What do I need? Training/coach

[Baabaaric]

I'm at an organisation that is light years behind where it needs to be in terms of using insight to make decisions.

It's my job to manage/generate the insight the board needs to make those decisions. I'm supposed to be the head of but even the head of has a boss so in fact I have less power than I need.

I know what insight they need I 'see' things no one else can see and I want to do the research ready for when they need it. My job is to know these things and get the research done to answer their questions now and in the future.

I have a boss who signs off these requests and in my 2 years at the company has not signed off a single one. Yet 6/12 months later the board asks me for insight on X and X just happens to be the thing my boss stopped me researching. And of course I have nothing which makes me look bad at my job. And they continue to make average decisions based on poor insight. This has happened so many times now I need something to change or I have to leave.

How can I get my boss to see things how I see them? There have been so many (in my head) I told you sos where I say the organisation needs something, my boss says no and then 6 or so months later my boss comes saying someone in the organisation is asking for the thing I said and then I'm at capacity with other stuff so I can't get the research done or insight in time for the decision to be made (because by then of course it's urgent) and so they just make a guess.

Do I need influencing training? Do I need a coach? How do I politely and professionally get my boss (and others in the organisation) to believe me? I'm not blowing my own trumpet when I say I'm nearly always right because if they were right I would be learning what the organisation needs and when. Instead I feel I need to educate the organisation and I don't know how to do that in a way that they want to listen to me. Where do I go to learn how to get them to listen to me?

Is this really a problem you need training/coaching for, or is this your boss being a blockage? Sounds like the latter? So can you compile a list of times your boss has been a blockage or made a poor decision (obv explain it diplomatically), set out how you think things could have gone differently, and escalate to your boss’s boss to work out how this sign off process (or boss!) needs to change and what benefits a change could bring?

Educating the organisation could mean cultural change? How big is the organisation? Could some cultural change training/material help?

You make a good point but I can't change my boss so I'm trying to change what I can change and that's me.

I worry that list will come across as an 'I told you so' list so I think I could benefit from learning how to deliver that message diplomatically.

My boss says there's been so much change recently the time isn't right for more change. Except whilst we're not changing they're also asking for stuff I'm not allowed to deliver.

Organisation is about 1000 people.

I think it’s how you wrap the message up. It isn’t ‘I told you so’ - keep yourself out of it. It’s more about changing the process/decisions made. I would keep it very objective -

1. this is what happened
2. these were the consequences/what it’s cost the business
3. this is what could have been done differently
4. …for x potential benefits
5. a provocation to take some action - what do you want them to change? (It sounds like you need authority delegated from your boss’s role to your role? And would you also need some work to be taken away from your role/structure or more staff to complete the research?)

Can you find out about your audience? Work out who to address your paper/communication to - who has the power to change whatever you need changed? How do they like to be communicated with? (Do they like all the detail or do they like a succinct message etc). Could you ask for a chat first to sound them out?

Maybe you would get more ideas/answers if you post on the work topic.

I like that structure thank you. I can think how that could work.

I did post in the work forum but got zero replies so I genuinely appreciate yours!

Good luck!