decided to be clear and straight with
my proposal and we met in his day after the
business hours.

3. Results: the meeting did not go very well. He
appreciated my willingness to help, although I
feel the proposal was perceived as a bit too
explicit. He explained that he is not in a
position to make such a big promise and that
we all must work for the common goal, the
department financial results, regardless of any
individual interests. The only alternative is to
close the department and be relocated
elsewhere.
What I have learned: I think I have
approached him too openly and put much
emphasis on the fact that he needs me for his
survivability. This may have triggered a
strong defense reaction from him, so the
discussion did not actually take place. A better
approach could have been starting with
something more generic and delving into
explicit requests later on during the
discussion. By the way, this experience let me
know his world a bit better.