I have been recently given responsibility to manage a fairly large team in a software company. I have an excellent relationship with my functional head and the top management. However a functional head in another department absolutely hates me and tries to undermine my judgment in every discussion, email and meeting. I was working with him sometime back and had no issues at all prior to my new role.
I am thinking of confronting him through a call (we are geographically apart) and asking what’s eating him.
Does this sound like a good idea or just let it go thinking this is the part of the job?
From what you describe, this guy is above your level in another chain of command. I’d run it by your boss first. Let your boss know that your gut says to work it out with the other guy, but give your boss a chance to apply his knowledge of the upper level politics to the situation.
That way you establish your willingness to reach out while still keeping your boss in the loop. Also, doing it this way establishes your intent in case things don’t go well and the other guy gets creative.
I wouldn’t advise anyone in a business setting to call another person and ask “What’s eating you?” However, I do think a phone meeting is a good idea. Keep the topic something neutral, such as “Feedback on the XYZ Proposal.” Tell him that you are feeling some resistance on his end, and you’d like to better understand why. Show him that you respect his judgment and will listen to him. He may have legitimate concerns.
That being said, you may be dealing with a clash of cultures here. Dealing with a manager who was raised in the same place as you are is one thing. Dealing with a manager from another country, and culture, is another thing. You may want to read up on the culture that he is from to learn ways to approach him. Or, if your company has an HR department, see if there is a protocol coach who will advise you on the business etiquette for this particular country. Sometimes it’s not the message that is as important as the manner in which it is delivered.
Geographically apart could just mean they’re in differing cities, not necessarily different countries…
A phone meeting is a bad idea, there’s no record and there will be hostility and nothing will be solved. Anything brought out will be denied and you’re the low man on the totem pole so you’ll be the one to suffer.
Meetings only benefit if both sides WANT something good to happen.
Use email only, use ONLY professional business language. Even then it might not happen. I had one manager and he refused to ever rock the boat. Any other manager could do anything to any of his employees and he could care less. He was too worried that if he said anything out of the norm, he’d get the chop. So he sat back and did nothing.
The only way to deal with this situation is to make sure your judgment calls are sound. Then to simply always interact with email. Make sure you CC (not BCC) your boss and his bosses and the upper management as an FYI type of CC
This way any of your judgments called into question will be noted and have a record.
Glad I didn’t give in to the temptation to call the guy and confront him. I’ve been raising this issue with my immediate superior; however he prefers to take a more professional approach and do nothing (while admitting that the criticism is mostly unjust).
The funny thing is this guy used to get along just fine with me prior to my new role.
Although we are in two countries, organization structure is flat and candor is promoted within the employees.
I am trying very hard to control my temper when replying to his sarcastic emails questioning anything and everything I say. The guy got a reputation for being a smartass and I am not the first one he targeted within the organization.
Adapting to this corporate b/s is going to take some doing….
If ever you are visiting his location, or you learn he is visiting yours, I would suggest to him a meeting, ideally lunch or drink after work. I have had something like this situation in the past and we got on much better professionally after an evening and a few drinks.
If, as is probably the case, he is a coward then he is unlikely to be sarcastic to your face and if he turns you down you have some sort of moral high ground - perhaps in his mind but also perhaps also to any observer. You will have been seen to have tried to bridge the gap.
May not work but can do little harm. Meanwhile I agree best to play him with a straight bat, corporate email is your friend not a phone call. Don’t overdue to c.c. list though - it can look defensive as can setting “read receipts” etc.
Moved MPSIMS --> IMHO.
A professional approach also includes addressing the issue. It is only the method and the manner that may vary. If your boss considers the professional approach is to do nothing, that may be telling that your boss may lack the ability to actively address the issue, or any contentious issue. It does not and should not mean doing nothing is always the correct approach to take. Maybe your boss is a wuss.
Ding! Ding! Personal and/or professional jealousy. He may be showing his true colors now.
I would phone before I would ever commit to paper, even electronic. People don’t tape their phone conversations but emails can seriously backfire. Besides, with a phone call (if face to face isn’t possible) offers body language clues (voices, tone of voice, etc.) that email will not.
If it gets so that it impacts what you can get done, then call a meeting. Invite him, his boss, your boss. Set out to address his concerns - point out that his concerns ARE heard and listened to, but the goal that management has given you is to move forward - sometimes that means accepting risk, and that means that everyone (even you and your boss) are not always going to get their way, since you have to balance the needs of many stakeholders, as well as time and cost. Acknowledge that the role of a “pessimist” has as very important to identifying risks and deficiencies in scope or usability - and that you value that role, but that you need him to move along once the decision has been made. Ask him - in particular - not to drive other participants off the rails and turn the team negative. Offer to set up a weekly half an hour with him for him to gripe. If the meeting is not going well, point out that he is placing the project at risk, and if he continues to place the project at risk you will have to request that his role as a stakeholder on your project be filled by someone willing to make the compromises that need to be made and respect the judgment of the team chartered to make the decisions because you cannot put the project at risk for one person.
If it hasn’t gotten to the poison the well stage, then acknowledge his role as a pessimist - DO listen to his concerns, do log them. Talk to him - he may be one of those people who sees naysaying as his role - something that in your previous role you did not get exposure to. We have a few of those - and they are GREAT to have around. They are going to tell you where your project is going to derail. You can cut him off at the knees (and do much better risk identification on your projects) by running things by him before its general communication “Bob, I know you always have an opinion on these things, so before we make a decision, we’d like your input. I can’t promise you the decision will go your way, but I’ll make sure to consider it. This decision has to happen quickly, so I’ll need your feedback by lunchtime.”
That’s not professional – it’s just gutless. Things like this is precisely what a manager is supposed to manage!
He’s probably lying to you about believing the criticism is unjust; it’s likely that he is telling the other guy that you are a complete screwup and he’d like to get rid of you. Or your manager really doesn’t care one way or the other, as long as he is comfortable in his job (without having to do the hard work of actually managing things). In any case, you can’t trust this guy. Start quietly looking for another job, either within the company or elsewhere.
Find those other targets, get together with them, and figure out ways to gang up on this guy!