A few years ago, when companies across the country were deep into cutting their ranks with little concern about the repercussions Ted was a product manager of a national beverage company whose popular products are sold in supermarkets across the nation. After 15 great years with the company, a well-publicized takeover changed everything. Until that dreaded day, Ted ran a tight unit consisting of 50 people he had brought up through the ranks. Each one was handpicked, dedicated, and hardworking. Ted was a great person to work for, and it was easy to understand why his employees worshiped him.
Until his life unexpectedly changed, Ted had it made. His competence was rewarded with free reign from a high-ranking vice president who appreciated Ted's talents.
Like most corporate managers, Ted followed the business news closely. He knew the American business machine was in the throes of change. Yet, like thousands of others who loved their jobs, he never imagined his company would be taken over by a powerful international conglomerate, causing havoc.
His Utopian position in the company ended when his boss was fired and replaced by a heartless martinet intent on over-hauling Ted's department. It didn't matter that the department had one of the highest productivity quotas in the company.
Ted's new boss felt compelled to change things just for the sake of change. He was intent on exerting his authority. Ted likened it to an invading army trashing the countryside and killing everything in sight in a dramatic show of power. For no reason at all, Ted's new boss fired half his department. After the last person was terminated, Ted was called in and read the riot act. His boss neither defended nor rationalized his actions. He merely laid out the game plan. He told Ted that things were going to be done differently. A new commander was in place, and he'd better shape up or he'd also get his walking papers.
What saved Ted was his impressive track record. Somehow they couldn't bring themselves to put him out to pasture. The decision wasn't made out of appreciation; it was simply good business. Ted was a valuable and consistent producer. What's more, he was a hero to the younger workers. Everyone knew Ted's story of working his way through the ranks. He did it not by playing corporate politics, but through sheer hard work.
The new management deemed him potentially valuable. Why not give him an opportunity to cope with the new regime?
Planning to Do Battle
Ted didn't think too much of the meager crumbs they were offering. He had too much pride and self-esteem to feel gratitude for being a survivor. In fact, he felt guilty because he thought he let his coworkers down by not protesting the firings. But he knew there was nothing he could have done about it. And everyone who worked with Ted knew that, too.
Ted's sense of pride would not allow him to take a deep breath and make peace with the changes. He honestly thought that by speaking to his boss's boss he could turn back the clock and return things to the way they were. But he soon discovered he was fighting a losing battle.
Talking to the Big Guy
Ted tried to cool his heels by putting the takeover and firings behind him. But as hard as he tried to bury himself in his work, he couldn't forget the changes. Seeing his boss at meetings and in the corridors triggered his rage. His boss was like a painful thorn in his side. Two months after the reorganization, Ted couldn't take it anymore. He was angrier than ever. He hated his boss and it was gnawing away at him. If his boss at least said he had no choice and was apologetic, Ted would have felt differently. There could have been a foundation for a relationship. But that never happened. His boss showed no regret. In fact, in the months following the reorganization, his boss acted more arrogantly than ever.
Instead of seeing Ted as an asset, his boss bypassed him every chance he could. If he needed input on a project, he sought advice from a junior worker who didn't have Ted's knowledge. The final straw was when Ted wasn't invited to confidential strategic planning sessions that he had previously attended. Unfortunately, Ted's pride got the better of him and eventually did him in. Viewing the situation as intolerable, he decided to complain to his boss's boss. He could have just thrown in the towel and found another job, but that wasn't Ted's style. He deemed managing his boss and transferring to another department as inadequate solutions.
Wrong Moves
Late one afternoon, Ted visited his boss's boss and asked if he could have a few words with her in private. She agreed and he closed the door behind him. Ted got straight to the point. He said he came to discuss the problems he was having with his new boss. He said his new boss was unreasonable, belligerent, and yes, unqualified to run an important unit. It was only a matter of time before the company would pay a heavy price for his sloppiness. He didn't stop there. He said it was a mistake giving a lunatic like this so much power and that he wasn't alone in his feelings. Virtually everyone who reported to him felt the same way. For these reasons, he believed the company should take a hard look at the job his boss is doing. Finally, he said that he wanted to report to another senior manager. If not, he'd be forced to hand in his resignation.
To say that Ted put the proverbial noose around his neck is an understatement indeed. In the space of a 30-minute conversation, he virtually ended his career with the company, according to management consultant Joe Weintraub, who offers critical advice for going above your boss's head.
Consider whether the superior is approachable. In other words, do you have a sympathetic listener?
If Ted had realized he was speaking to a pawn of the new regime, he would have kept his mouth shut. Although his boss's boss had been with the company 8 years, she was still sympathetic with the new regime. An opportunist with an eye on a senior executive slot, she was not to be trusted. Ted never considered that he was not speaking to an impartial source who would act fairly on his behalf. In short, Ted should have stamped her "unapproachable."
Don't cast yourself as a martyr. Here again, Ted struck out. No one wants to feel as if they're being ganged up on. That's a palace coup-type of thinking, warns Weintraub.
Remember: Companies are not mini-democracies. They'remore akin to totalitarian governments run by a small and powerful group. No one cares if you're a spokesperson for the majority of workers. Not only are you making yourself look bad, you have also potentially hurting others who would have preferred it if you kept your mouth shut. Weintraub's best advice: Speak for yourself. ''Presenting yourself as a martyr is one of the biggest career-limiting moves you can make, he warns.
Don't present ultimatums. Ted blew it again when he said that he couldn't take it anymore and was considering leaving. First, he stepped up to the pulpit when he said that it was only a matter of time before the company would pay a heavy price for his boss's sloppiness and primitive management techniques. But the topper was saying that if he didn't report to a new senior manager, he'd be forced to resign.
How do you think his boss's boss reacted to that threat? You guessed it. Like any seasoned executive who has mastered the game well, she expressed concern. She was so convincing that Ted naively thought she was sympathetic to his cause. When he shook her hand and left, he was convinced positive changes were imminent. He would have been horrified if he knew she chuckled at Ted's simplicity as soon as he closed the door. But the clincher was her call to Ted's boss informing him of the conversation. She expressed dismay over Ted's disloyalty and advised his boss to turn up the heat. Her closing remark was, "I'm very disappointed, but Ted is just not a team player."
- Don't spill all the beans. Ted's performance points up the danger of being too honest. Unless it's a life-or-death situation, don't mistakenly make your company an ethical or moral battleground. Of course, companies ought to be fair and honest with their employees. They ought to create healthy environments for their employees. But the truth is that companies exist to turn a profit. In pursuit of that end, many companies use ethical issues, diversity training, and minority recruitment as public relations tools to create a favorable perception. The reasons are obvious. Major food companies, for example, go out of their way to tell the world they hire African-Americans, Latinos, and Asians. Reason? It's not to show how altruistic they are, but simply to sell more canned soup and cereal. Their demographics tell them that a healthy percentage of their customers are minorities.
As you may have guessed, all of Ted s hard work to right his situation ended in failure. A month after he spoke to his boss's boss, he handed in his resignation and left the company.
If he thought his boss was a horror story before he spoke to his boss's boss, he deemed him a dangerous demon after he spilled his guts. Teds boss turned up the heat to the point where Ted was badly scalded. Rather than find an excuse to fire him, he decided to make Ted s life a living hell.
Progressive Corporate Culture Helps
Now that you have seen what not to do, here's how to go above your boss's head and the conditions that make for a good outcome.
Your best ally is a progressive corporate culture, whether real or in principle only. Companies with the budgets to afford large corporate communications departments can afford to promote a corporate culture that will make it look good in the public eye. They'll make a big deal about their recycling efforts, how they spend zillions to clean up the environment, or how they protect endangered species. They'll spare no effort to get the message out. Socially aware companies love flying their "diversity" banner before the public. It usually works. Most people like to read about diversity, even though they're not quite sure what it means. It all comes under the heading of a caring corporate culture.
Cynicism aside, some companies actually do mean what they say. Others just give lip service to the progressive corporate culture credo because it sells products. Bear in mind that many companies actually do put their money where their mouth is and have worker-centered corporate cultures. Naturally, these are the companies where you stand your best shot of calling management on bad behavior. Unless you have got a relative on the board of directors or are related to the CEO, you're not going to easily revolutionize a backward, autocratic corporate culture.
As a general rule, progressive corporate cultures offer the following benefits:
- Open communication lines. This means they actually encourage workers to express opinions and dissatisfaction.
"Skip-leveling is a marvelous career-building tool/' says Weintraub. "Rather than putting their careers on the line, they're actually enhancing them because there is no retribution." Whether your boss's boss actually goes to bat for you and rights a difficult situation or is merely an attentive listener is another issue. However, it's reassuring to know you can speak your mind without being ostracized or canned.
The bad news is most companies don't have a clue what skip-leveling is all about. Yet Weintraub says the 10-year-old concept is gaining ground thanks to crusading management consultants.
- Mechanisms that encourage change. Suggestion boxes have been around for at least a century. Progressive companies have elevated the traditional suggestion box to a new level.
Some companies are experimenting with creating impartial intermediaries so workers can complain without fear of reprisal. Usually, they're low-level supervisors who identify with workers more than management because they have worked their way through the ranks. While it sounds great in concept, many workers don't trust the concept of having an impartial spokesperson. And they have good reason to question selfless altruistic acts. Cynical old-timers who have spent time in the trenches have learned that management often can't be trusted. What seems like a genuine act of caring is often a tactic for weeding out troublemakers. And the so-called impartial intermediary is actually a management plant who's working for the corner-office crowd.
However, many progressive companies actually have an open-door policy so workers can vent their frustrations and gripes. Informal and casual atmospheres often encourage honesty and improved communication between management and staff.
Now let s wind down with some tips on the best techniques for confronting your boss.
How to Confront Your Boss's Boss: the Process
By now, you have learned you can't barge into your boss's office and uninhibitedly speak your mind. You saw what happened to Ted. He blew his career chances at the company because he naively thought good wins over evil. Maybe it does if you're the Lone Ranger or Wonder Woman.
Ted had no intention of taking his injustice lying down. He was a self-made man who intended to fight for his beliefs.
Unfortunately, it became his cross to bear. One of Ted's biggest shortcomings was that he was a clean fighter. Sadly that's not always an asset in the business world. If he under stood the rules of the game and realized that there are no rules in business, he would have kept his mouth shut.
If you're contemplating confronting your boss, consider these suggestions:
- Evaluate your chances for success. If you're walking a dangerous line between success and failure, avoid confronting your boss. If you're walking on hot coals yet have another job in the wings, by all means go for it. No matter what hap pens, you'll come out ahead. In short, think honestly and rationally about the outcome. It would be wonderful if the good guys always win and ride off victorious into the night.
- Plan out the event as much as possible. Of course, things seldom go according to plan. Nevertheless, the more thought and planning that go into the event, the better your chances of success. Create an imaginary dialogue with your boss's boss. Imagine both favorable and negative reactions to your observations so you'll be able to respond appropriately.
- Be descriptive; not evaluative. When it comes to the actual meeting, Weintraub stresses, "Give information but don't analyze the situation." You need to drive home the fact that you want to improve your performance and your working relationship with your boss.
The goal is to create the impression that you want to be helpful and supportive, rather than vindictive. Drive home the idea that the problem is bothering you and affecting your work. Once a solution is found, you1l be a human dynamo, unstoppable and happy in the bargain.
Advice: Instead of using a lot of "we" statements, describe the problem in the first person. You have not a spokesperson for other workers; you're only trying to solve your own problem. "Playing the 'we' card doesn't win a lot of credibility," says Weintraub.
Uppermost, tell your boss's boss you are seeking advice. "Put him or her in a helping- and-coaching-mode rather than in a defensive-mode," adds Weintraub. "Achieve that end and you stand an excellent chance of seeing positive results."
Absolute no-no: Whatever you do, don't back your boss's boss against a wall so that he or she is forced to defend your boss. If that happens, you have batted out without turned in an award-winning performance, wind down by putting yourself in the hands of your boss's boss. You might say, "I know you'll do the right thing. I look forward to hearing from you soon. I appreciate your taking the time to listen to me." Say no more. i\lake a graceful exit and hope for the best.
Hopefully, your boss's boss will do something about the problem. But there is also a good chance he or she will do nothing but discreetly forget your conversation ever happened. And then, of course, there is the remote possibility of a bad outcome. Even though you felt your chances of success were high, your boss's boss pulls a fast one by teaming up with your boss to make your life miserable. Anything can happen. You'd be advised to consider all eventualities.
