Porcupine, Beware
My new line manager was keen to show her teeth this week.
On Wednesday I had a 1-to-1 with her. The language of domination she used to me, almost a decade her senior, rattled my quills, and I have let her know this the last few days. The head of my former department is scandalised, and wonders how I am managing to carry on without chewing her head off. (Newbie linie will learn...!)
She may be two grades senior to me, but I have nine years' experience on her. She has yet to learn that I can be trusted to carry out my role without new broom micromanagement. There are others in the team who need more management than I do. She will find this out.
This morning she told me I was leaving at 4pm (having started at 8am). So I suggested to her that patient-focussed care came first, whether or not I was supposed to be leaving the office at any given time. If the phone was still ringing come 4pm, she could expect to find me in the office, dealing with the questions raised by incoming callers.
In the end, we declared it a draw. At 3.30pm, the phone started ringing off the hook. Every time I put it down, it rang again. Continuously until 4.30pm. I took messages, rang others, rang back, sent faxes and offered reassurance and comfort. Eventually, the only queries I had left dated from Thursday and I hadn't managed to resolve them in the course of the day.
Then and only then, I left the office. I went downstairs and packed a few items to bring home from my old desk drawer. The bus journey home, and the behavior I witnessed in the store while doing the week's shopping, are a whole other post, if I can be persuaded to show you the 'trailer trash'/chav side of life even the East of England has.
In the mentime, I have been home for several hours now and I am feeling the need for my bed.
wordchazers-words spiky porcupine work dayjob orders boss line-manager trust
Image Credit » https://pixabay.com/en/porcupines-erethizontidae-animal-957114/ by rothpetra19620
Comments
indexer wrote on January 29, 2016, 6:26 PM
A good manager will trust their staff to do a good job and leave them to get on with it. Unfortunately, many managers have been promoted from a job they did well into one where they haven't a clue.
1markgraham wrote on January 29, 2016, 7:22 PM
You are right patient care in all forms come first, but again as indexer says maybe she is just trying too hard to a good job. I don't know for sure.
1wolfgirl569 wrote on January 29, 2016, 8:15 PM
Glad you did not back down. Good luck
1vanGogh wrote on January 30, 2016, 12:54 AM
micromanaging instead of cheering on the sidelines (she has yet to become a good leader) show 'em!
1BeckyWiegers wrote on January 30, 2016, 10:46 AM
Good for you, for standing your ground. She doesn't realize it yet (although she well may in the future) but by handling this situation the way you did, you are teaching her how to do her job better. I HOPE she is one of the ones who can learn, and not one of those who view every dissenting opinion as a direct attack on their authority. That kind just sucks.
1missfortune wrote on January 30, 2016, 1:00 PM
Sometimes you have to go rogue and stick with your gut instinct; just because someone is a higher-up doesn't mean they are actually qualified for a position or to be in a leadership role
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