Though I've not done any serious research on the subject of roll definition as it affects leadership, I have read many books and articles in which the authors expound on the benefits of defining rolls in management and the affect of this definition on a manager's performance. I suggest that roll definition is vital to a leader's success as much as to the success of the generic "manager," and I'm sure there are numerous academic articles to back this up. My experience in observing the outcome of poor roll definition comes from my own work on a team where my roll was unclear and poorly defined and where the outcome of the project was important to the executive suite. I don't like to place blame elsewhere; in fact, I usually pick my own work apart ruthlessly. But in preparing for projects that will be scrutinized at the highest levels, managers must take great care to examine the power they have been given to achieve those objectives. Managers may believe that they have been given the power to achieve certain things when, in fact, they have not.
I encountered my first problems, in my example, when the "staff member," a worker bee who was basically running the whole show, came to me to regarding verbiage to use in marketing materials that, by definition, were counter to the (also poorly) defined mission. Another manager who obviously thought the project was under her jurisdiction had given her these instrutions. It was clear after this encounter that the other manager had the support of the executive suite, but what was I doing there? Was I just another "staff" member who would coordinate with current staff? If so, it was an egregious misuse of my skills. I was not as alert as I should have been at that point to the problems that this would cause me. With a manager of my caliber caught between the manager with real power and a belligerent staff member, I should have seen that I was the perfect patsy. The power manager didn't have to blame, and therefore alienate, the worker bee, she had me there to take the heat! In this case, I should have kept my opinions to myself, done only as I was told and exited the scene as gracefully as possible. Instead, I believed that I could "help" the project by floating my ideas with the mistaken notion that they would be taken seriously. To this day, there is no evidence, beyond my own brutal self-evaluation, to suggest that I did not perform well on the project. I did request a review of my performance from the executive suite which I never received. Well, live and learn folks, that's what it's all about. But why concern myself with that now? Who cares?
I do. Not only do I care that I was put into an impossible situation doomed to failure, but I also care because there is a job now available, for which I am uniquely qualified and may not get because there were some "concerns" about my performance on the aforementioned project of doom. The manager who would like to hire me for this position understands that I am probably the best person for this job, but I fear that I did not play the political game well enough to protect myself at a time when I should have recognized the trap. Naturally, it is important to learn from this experience, and I will; but I feel a sense of loss and I have written this blog to offer support to those good managers who now find themselves in positions of responsibility with no concordant power. My advice? Play the game. Do what is absolutely necessary and no more, offer no opinions other than those that agree with the top rung and extricate yourself as soon as you possibly can! The worker bee will be blamed for any problems (though I am sure that you will still present an excellent target which means it would benefit you to help the worker bee succeed), the power manager will get any acclaim, and you will escape, if not unscathed, at least without the hint of the "dark side"clinging to your good name. And if ever you have to work for the one who put you in this position to begin with? Forget the past, make sure your roll is well-defined (with the necessary concordant power), and believe, as I do, that if given a chance, you will succeed and be recognized in due time.
I don't think executives plan to torture those they hire in these types of situations; in fact, they're probably the victims of circumstance themselves, but there is much you can do to repair those relationships (and your good name) by believing in and achieving your own success.
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