Re: New Manager Needs Help!

[Kelli Bond <versakel -at- EARTHLINK -dot- NET>]

Pandora Zadro wrote:

> Here's my situation. I am a new writer/supervisor for a company
> organized into product teams. One of the writers I am supervising...

Sounds like you have more than one writer reporting to you.  And it
sounds like you and the documentation team (even if individual members,
such as the woman in question, are working with a particular product
team) need to come together on a shared vision, agreed-upon set of team
values, specific challenges and goals, and collaborative workflow
scheme. Get the help of your human resources, training, or
organizational development/communications department in team-building
activities--don't do this alone.

> She has said things like, "technically you are my
> supervisor, so I need your signature here," and "I could be the lead
> writer, but I don't want to deal with the politics." She has a great
> reputation in the company, and others seem to agree that she could
> indeed, be doing my job. She is very competent and knowledgeble
> about documents and the product.

If she's extremely shy, I think that at some unconscious level she
realizes she doesn't the interpersonal skills required of those in
supervisory and management positions.

> In fact, she was in charge of all
> the documentation before I came on board, and she has been very
> reluctant to give up ownership, even though she's also helping out
> another team. I have been taking on any new documents that are
> requested, but the bulk of the documentation is owned by the writer I
> supervise. When I delegated a piece of a project I had begun, she took
> ownership of the entire project without telling me!

Work processes may very well need revamping in your documentation
department. You may want to continue assigning individual books to more
experienced individual writers such as this individual, while parceling
out sections of single books to less experienced writers.

Another tack might be to give this woman project management/project
coordination responsibility for a particular set of books put together
by junior/less senior writers.  In no way are you abdicating your
supervisory/management responsibilities!  What you're doing is
developing this individual--enlarging her job.  You can serve as her
liaison between her mini-team and the management team whose politics
she's avoiding.

> Then when I gave the
> status of the project to my manager, she contradicted me to him
> and gave him the status on her version.

Take her to lunch; get to know her.  Let her know how much you
appreciate her diligence, great reputation in the organization,
competence, and experience--and that the two of you need to work
*together* for the good of the department and the organization.  Tell
her that contradicting you to your manager makes her look incompetent
and insecure (two things I can almost guarantee she fears most) to
others.

I'd also lay it on the line about what *you* bring to your job, and how
these attributes can help *her.*

To avoid this situation in the future, you might tell her
"______________ (fill in with the name of your manager) is fully aware
of this assignment and the exact pieces I'm giving to you so we're all
clear about who's doing what."  Better yet, give her the assignment in
writing--with a carbon copy sent to your manager (preferably
electronically to minimize the chance of passive-aggressive
interception).  I'd also require progress reports at least three times a
week, if not daily, and let her know you're forwarding these to your
manager.

I'd be careful about disciplinary action in this case unless she
continues contradicting you or continues failing to communicate with
you.  Either situation would establish insubordination (you've asked her
to stop contradicting you or you've asked her to provide progress
reports, and she's failed to comply).

Remember to document everything you do, whether or not you begin
progressive discipline.  Good luck!

Sincerely,
Kelli Bond
Principal Consultant
KBA/DesignWrite (Southern California)