How Can I Handle a Boss Who's Undermining My Work Despite Proven Success?

I have been working with an NGO for 7 years, handling various departments since I joined. My performance has been good, as appreciated by the management, which led to promotions. However, for the past month, my boss has changed (not a new person, as he has known me personally for the past 4 years), and a new department has been assigned to me. The president personally appointed me to this department, which I had handled 2 years before because the previous person was not performing well. Since taking over the department, our customers have been very satisfied with the outcomes, and new systems have been successfully implemented. There is still room for improvement as we are working on addressing loopholes in the department.

Despite the progress, my boss has been mentally harassing me over minor issues even after providing explanations. He has been passing negative information about me to the president. Previously, the president was pleased with my work, but now, due to misinformation provided by my boss, he has started treating me poorly. I kindly request suggestions on how to deal with and resolve these issues.

Thank you.

You have given information about your problem, but the main crux of the information is missing. Please check my comments/questions in *italics*:

Background Information

I am working with an NGO for 7 years, handling various departments.

*Which departments have you handled?*

Since I joined, my performance was good with the management, and it has been appreciated by management, leading to promotions.

*What were the parameters of "good performance"? What is your current designation? What was the designation when you joined?*

For the past month, my boss has changed (not a new person, as he knows me personally for the past 4 years). A new department has been assigned to me (the president personally appointed me to this department), which I handled 2 years before because the earlier person was not performing well.

*Which is this new department?*

Since I have taken up this department, our customers are very satisfied with the outcome, and new systems have been implemented. However, there is still a lot to improve and loopholes in the department that are being addressed.

*Which new systems did you implement? What changes were observed due to this implementation? Who were the beneficiaries? Why are there loopholes in the department? Did you submit an action plan to your superior to address the flaws?*

My boss is mentally harassing me by focusing on minor issues even after explanations and passing negative information about me to the president. The president, who was initially pleased with my work, has started treating me poorly based on misinformation. I request advice on how to deal with and resolve these issues.

*Quality of work should be impeccable. Smaller issues cannot be ignored. Possibly your previous boss overlooked them, but the new one may prioritize quality. Align with the new boss's expectations and implement suggestions seriously. Focus on meeting the expectations of your designation to bridge any performance gaps.*

*Final Comments*: My comments may seem stringent, but they are not personal.

Thanks,

Dinesh V Divekar

I agree with the advice given to you. However, if you can secure an appointment with the president, share your thoughts, facts, and figures. If he/she is a true professional, he/she will understand your situation. Otherwise, you may need to consider finding another positive work environment.

Best wishes,
skrsharma

Thank you very much for your inputs, and I respect your questions. As mentioned by you, I have reached all parameters set by the organization and reported to my boss. I mentioned it's a new department (Food Processing), and I have started implementing the standards of ISO 22000-2002; it's in process. If any issues arise, I go to him to discuss, but he is not in the mood to listen to the issue; instead, he blames me.

One thing I would like to mention here is that the way my boss works, I really like and am very keen to learn new experiences from him. The way he treats me doesn't seem like he is giving instructions; it seems like he has some grudge or wants someone else in the position. As I said, the President appointed me directly, which may be haunting him. Sometimes, in his words, I notice that kind of mentality.

I am working here as an Operations Manager in the Food Processing and Manufacturing department.

Facing Replacement by a Familiar Colleague

Your boss wants to replace you with another person whom he knows very well. You know there are many professionals who always like to work with their own team. It is as simple as that. Secondly, the comments posted by Mr. Dinesh V. Devikar are also appropriate to some extent.

Options to Consider

You have two options:
• Try to convince your boss by hook or by crook.
• If your first option fails, then look for another job.

But please never spoil good relations with your existing boss, even after you leave the job. All the best.

Regards,
Kamal

I would like to add a little to the inputs given to you by others.

1. Please conduct a meeting with your new boss. Ask him what his expectations are from you. Inquire about the key areas where he expects you to perform and the parameters on which he will evaluate your performance. Understand what job competencies and deliverables he expects from you. Also, clarify the behaviors he anticipates from you for this role. Please ensure you comprehend his expectations in all these aspects and deliver accordingly. Additionally, prepare minutes of this meeting and circulate them to your boss.

2. Assure him that you aim to build synergy within the team and contribute to the organization as per his expectations.

3. Understand his behavioral patterns so that you can adapt your behavior accordingly.

4. Contribute to making him successful. Understand his learnings and experiences, and align your deliverables to contribute to his and the president's success. By contributing to your boss's and the president's success, you will earn their appreciation.

5. Always document your contributions to the organization as proof of your achievements.

6. To thrive in such a situation, you need to align yourself with your boss. Achieve this by establishing your credibility through your contributions to the organization, making it such that even your boss hesitates to take actions that may jeopardize your work.

7. Always take a positive approach in such situations. Consider the story of the donkey in a deep pit, where despite people trying to harm it by throwing dirt and garbage, the donkey shook it off and used the dirt to step up until it could get out of the pit. The moral of this leadership story is to take a proactive stance in challenging situations to successfully overcome them.

Hope this helps.

Thank you very much for your suggestions. I had a meeting about my concerns directly with him. Actually, he was not aware of the food processing unit operations, so he was not understanding my way of working; hence, these misunderstandings happened. Now, my boss has changed after this meeting, and the new boss is very senior in this field. He felt good about my developments in the department and explained to my previous boss about this. Now, my previous boss is also very nice to me.

Thank you once again to all.

Regards,
A.V. Kumar