Avoid becoming another casualty in a lost corporate war
Apr 20, 2009
Q:
My former boss and I have become the victims of another manager's envy and greed. My boss was a brilliant executive who grew our business to 10 times its original size. But then another senior manager, "Mike," became jealous of his success.
Mike openly criticized my boss and tried to insert himself into our operations. My boss firmly pushed him out. Next, Mike got one of our employees to spy on us and began telling the CEO lies about our department.
We ignored this, assuming that no one would believe him.
Then the worst happened. My boss was demoted, and I was transferred to another office. Mike took over our department. Although the group is in a shambles, with the best people looking for jobs elsewhere, the CEO is too arrogant to admit that demoting my boss was a mistake.
I know something very bad about Mike that occurred in his last job, but I've never mentioned it to anyone. Now I would like to make people aware of his deceitful character. However, I can't afford to lose my job, and I've recently been told that the CEO considers me a problem. What should I do?
A:
Your former boss came out the loser in an unfortunate game of political warfare. Regardless of who's right or wrong, the reality is that Mike and the CEO are still in power.
For the sake of your own career, you should stop fighting battles in a war that's already been lost. If the CEO has begun to view you as a problem, you could soon find yourself out on the street.
In the interest of protecting your job, you need to fly below the radar for a while. Do good work, be pleasant to everyone, and keep your anger to yourself. To avoid feeling trapped in this unhappy place, update your resume and begin exploring new career options.
Q:
Employees in our department have a variety of religious backgrounds. I am Christian, but several people are Muslim or Jewish. At our office get-togethers, the only meat served is pork, which these employees can't eat.
I have told my supervisors about this problem on three occasions, but they continue to serve only pork. We work in a big company, and I don't believe this occurs in other departments. How can I encourage a meal plan that everyone will enjoy?
A:
How very odd. I can't imagine why any competent, rational manager would insist on serving pork to a religiously diverse group. Adding a few more choices would be so simple.
Fortunately, you have a natural ally in this cause. In any large company, the human resources department will appreciate the need to accommodate religious differences. A brief chat with your HR manager should produce a more varied menu for the next group gathering.
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