What To Do If A Team Member Wants To Take Over Manager's Role ???????

Dear Seniors ,



I Request for your valuable sugestion



Iam working in an firm as an Assistant manager - HR Operations. I Handle a team of 8 Persons. 4 in Chennai , 3 in Pune and one in Hyd. We provide HR Service to our client. Iam working here since September , 2008. I got married in Dec 2008 so i had to take leave of 10 days , i had to train an Back up in chennai to perform my tasks in my absense.



When iam back , i could observe that he has taken over , and got more importance from my Client's end. He want to perform all the important tasks all alone and gain importance. He began to demand other team members. I did not want to fight , i want to handle this issue in an dignified manner . I Request you all to guide me how to handle.



I Had a word with my boss , My boss had told me to consider all the team members as children , and just go on. I Did the same but now i feel things are out of my control. My Boss provides all his support to me. But handling the team iam not satisfied from my end !!



Looking forward for your inputs

hi NIthya,

time to put your put down and show who's in control. you can't please everybody. get this straight. the guy will not take it lightly and may fight back. it's survival of the fittest dear and you are not here to get brownie points. it's a question of your role and authority.

you are trying to be polite but this is a dog eat dog world and eat or be eaten.

how long has the guy been in your company? how much value does he provide to the company? take these into consideration before entering into a showdown - by which I mean have a threesome session with your boss and the guy and sort out matters. if you wait for things to happen, things will get out of hand and you will be a dummy.

already you were undermined by not being taken into appraisal and overlooked by the boss - have a gut feeling that your boss will side with this guy. think and jump. also have plan B (alternative job backup) if things don't go well or are you willing to be swept by the wayside?

Nithya,



These are common issues found every where in all departments. May be this guy is trying to act too smart but its not that easy all the while. Being in a position and handing a team is not that easy. Ultimately what it matters is performance, how do you handle and sportiveness. Dont worry. Dont get depressed.



Ok let me put it in this way..........



Firstly - I suggest you to be friendly to all members but at the same time make sure that they respect and obey you. Dont give space where they can take u as take it easy. Make sure there are no loop holes in this as well as dont share much of your personals with them. Maintain a limit for everything and take things seriously.



Secondly - Talk to your Boss and make sure that all the assisgned tasks from the clients is been diverted to you as you are responsible for it and then you decide which task has to be assigned to whom, the dead lines blog blog blog.....Before assigning the tasks call your team members for a meeting and assign the tasks for all the 8members. For Outstation members arrange a conference call. Every week follow up and get the daily task sheets from them. Make sure you update the same to your client as well as ur boss. Be more proactive this will help you in gaining confidence from client as well as ur boss.

Its more than 10months you have got married and its too late for you to take initial steps in sorting out this issue. These kind of matters should be closed as soon as you notice because if you leave them to grow then one day it will destroy you. There is no need to be too good or too kind to all. Be brave and bold. There should be command in your voice. Give them handfull of work and keep them busy.

Be confident in what ever you do and try to get back the cofidence from your client only then you can get back your position. When it comes to official works be strict with your team members and make sure you grab the clients attention.

Hey thanks Ramesh and Maliiiiiiii !!!
I Have taken all the steps what ever Malii has told... but the issue is he has an understanding with the client !! and i suspect that he is passing on the information out of office. Myself and boss do not have any proof with us to take an action againest him !!
I Have made everything tight to team members... every ne obey me.. but every one fell this guy is demanding them as he perform his tasks perfectly !

Hi Nithya,

throw your weight around. that's one thing.

hate to say it from a male's perspective - assuming most of the guys working under you are males - there's the issue of guys working under gals. forget the guy threatening your team members, guys don't mind being banged around by guys but when a female boss shouts, it pricks their ego badly.

I know from experience. I served two hugely talented lady bosses, brilliant in their own and still respect them, learnt a lot from them - single minded focus and dedication. but I was the object of ridicule whenever I had a bad day at the office. the guys would poke fun at me during lunch or tea breaks. these same guys would have got stinging reaction from their bosses but the guys ignored this.

as far as dealing with your client, I suggest that you ask your boss to get in touch with the client directly and inform him that all transactions/interactions be routed through you. the guy acted smart and cheap.

whenever I interacted with clients, I made it clear that he is interacting with me as representative of the company. any relationship I developed out of the way, I have never and will never use it to undermine the company.

take your boss into confidence and see that the guy is undermined and pressurised to realise his mistakes. if worse comes to worse, the boss has to choose between one of you. don't indulge in back biting or gossiping (from your mails, I know you won't), be critical (but not openly) and see that the guy realises his mistakes. at some point he may realise (if he does honest introspection) or else he will move on and take the client with him. that's where your boss first and then you need to step in so that you don't lose the client. good companies have 2-3 people dealing with a client, so as not to lose them, if one of them moves on or switches allegiance

As I understand, your Boss has to do a lot of work, more than you, if he is genuinely interested in giving you , your due. Sit with him, and make an action plan. He should be the one who needs to tell the smart alec that his area of responsibility should not be crossing your areas. Alternatively, the boss can hand over some tasks which you are handling to the smart alec, so that he is kept busy and does not interfere with your work.
Sooner or later the smart alec will leave or you will have enough ammo to see that he goes. Be good, to all and in your work. Truth, honesty will all triumph in the end though it takes time. Do not get flustered till that time.

Its not due..Its more of competence.. I would suggest you need to to a introspection as I have encountered the same issue in my team and automatically people tend to fall on the side where the real value stand..

Do your own valuation as the same team is not comming to you despite your presence..

You should do valuation on following areas..

A. Knowledge Leadership on last 1 yr - 1______5 Scale

B. Process & System Leadership ________-Do_____

C. Initative & Recoginations _________Do________

D. EQ & IQ _________Do_____

Just honestly do a swot analyis you will get the answer, no junior can dare to do so untill he has potenital and you have weekness.. Politics will harm you, its beter you work & show your strength as a boss and soon things will be in your hand untill you have done nothing in last 1 yr..See subordinates are really like childeren and they evaluate you every second so you cannot challenge their judgement. Also person who has taken you as a replacement will have automatic respect if you would have shown some exemplery track record...

Dear Nitya,
Good Morning!
I will suggest you whenever the responsibility delegate to your team member before going to leave you have to send one written information to your client and all the concerns that due to the reason you will not be available during the days and for the smooth functioning you have already taken care for them in the manner of deputing your team member on these days and on the resuming of your duty immediately you inform to all the concerned that you revert back and get the feedback in the manner that no hurdles they were crossed during the period.
Hope this practice will minimize this situation happening.
With best wishes,
R Shanti

Hi
Sometimes this happens..... Don't worry
Bring in clarity to roles each one of your team mates have to play including yourself. Call for a meeting with all your team mates. Inform them the roles. Emphacise on protocols.
After this meeting, send individual mails to each of your team mates with your Boss in the CC: and close once and for all
Make it clear that protocols are to be strictly followed and you will do the customer handling. Cut his link to the customer. Call the customer and inform him that henceforth as was earlier you are taking over.
Addressing the issue directly will help sort out this issue quickly and in an open manner. All the very best
Rama

Hi Nithya,
It was in December 2008 that you took 10 days leave right? Almost a year is going to get over - I wonder why the problem is still existing. Infact.. you had 10 months to make things get back to normal.
Obviously anyone would want to perform and go to the next level. So you say that he is doing additional work (your work) to gain more attention, and you fear he will take on your role. I would like you to think on whats your agenda? Go upward, or safe guard your current position?
It is not the 10 days that actually spoilt the situation, it should be something else - maybe this guy in context is really good / determined and there is a "need" that ius pushing him to that extent.
So whats your need / purpose? Make use of that as a pushing motive to go to the next level.