How to navigate Office Politics and Power plays in this situation?
March 12, 2017 10:05 AM Subscribe
I recently was asked to head a small department, but now face a difficult situation with one of the Senior Executives. How do I navigate this mine field?
I get it. Office politics are reality and "I don't care" is not a valid principle, even if you don't want to play cheap tricks.
However, I don't get this in my situation. I joined a small organization as head of Department A, reporting to the CEO. This is a very small department of just 2 people including me (will expand later to a couple of more folks). The Head of Department B is a very Senior Executive (2 levels above me in terms of job title) and also reporting into the CEO. This person has now started trying to show my department in poor light to the CEO.
It is so subtle, that I have no response. Example - We all worked together (including Sales team - Department C) for a customer proposal. The Head of B writes: " Many thanks to you for a good presentation and for having the patience for my "n" number of iterations"
The thing is, there were NO iterations. My first presentation was deemed good enough to send. Sadly, our common boss is not in all the transaction emails, since he is not only the boss, but also the CEO (so wanted to respect his time).
Another example, in Executive meetings, this person gets early to the conference room and sits to the right of the CEO (The table has 3 seats at the head) always. When the CEO is not there, the person sits randomly.
What I don't get is this, there is no way I can compete for power struggles, since our departments do radically different things and this person is so senior that there is no way I can be promoted over that person. We also don't compete for any resources, budgets etc.
What's going on and what can I do about it?
I get it. Office politics are reality and "I don't care" is not a valid principle, even if you don't want to play cheap tricks.
However, I don't get this in my situation. I joined a small organization as head of Department A, reporting to the CEO. This is a very small department of just 2 people including me (will expand later to a couple of more folks). The Head of Department B is a very Senior Executive (2 levels above me in terms of job title) and also reporting into the CEO. This person has now started trying to show my department in poor light to the CEO.
It is so subtle, that I have no response. Example - We all worked together (including Sales team - Department C) for a customer proposal. The Head of B writes: "
The thing is, there were NO iterations. My first presentation was deemed good enough to send. Sadly, our common boss is not in all the transaction emails, since he is not only the boss, but also the CEO (so wanted to respect his time).
Another example, in Executive meetings, this person gets early to the conference room and sits to the right of the CEO (The table has 3 seats at the head) always. When the CEO is not there, the person sits randomly.
What I don't get is this, there is no way I can compete for power struggles, since our departments do radically different things and this person is so senior that there is no way I can be promoted over that person. We also don't compete for any resources, budgets etc.
What's going on and what can I do about it?
Keep doing a good job. That's the only thing you have to do.
It's not clear to me from your two examples that this person is really trying to do any damage to your or your department, but even if that's the case, a good CEO is going to pick up on this kind of behavior pretty quickly. I'm the assistant to a CEO and read all his people's performance reviews and what I've learned in 15+ years of this type of job is that CEOs typically don't care so much what kind of personality someone has as long as they deliver results. He may notice the other department head being a weird suck-up but not care, if that person is delivering results. So: just because you don't see that person suffering any consequences, it doesn't mean your boss isn't aware of what's going on. You don't want to get involved in what you perceive as someone else's mindgames. Just do your job.
posted by something something at 11:04 AM on March 12, 2017 [1 favorite]
It's not clear to me from your two examples that this person is really trying to do any damage to your or your department, but even if that's the case, a good CEO is going to pick up on this kind of behavior pretty quickly. I'm the assistant to a CEO and read all his people's performance reviews and what I've learned in 15+ years of this type of job is that CEOs typically don't care so much what kind of personality someone has as long as they deliver results. He may notice the other department head being a weird suck-up but not care, if that person is delivering results. So: just because you don't see that person suffering any consequences, it doesn't mean your boss isn't aware of what's going on. You don't want to get involved in what you perceive as someone else's mindgames. Just do your job.
posted by something something at 11:04 AM on March 12, 2017 [1 favorite]
As tedious as it would undoubtedly be, I don't think you can afford to let misrepresentations of fact pass without comment; in the case of "Many thanks to you for a good presentation and for having the patience for my "n" number of iterations", I'd say something like 'You're welcome! Easy enough to be patient when n=0, as here' and cc everyone he did.
He's doing this because you're new in the organization, and he's trying to establish his ascendancy over you before you can find your feet. But I wouldn't worry too much unless he's very charismatic, because, chances are, all the other direct reports to the CEO already hate him and will welcome a new ally.
posted by jamjam at 12:14 PM on March 12, 2017 [6 favorites]
He's doing this because you're new in the organization, and he's trying to establish his ascendancy over you before you can find your feet. But I wouldn't worry too much unless he's very charismatic, because, chances are, all the other direct reports to the CEO already hate him and will welcome a new ally.
posted by jamjam at 12:14 PM on March 12, 2017 [6 favorites]
I would chillax for now. It may not be a shot at you at all. The guy probably is just pretending he's a perfectionist and works hard at managing you when he does not. It is likely that as posters above have said, a number of people know he does not do this. He's a weird liar, but it doesn't seem like he's out to get you.
posted by benadryl at 12:24 PM on March 12, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by benadryl at 12:24 PM on March 12, 2017 [1 favorite]
I agree with all of the above--don't take it personally, and don't worry, but do correct any mistaken impression if you can without seeming like you are getting down into the dirt. Jamjam offers an excellent script that is lighthearted but clear.
It seems to me that this guy is trying to establish himself as firmly above you in the hierarchy, which is not in fact the case if you are both reporting directly to the CEO. As department heads, you are peers, even if he is more senior in the organization as a whole and has more experience. Recognize this and learn from him where and when you can, but don't let him act like your boss when he isn't. The CEO will direct you when necessary, and he is the only one you have to answer to. There's little doubt everyone else in the organization has this guy's number.
If you want to establish yourself as an equal to this fellow, find a way to praise him and his department publicly for something.
On the issue of copying the CEO, pay close attention to when your colleague--because this is who Department Head B is--copies your mutual boss, and mimic this behaviour. Respecting your manager's time is a great principle, but you also don't want to leave yourself hanging on something where you need your boss's cover.
posted by rpfields at 12:53 PM on March 12, 2017
It seems to me that this guy is trying to establish himself as firmly above you in the hierarchy, which is not in fact the case if you are both reporting directly to the CEO. As department heads, you are peers, even if he is more senior in the organization as a whole and has more experience. Recognize this and learn from him where and when you can, but don't let him act like your boss when he isn't. The CEO will direct you when necessary, and he is the only one you have to answer to. There's little doubt everyone else in the organization has this guy's number.
If you want to establish yourself as an equal to this fellow, find a way to praise him and his department publicly for something.
On the issue of copying the CEO, pay close attention to when your colleague--because this is who Department Head B is--copies your mutual boss, and mimic this behaviour. Respecting your manager's time is a great principle, but you also don't want to leave yourself hanging on something where you need your boss's cover.
posted by rpfields at 12:53 PM on March 12, 2017
I'm not sure I completely understand the nature of the Senior Executive's backstabbery, but I'm willing to concede that you've picked up on something that is subtle and real. In my experience, a lot of office politics is very specific to the office culture, ie, there's no "one size fits all" kind of handbook for this.
That said: I agree pretty much completely with something something: "CEOs typically don't care so much what kind of personality someone has as long as they deliver results." In your specific case, I think that the Senior Exec is doing things that you are interpreting as 'competitive' at some very low level[1], and it's making you unhappy.
I'd advise that you not get down in the dirt and engage in any kind of power struggles against this Senior Exec. As pollyanna as this might sound, I think your best move is to simply work hard and do a good job. I'd avoid emailing the CEO as jamjam suggests unless Senior Exec begins to make serious, large, and obvious misrepresentations of fact.
Again: a lot of this stuff depends on your office culture - and part of that is the relationships that people have with each other. Do CEO and SE go drinking together? Or is SE just another direct report?
Speaking of relationships: is there anyone at your work who could act as a mentor for you? Or, at least, provide you with some intelligence on the political landscape? The advice you get from such a person is going to be 100x as useful as anything you read on the Internet.
Finally: I don't want to be unduly negative, but: not all battles can be won. I hope it's not the case for you, but sometimes a work situation can be toxic to the point that your best strategy is to GTFO.
Good luck with this.
[1] And I'll note: sometimes The Boss likes it when his managers are sniping at each other: he thinks it's exploiting Darwinism for better business results, and / or he figures if his direct reports are battling each other, they aren't targeting him. I don't personally think this is a good idea, but this is another aspect of "office culture": your CEO might be completely aware of the Senior Exec's antics, and doesn't care or (nightmare) even totally approves of it.
posted by doctor tough love at 1:43 PM on March 12, 2017 [2 favorites]
That said: I agree pretty much completely with something something: "CEOs typically don't care so much what kind of personality someone has as long as they deliver results." In your specific case, I think that the Senior Exec is doing things that you are interpreting as 'competitive' at some very low level[1], and it's making you unhappy.
I'd advise that you not get down in the dirt and engage in any kind of power struggles against this Senior Exec. As pollyanna as this might sound, I think your best move is to simply work hard and do a good job. I'd avoid emailing the CEO as jamjam suggests unless Senior Exec begins to make serious, large, and obvious misrepresentations of fact.
Again: a lot of this stuff depends on your office culture - and part of that is the relationships that people have with each other. Do CEO and SE go drinking together? Or is SE just another direct report?
Speaking of relationships: is there anyone at your work who could act as a mentor for you? Or, at least, provide you with some intelligence on the political landscape? The advice you get from such a person is going to be 100x as useful as anything you read on the Internet.
Finally: I don't want to be unduly negative, but: not all battles can be won. I hope it's not the case for you, but sometimes a work situation can be toxic to the point that your best strategy is to GTFO.
Good luck with this.
[1] And I'll note: sometimes The Boss likes it when his managers are sniping at each other: he thinks it's exploiting Darwinism for better business results, and / or he figures if his direct reports are battling each other, they aren't targeting him. I don't personally think this is a good idea, but this is another aspect of "office culture": your CEO might be completely aware of the Senior Exec's antics, and doesn't care or (nightmare) even totally approves of it.
posted by doctor tough love at 1:43 PM on March 12, 2017 [2 favorites]
Ugh I hate people like that. Yes, he is trying to establish himself as above you in the hierarchy. In my old job we used to call this monkey biting.
I think you can manage it, though. It is probably especially bad right now because you just got promoted and the fact that you and he both report directly to the CEO is threatening to him. Yes, I know this makes no sense - he's 2 levels above you in job title, and your departments don't even compete for resources. But people like this are deeply insecure, they don't always make sense.
My experience with people like this is, sometimes you can get them to relax by making it clear that he has his turf and you have your turf, and you are not interested in horning in on his turf. I also agree with what rpfields said above, If you want to establish yourself as an equal to this fellow, find a way to praise him and his department publicly for something.
The thing about monkey biters is that they have years of practice doing their thing. If you respond to his antics, he'll act like you are nuts for noticing. That's why his stuff is so subtle - so that if you respond, you look like you're overreacting. For me it was also a losing game to try and respond in the moment.
If you are polite, professional, and competent you can wait him out though. Just keep doing your thing. Be careful to not say anything behind his back that might get back to him. And when he trots out one of his little put downs, don't engage. I was terrible at responding in the moment because I overthink things. So I had a couple of strategies for responding that didn't require quick thought. One was to say "good to know." That is an awesome response because it doesn't commit to anything and it stops the conversation. You're not saying he's right, you're not saying he's wrong, and in your head you can say "good to know YOU'RE SUCH A TOOL" while appearing calm on the outside. My other tactic when I just had no response was the puzzled stare. Don't say anything, just furrow your brow slightly and stare at them.
posted by selfmedicating at 2:23 PM on March 12, 2017 [8 favorites]
I think you can manage it, though. It is probably especially bad right now because you just got promoted and the fact that you and he both report directly to the CEO is threatening to him. Yes, I know this makes no sense - he's 2 levels above you in job title, and your departments don't even compete for resources. But people like this are deeply insecure, they don't always make sense.
My experience with people like this is, sometimes you can get them to relax by making it clear that he has his turf and you have your turf, and you are not interested in horning in on his turf. I also agree with what rpfields said above, If you want to establish yourself as an equal to this fellow, find a way to praise him and his department publicly for something.
The thing about monkey biters is that they have years of practice doing their thing. If you respond to his antics, he'll act like you are nuts for noticing. That's why his stuff is so subtle - so that if you respond, you look like you're overreacting. For me it was also a losing game to try and respond in the moment.
If you are polite, professional, and competent you can wait him out though. Just keep doing your thing. Be careful to not say anything behind his back that might get back to him. And when he trots out one of his little put downs, don't engage. I was terrible at responding in the moment because I overthink things. So I had a couple of strategies for responding that didn't require quick thought. One was to say "good to know." That is an awesome response because it doesn't commit to anything and it stops the conversation. You're not saying he's right, you're not saying he's wrong, and in your head you can say "good to know YOU'RE SUCH A TOOL" while appearing calm on the outside. My other tactic when I just had no response was the puzzled stare. Don't say anything, just furrow your brow slightly and stare at them.
posted by selfmedicating at 2:23 PM on March 12, 2017 [8 favorites]
I don't doubt your sense of the politics, but the iterations thing may not have been aimed at you at all. When I was starting off in business, I got the advice to never let the boss see that the first version was the one you sent. I will admit that I have sometimes changed file names to filename v3.xxx in some circumstances (*blush*). This guy or gal may know the big boss better than you and be behaving accordingly.
In terms of how do you deal if it is politics? Just ignore and perform. It will shake out or it won't.
posted by frumiousb at 3:58 PM on March 12, 2017 [2 favorites]
In terms of how do you deal if it is politics? Just ignore and perform. It will shake out or it won't.
posted by frumiousb at 3:58 PM on March 12, 2017 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: Thanks for all the helpful suggestions. What surprises me is that this person has 85% of the people in the organization reporting into him and it is the revenue earning department.
I think this person just wants to show that his department is the best and without their involvement is everything, the organization just cannot run.
Which is kind of silly to me, because that is the truth and everyone knows it!
posted by theobserver at 9:49 PM on March 12, 2017
I think this person just wants to show that his department is the best and without their involvement is everything, the organization just cannot run.
Which is kind of silly to me, because that is the truth and everyone knows it!
posted by theobserver at 9:49 PM on March 12, 2017
This thread is closed to new comments.
Did B write that email to you?
Can you not sit near the CEO, too? Why would it be wrong for someone 2 levels above you to want to be seated closer to the CEO, anyway?
posted by blackzinfandel at 10:58 AM on March 12, 2017 [1 favorite]