 |
|
|||||
Beware of colleague's potential for back-stabbing
Q: I'm not sure whether to trust one of my co-workers. When dealing with me, "Amy" acts helpful and considerate, provides useful information and makes friendly, encouraging comments. She seems like a good team player and loyal employee.
However, Amy obviously wants to climb the corporate ladder. Although there's nothing wrong with that, other co-workers say she has stabbed them in the back in the past. She shows off her knowledge, points out others' mistakes and makes a big deal of her workload.
This self-promotion seems to have worked, because Amy has the trust and confidence of management. Apparently, only her peers see her antagonistic side. When working with such a skillful manipulator, how do you avoid being hurt by her tactics, especially when management thinks so highly of her?
A: You have found Amy to be pleasant and helpful, so you should respond in kind. Maintaining a good working relationship is important, especially because she has influence with management.
Your co-workers may be correct about Amy's motives, or they may just be jealous. But given their warnings, you need to be cautious. Don't talk too freely with her or share information that could come back to haunt you.
To avoid back-stabbing, get to know the managers yourself so that they have a firsthand opinion of you.
If you also are gazing wistfully up the corporate ladder, see what you can learn from Amy's success. To be promoted, you must impress the higher-ups, and Amy seems to have cracked that code.
Q: I was hired as an outside sales representative and absolutely loved driving around to meet with customers. But now I'm stuck in an office all day.
This happened because an older inside salesman made a lot of mistakes on orders and got complaints about being rude to customers. The owner of the company even caught him asleep at his desk and wanted him fired.
Instead, our sales manager gave him a company car, a cellphone and no sales goals. He just has to drop in on customers and say "hello" and "goodbye."
So now I'm trapped in the office making phone calls. I have all of my customers, plus all of his. I wanted to retire with this company, but now I'm miserable. What do I do?
A: Unfortunately, this sounds like another chapter from the book "Life's Not Fair." Because you're more reliable, your boss gave you the critical work and put the slacker where he will do less harm.
The good news is that management's confidence in your ability bodes well for your future. Because your predecessor was such a screw-up, you have a golden opportunity to shine.
The bad news is that you hate the work.
So this becomes a question of short-term vs. long-term goals. You must decide which is more important: escaping a distasteful job or sacrificing immediate enjoyment for the sake of future success.
Because the length of this assignment may influence your decision, ask your boss when you realistically might expect to return to outside sales. But don't whine or complain about your circumstances.
Just get the information, then make your choice.
- 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.
