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Re: Seeking counsel - yet another difficult work situation
Subject:Re: Seeking counsel - yet another difficult work situation From:TechComm Dood <techcommdood -at- gmail -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com> Date:Fri, 17 Dec 2004 09:49:39 -0500
> I am currently in the position where I don't even know to whom I report (the
> company I work for is a recent amalgamation of several software dev
> companies and is still in a state of flux).
My advice:
Talk to the VP of the division you are in. There has to be someone
overseeing the lot of you folks, right?
Talk to the VP, don't complain, but objectively list the problems and
the solutions you'd like to implement to solve the problems. Explain
the company benefit for implementing the solutions. That is, don't say
things like "make it easier for me". Don't make the conversation about
you.
After explaining the situation, solutions, and benefits, see if the VP
thinks your ideas are worth trying. If so, ask if you have the
authority to implement them (for example, do you have the authority to
require developers follow your proposed plan, and do you have the
authority to work directly with their bosses should they not follow
along?). If yes, then you're golden. If no, then you need to ask the
VP who you need to escalate these issues to in order for them to be
resolved.
Depending on your company's culture, it may also be good to sit down
with the VP for a heart-to-heart about the organization of your
division, and how it's confusing to figure out who's in charge of
what. Your VP may have answers for you, or may hear what you're saying
and work to fix the confusing situation. And who knows, maybe you'll
be seen by the VP as a voice of logic and reasoning for the
division...
But none of this will happen if you don't approach things objectively,
without blame or complaint. In a situation like this, you should focus
on making things better for the company. This way your ideas may gain
support quicker, and you won't be seen as a "whiner".
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