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When jerk bad-mouths you, take the high road
Q: For 21 years, I have dealt with a CEO who is an arrogant, intimidating control freak. He recently hired "Ted," the ultimate jerk, who constantly tries to undermine me. The CEO believes everything Ted tells him, most of which is exaggerated or completely untrue. How should I handle this?
A: Your first instinct may be to respond in kind and try to sabotage Ted, but that's not likely to be a good political move. Executives hate employee squabbles, so an obvious power struggle will aggravate your CEO and worsen a bad situation. Continue to be pleasant and professional, despite your annoyance.
Instead of trying to damage the little upstart, strengthen your own relationship with the CEO. Although your CEO is difficult (as many of them are), you undoubtedly have figured out how to manage him during your 21 years together. So you should be able to avoid the pitfalls that eventually will trip up Ted.
When you learn that Ted is spreading inaccurate information, talk with the CEO immediately and set the record straight. Trashing Ted won't be productive, so put your concerns in the context of solving business problems and achieving business goals.
For example, instead of saying, "Ted's reports are completely inaccurate," you might say: "I'm not sure that Ted fully understands how we calculate these numbers. I'm going to work with him on that, but I wanted to be sure that you had the correct information." You need to be seen as a helpful colleague, not a tattletale.
After being a loyal employee for two decades, you reasonably might feel somewhat jealous and betrayed by the CEO's interest in this newcomer. But don't despair. Ted may be the "flavor of the month" right now, but, once the novelty wears off, he will begin to have his own issues with your challenging CEO.
Reader feedback
"The woman who always butts into conversations may not know how to make friends with people. Maybe she is just trying to be part of the group. Instead of ignoring her, the co-workers should ask her to lunch and try to get to know her."
-- Marie G. McIntyre is an Atlanta-based workplace coach. Her weekly column is syndicated by Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service. Send questions at www.yourofficecoach.com.
