I was asked to apply for a management role, but have had no training
About a year ago, I applied for an entry level position in a new field. I did quite well in the interview and was asked to apply for a management position, which I did, and was appointed. I was placed in my new role and aside from a meeting with my manager every couple of weeks, I have been given no training or direction, and have been given complex technical projects with little or no notice. On top of this, the adviser who was there when I started (and who I relied on for information) has been moved and not replaced.
There are a number of big projects, which I have been told about in passing, that are about to start. These require a fairly high level of knowledge which I don’t feel I possess, and I don’t know the details as there seems to be a very low level of communication in the organisation.
I’m almost constantly stressed and feel incompetent in my role, which is a shame as I was excited about heading down a new career path. Should I try to talk to my manager, try to find a new job, or simply put up with it and slowly develop my skill set? Normally, I’d talk to management but other staff members who have done so don’t seem to have fared very well and I am not sure it would be in my best interest.
Jeremy says
It’s disturbing that you should feel that you can’t talk to management. You say that other staff members who have done so “don’t seem to have fared so well”, which implies that speaking to management not only fails to improve matters but may actually make things worse.
I can see this might discourage you, but please don’t rule it out altogether. It could very well be that those who have complained to management before you have been a bit negative and aggressive and were given fairly short shrift.
If that’s the case, you could learn from their mistakes. It’s true that you seem to have been thrown in the deep end pretty disgracefully, and could justifiably be highly critical of your treatment. However, a litany of complaint, although warranted, won’t be well received by what’s clearly a hard-pressed management team.
When carefully preparing yourself to speak to your manager, I’d advise you to be brief when describing the problems you’ve been facing and concentrate as much as you can on possible – and practical – solutions. Rather than emphasising your feelings of stress and incompetence, frame your suggestions in terms of the increased contribution small changes would enable you to make and how occasional access to an adviser would improve your work, in both quantity and quality. If there are specific areas where you feel particularly vulnerable, volunteer for training in them.
You may be doubtful that this approach will prove to be fruitful – and you may well be right. But you’ve already invested a year of your life in this company and I think it makes sense for you to do whatever you can to make it work. At the very least, you should be able to judge from the response whether it’s worth your while to persevere, or whether it’s time to start looking around.
Readers say
• You haven’t been given complex projects – you’ve been given them to manage. Where the knowledge needed to manage them is missing, tell your boss you need help/training on those aspects and leave the lower-level stuff to those whose job it is to do it. Don’t tell yourself that you’re incompetent – you’re just not up to speed on some aspects of the technical side. Learn what you need to learn and never mistake doing the job yourself for managing it. As a manager, you have to learn to resist the temptation to involve yourself at every level. MissingInActon
• I don’t think there’s any “putting up with it” to do, you’re the manager – manage! You’re not supposed to do everything yourself, but delegate and bring together resources to complete tasks. And – yes – learn and improve on the way. If a particular resource does not exist until someone has been trained up (or studied Google for long enough) then there it is. Manage expectations.
Don’t know the details of the project? That’s a bit concerning but you can’t start until someone has given you (or you have prepared) a project spec. Cut yourself some slack. Nobody can work miracles. Good luck. SmokeyStover
People with no experience have been appointed above me. Is it time to leave?
I have been with same employer for more than a year and in this time I have had two managers and am about to get a third. My first manager left in July 2014 and I was left on my own and ran the place until November. I applied for the vacancy but was told I lacked some workshop experience. The second manager started in November 2014, but did not have experience. I trained the manager until she knew what she was doing, but she is leaving, too. My third manager starts on Monday. This vacancy wasn’t posted anywhere externally or internally. The new manager also has no experience. What can I do? Is there anything I could do or should I just get on with it and move on?
Jeremy says
There is something particularly shameful about this sort of management behaviour. When managers leave, companies expect other employees to cover for them. And yet when they do, usually successfully, often with little if any training and for quite long periods, they’re expected to return to their previous positions as if nothing has happened. There’s rarely any appreciation shown, let alone a salary rise or a bonus.
By my calculation, you’ve now been an acting manager, or been training a manager, for at least eight months – and would seem to have done so at the very least adequately. You have every reason – and every right – to raise this with your senior management. As always, I advise you do so not in a state of high indignation, however tempting. You must be seen to be thoughtful and considered.
Ask for a career review. Remind them that it’s been a full year since you joined the company, and you’ve happily taken on extra tasks that were no part of your original contract. You hope you’ve done them well and they’ve certainly provided you with invaluable experience. You’d now like, quite formally, to put your name forward for consideration for any future managerial positions and the promotion that would come with them.
I suspect you’ve been “pigeon-holed”; a mature conversation along these lines could well prompt your employers to see you in a slightly different light.
Readers say
• It appears perception of your capability to step into a managerial role is counting against you. I would suggest you consider external roles and move on when you have secured a new position. ilovespreadsheets
• If you’ve had so many managers in a short space of time, you may well have dodged a bullet by not being promoted. Perhaps you need to speak with HR and ask for feedback. AugustaG
• Refuse to “train” the new manager. Its not your job, and if you are having to train them it’s clear you should be the one managing. The company should realise that you should be promoted. carpediem101
Do you need advice on a work issue? For Jeremy’s and readers’ help, send a brief email to dear.jeremy@theguardian.com. Please note that he is unable to answer questions of a legal nature or to reply personally.
