Senior leader back stabbing our team - help!

[pinkmink]

I am in a leadership role, managing a sub-team of 10 in a larger department of about 30. The department is not very well respected within the organisation and I’ve identified this is because the leader above me (who runs the department) is basically not doing her job. Let’s call her Sharon.

For example:

1. When we launch projects, I need Sharon to get buy in from the wider organisation. She does not do this - and she won’t allow me to it myself as she likes to be the only person who attends all the meetings. So, the wider organisation doesn’t know what we working on, gets annoyed we are doing ‘no work’, or gets annoyed that our work isn’t quite what they wanted (because they were not given an opportunity to feedback and steer our work). I feel quite blind because I have never been invited to the senior meetings she goes to, but I am sure we should be briefing attendees on our work. I give her presentations she could share, but she doesn’t do it.

1. Sharon lets other (non expert) departments carry out work that my (expert) team should be doing. We then end up with awful messy projects that I have to step in to. She is often aware of the projects but does not tell me (I tend to find out six months down the line, and can see from emails she was aware from the start).

Has anyone encountered this? Any tips for how to manage upwards? It’s very frustrating as I can see stuff isn’t right but as she’s got that extra level of seniority and I’ve only been with the company a few months, I can’t quite navigate what I should be doing.

She’s just let me spend half our yearly budget on a certain thing, which I don’t think she actually understands. I know it’s the right thing to do, but I am acutely aware I need to sell it in to the organisation to make sure they’re happy. Unless I get them engaged now, they won’t have opportunity to input into this thing until it’s too late - and they might not be happy with it. It’s the sort of thing that she should be making a massive deal out of, and shouting about how important it is, but all she has done is send one email.

Ideally you want to talk to Sharon’s manager, do not say anything about Sharon, instead suggest an improvement. Ask for a 1:2:1, say you’ve noticed mismatch between what was delivered by projects a, b, c and what stakeholders wanted. You have an expensive project about to start and want to ensure you meet the brief so could you join x meeting to gain early engagement with stakeholders.

Whilst this goes against the grain you need to cc in Sharon’s manager to key emails as the project progresses. For example you need feedback from x team for these reasons and could you either attend meeting or liaise directly with them.

When a stakeholder complains it isn’t right again email Sharon cc’ing in her manager and state it would be beneficial for you to meet to resolve the issue. Once you have built the initial relationship with stakeholders you can contact them direct.

Sharon is not going to be happy but hopefully her manager will see the benefits. Sharon my try to only respond to you, in that case reply adding in manager as cc and saying thank you.
Keep a timeline and copies of emails when you ask to engage with stakeholders.

If in these strange times you still have the opportunity to have a water cooler conversations work out which key stakeholders you need to engage with, not necessarily the lead but those doing the work, and drop in the conversation what you are working on and how you would love their input. As you are new how do you go about achieving this.

Thank you for your detailed response - that is exceptionally helpful. I will do just that.

I wouldn’t focus so much on Sharon’s manager but more on the other stakeholder’s you need to engage. Just offer to brief them directly. If Sharon hasn’t given them your presentation - send it yourself via email and offer to answer any questions. Raise your own profile in the organisation and at that point people outside of just your own dept will be asking why Sharon hasn’t been doing any of this. (Useful if Sharon’s line manager is one that will just protect her initially).