Becoming a Manager: How New Managers Master the Challenges of Leadership by Linda A. Hill

Author:Linda A. Hill [Hill, Linda A.]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: Perseus Books Group
Published: 2003-04-24T16:00:00+00:00

Current Bosses

The new managers who did not have such boss relationships to “lean on” were at a clear disadvantage, for few initially turned to their current bosses for support. One of the most consistent and troubling findings in this study was that the new managers did not perceive their current bosses to be resources for coping with their first-year challenges. Most saw the current boss as more of a threat then an ally:

There can be no meaningful dialogue between us. He will never hear the truth as I see it. I feel he is always judging me. And so I don’t dare even ask a question that could be perceived as naïve or even stupid. Once I asked him a question and he made me feel like I was a kindergartner in the business. It was as if he had said, “That was the dumbest thing I’ve ever seen. What the hell did you have in mind?”

I miss having someone I can talk to who won’t be evaluating me. That would be a big plus if I had a person who really understood my job and I could just discuss things with, who wasn’t testing me.

I know on one level that I should deal more with my branch manager because that is what he is there for. He’s got the experience and I probably owe it to him to go to him and tell him what is up. He would probably have some good advice. But it’s not safe to share with him. He’s an unknown quantity and he is the last place I’d go for help. If you ask too many questions or for too much help, he may lose confidence in you and think things aren’t going very well. He may see that you are a little bit out of control, and then you really have a tough job. Because he’ll be down there lickety split asking lots of questions about what you are doing, and before you know it he’ll be involved right in the middle of it. That’s a really uncomfortable situation.

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