I'm trying to drive improvements in my company, but my boss is always unsupportive. What can I do? Here are some suggestions: 1. Have a face-to-face meeting to clearly explain your goals and get clear expectations from your boss. Collect evidence of unsupportive behavior. 2. Look for a mentor among other managers who can support your career development and potentially speak to your boss. Connecting with other departments may also reveal new opportunities. 3. Emphasize your skills and take opportunities to employ them so your boss recognizes your abilities and is more willing to support your work. Changing an unsupportive boss isn't easy but you must rise above it and not let motivation

1. Careers
your questions answered
❱❱ I’m trying to drive improvements in my company,
but my boss is always unsupportive.What can I do?
© IVONNE WIErINk-VaNWETTEN
Managers and team leaders should • Make sure you are aligned with and people on
be supportive, encouraging and working towards the organisation’s the move
open to ideas at all times, but the sad goals. This should be a wake-up
reality is that excellent managers can call for any manager that he or she ❱❱ Terry Scuoler
be hard to find. Being faced with an should be supporting your work EEF, the industry body for en-
unsupportive boss kills motivation • Speak to another manager. This gineering and manufacturing
and dispels any desire to be doesn’t mean telling tales, but sup- employers, has appointed Terry
innovative. But measures port doesn’t have to come from one Scuoler as chief executive. Terry
can be taken. person alone. If there is another was the managing director of Fer-
Classic ways in manager that you respect then ask ranti Technologies. he previously
which a manager whether this person could become served as an infantry officer for five
can be unsup- a mentor for your career develop- years before joining royal Ord-
portive include ment. That person may then be able nance, now part of BaE Systems,
not being avail- to speak to your manager on your as European marketing manager.
able, lacking behalf. Making connections with
clear expecta- other departments may also reveal ❱❱ Jeremy colman
tions, undermin- new opportunities The head of the Welsh audit Of-
ing or overriding • Collect evidence. Make a note of fice, Jeremy colman, resigned in
decisions, micro- occasions when your boss isn’t sup- February with immediate effect.
managing and not portive – you can then use this mate- Jeremy was appointed for five
giving credit for rial during a face-to-face meeting years in 2005, but his term was
good work. This type or even if you decide you have to go extended for a further three years
of behaviour can spread over your manager’s head to sort in May 2009. The International
through a whole team and out the problem Peer review, published in Octo-
reduce productivity. • Anticipate your boss’s behaviour. If ber 2009, criticised top managers
There are many things that you can your boss is likely to micro-manage and reported “unhealthy tensions”
do, but here are a few suggestions: you and constantly ask for updates, within the WaO.
• Have a face-to-face chat and clearly pre-empt this by suggesting you
explain what you want. If your man- give weekly or monthly detailed ❱❱ Bill mcGraTh
ager isn’t giving you clear instruc- updates. If your boss is likely to take Electronic retailer ShopNBS has
tions or is giving mixed feedback, credit for work you’ve done, prepare appointed Bill McGrath as vice-
ask exactly what is expected of you an email or report to send out to president of quality assurance. Bill
• Make it clear what you are good the rest of the company and let your has worked in product quality as-
at. If you emphasise your skills by manager know that you are going to surance and global sourcing for the
taking every opportunity to employ communicate successes yourself. retail industry for 19 years, most
them, then your manager is more Changing the behaviour of an unsup- recently as vice-president global
likely to take notice and be willing portive manager isn’t easy, but above sourcing operations at television
to use these skills to the organisa- all you need to make sure that you can shopping giant QVc.
tion’s advantage. Even faced with an rise above it. Letting your motivation
uninterested manager, putting in the for your job fall because of a boss ❱❱ eric BoeS
effort will pay off in the long term shouldn’t be an option. Eric Boes, corporate quality
engineer for Delta Faucet, has
been named chairman of aSTM
International committee B05 on
copper and copper alloys. aSTM
please email your useful links is a forum for the development of
career questions www.bit.ly/spherion international standards and com-
and job moves to www.bit.ly/suite101advice mittee B05 publishes about 140
editorial@thecqi.org www.thecqi.org standards each year.
52 | March 2010 | qw www.thecqi.org
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