I have a pretty big dilemma to deal with at work at the moment. Here’s the issue:
A very large carrot is being dangled in front of me at work now. I was planning to discuss shortening my hours in the fall when a current project ended, yet abruptly I was asked to make a business case for a huge amount of money for a pet project, for which I would be solely responsible. The project I would do would be the first in our industry. Doing said project would not only give a good amount of leverage at my current position, but lots of leverage for future opportunities. Now I’m torn. Wait it out several months longer and further my career significantly or wait it out just a little longer and spend more time at home? If it’s only a matter of 6 months or so, I’m tempted to wait it out. I want this project. I’ve wanted it for almost two years. I can make it successful and it can make me successful. Dammit. I hate carrots. Especially when they’re just close enough to nibble.
My biggest problem, however, is that now I need to figure out if said carrot is political because my department may suspect my plans, or if this is a valid, true opportunity. I hate politics more than carrots. I know our new management has a personal and company agenda. I know the company agenda, but for me and everyone in my department, the personal agenda has more impact. What stinks more is that few people actually like our new manager except for the individual who recommended him for promotion. Aside from that person, this individual is universally mistrusted and often reviled. So what I’m working on and this other potential project could really build me up or it could be very, very bad if I fail.
Thoughts on how to handle this situation?
Is it just the manager that you’re being asked to make the business case for? Will it then be his job to present it higher and/or make recommendations?
When in doubt, start asking questions. DO NOT stop with your manager. Talk to your Director as much as you can get away with. Heck, even start walking up the food chain, not only on your own org chart, but in any department that might be related to and/or benefit from the project.
If your Director or VP doesn’t know about it or doesn’t care, then you might have a case that the Manager is blowing smoke up your butt or playing some kind of game with you.
If it would benefit other departments and those people don’t know about it or aren’t interested, then it seems unlikely that it would actually be done.
At every turn where you are questioned, don’t say a word about how you distrust your manager. You already have a great built-in excuse. You were planning to shorten your hours and now a big project is looming. You’re trying to decide if it’s worth it for you personally. Nothing more.
Ditto. I would feel out the details for a few weeks; even a few months. Find out what the real deal is. Ask questions of anyone who might be in the know. Let all controlling parties know that you’re interested and what your Master Plan is. If it doesn’t fall into place within a reasonable period of time, I’d ask for the reduced hours and tell them if/when the project takes off, you’d like to be called back to work it. Good luck! Sounds perfectly wonderful for you!
This is great advice - thanks, Chimera and Kalhoun! The guy above the new manager (the person who hired him) is actually now very close to him. But I see no reason why I can’t get friendly enough with them to talk independently with each. Both have an “open door” policy. How real that is, well that’s anyone’s guess; however, the new manager at least tries to make an appearance of being buddy buddy with most people. After all, he was hired directly from our team, so we knew him before he was senior to all of us, which helps a bunch. And it’s in his best interest to keep me, at least for now, given that I have certain knowledge no one else in my company does.
I’ve been on one person projects and regreted evey one. They take you off for special department efforts, then blame you when the others go over budget and they need your money. So they let you work on the general project for a while and drop your deadlines. Once the deadlines are gone so is the incentive to replace the lost budget. It’s a lingering death. Not that your project would go the same way, but that chance is one to watch out for.