My manager was promoted because she was great at her job in getting donations from major donors. But now that she’s our director of fundraising we’re finding she’s a terrible staff manager: she micromanages, doesn’t provide support, provides direction on things where I actually have more expertise, etc. What can I do?

Unfortunately, the situation you describe is all too common. This scenario is a classic situation where a person is promoted based on their performance in their current role. Someone may be exceptional in their current role managing tasks or projects but not have the leadership skills necessary to effectively work with employees. Also, many new (and some experienced) leaders confuse leadership with management.

When the knowledge, skills, abilities and behaviours required for a supervisory or management role are not taken into consideration when promoting an employee into a position of leadership, the cost to an organization can be high. Without alignment, training, support or guidance, a newly promoted supervisor or manager can, unwittingly, shift the culture of the organization and increase the rate of turnover, disengagement, mistrust and dissatisfaction of the employees. This, in turn, has a negative impact on the service, production and customer service, provided by employees. In time, this is reflected in the overall success of the organization. This long path to an organization’s demise can usually be traced back to poor leadership.

There are so many considerations in this situation that it would take too much space to address them all here. Instead, I would like to keep my response down to two parts: your responsibility as a team member and HR’s role in preventing this type of situation from taking place.

Your responsibility as a team member and to yourself

This is probably one of the most difficult things to do, however being honest with yourself is the first best step. Is there anything you may be doing to contribute to the behaviour you are experiencing from your boss, either unintentionally or unconsciously ? If there are any behaviours you are exhibiting that may be contributing the situation, first take steps to eliminate them.

Next is what is called “leading up”, or demonstrating leadership behaviour to your manager. Express your concerns from an open and honest place. State your desire (ie, I have always enjoyed working here and good working relationships are important to me), let your manager know what you are feeling (ie, frustrated, confused, stifled, etc.), and let the manager know why you are feeling the way you do (ie, I am receiving more direction than I have in the past, although I have expertise in this area and a track record of good work). Ask the manager for their point of view (ie, What has changed?)

Be prepared to offer a solution to the situation. If the manager seems to need to have their hands in everything all of the time, ask the manager if a regularly scheduled meeting to update them on your work or projects will help. Carving out a set time, with a set format will allow you to retain some control over the situation while allowing the manager to also feel in control. Can you carve out 15 minutes a day to inform the manager about where you are at with a project, any obstacles you have run into and how you are handling the obstacles? At the end of each of these updates ask the manager if you are on the right track, or if they have any suggestions for improvement. This signals to the manager that you respect their input.

Over time, this meeting may be scaled back if trust builds between the two of you and if the manager is more comfortable in their leadership role.

HR’s role in providing guardrails

HR can provide “guardrails” to help avoid such a situation from taking place. What are those guardrails?

Job descriptions. By clearly defining job descriptions and linking them to the organization’s vision, mission, values and direction, a baseline is established for your recruitment and selection practices, performance management, learning and development, etc. Job descriptions should clearly define the required knowledge, skills, abilities and behaviours required for a role as well as the key relationships, both internal and external. Using job descriptions as a guidepost for selection, development, and performance management, you will reduce staffing issues.

Defined hiring practices and procedures. By defining practices and procedures for hiring and promoting purposes, all involved in the process have a guideline for determining a “good fit” to a vacancy. When these practices and procedures are aligned with the organizational requirements and individual job description, hiring mistakes can be reduced.

Defined learning and development practices and procedures. Defining the learning and development requirements for each role, and for the organization as a whole, helps to ensure that learning and development opportunities (whether formal or informal) are available in the organization to support the success of each role. Monitoring training for a new hire or new promotion will make it clear if there’s been a misalignment with a new hire.

Defined performance management practices and procedures. When performance management practices are current and include a specific procedure for the probationary period, a poor hire (or misaligned promotion) is quickly detectable and measures can be taken to correct the mistake. Including both efficiency and effectiveness in performance measures ensures the right outcomes are achieved in the right way.

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