I am a marketing manager for a family-owned company and I have been working there for almost a decade.
The company’s background consists of just under 100 employees: a) About 10-12 members of upper management, b) 5-10 middle managers, and c) the rest office and warehouse employees – a characteristic of a medium-sized company.
The company itself is a place where nepotism and favoritism run rampant. e.g. Members of upper management are either family members or friends of the owner of the company. And favoritism seems to be in "favor" of employees who aren’t deemed a "threat" or those who "brown-nose."
To make this long story short, I am a driven time-conscious manager who strives to make sure that the work is completed on time. I also have an assistant who works under me that is very good at what she does. HOWEVER, WHAT CONCERNS ME IS THAT MY BOSS WANTS ME TO CONTINUE TO DEVELOP HER TO ENSURE THAT SHE IS SUCCESSFUL.
Why does that concern me? It is because I’ve been with my company for a long time and my boss has not even granted me responsibilities that are traditional of my title of Marketing Manager.
These duties include, but not limited to: 1) attending management seminars to further my skills, 2) attending trade shows which showcases products in the market that my company can carry, and 3) Budgeting for my department.
I am very confident in my skills but I have a feeling that I have outgrown my position at work and feel that I cannot grow any more since the company is family-owned. The prestigious positions are usually reserved for family and friends anyway. I’ve also had talks with my boss during reviews and certain "down times" at work about how I want to continuously improve as a manager so I can be an asset….But he doesn’t listen. By the way, my boss has a reputation of undermining managers and/or employees he sees as a threat to his employment. He is also a procrastinator who does not accept accountability when he or his undermanagers fail.
He keeps telling me to develop my employee. He even admires my employee to the point that I feel that he is using her as a "veil" to cover up for his mistakes.
TO ALL EXPERTS OUT THERE WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED OR ARE EXPERIENCING WHAT I’M GOING THROUGH, IS THIS A JOB SECURITY CONCERN?
IF SO, WHAT SIGNS CAN I LOOK FOR TO FIND OUT IF JOB SECURITY IS SOMETHING TO WORRY ABOUT?
Tricky situation. It could certainly be a job security situation but even worse your boss just might promote the assistant above you if you say the company is prone to nepotism and favoritism. They probably won’t let you go because you’ve been there for so long and you seem to get the job done, however, if you’re not politically savvy or a brown noser who tells the executives what they want to hear then you certainly risk the chance at being cast aside until the company comes up with a reason to downsize. It could be that your boss is intimidated by you and your potential so he will continuously try to suppress your advancement. He could be doing one of two things though – if you look at it optimistically. If you are an excellent marketing guru but a "not so great" manager then it is possible that your boss is trying to round out your experience by having you focus on developing people.
If I were you, I would play the "game" and develop the employee. At the same time try to do your own dose of moderate brown nosing with your boss and start sharing your ideas on how to improve the department/processes etc. This way you continue to show your value. As far as your development, if your employer refuses to invest in your development then you have to do it on your own outside. It sucks but the only person that suffers either way is you. Keep up your skills so that you will always remain competitive in the market place.
There is some reason why your boss doesn’t trust you. All of us encounter some form of this behavior in our careers – even in Fortune 100 companies who are ruled by the "Old boy network." It’s the exact same thing as working for the type of company you described. Try picking up the book "Working with Emotional Intelligence" by Daniel Goleman. It helped me strategize how to go up against the "old boy network" and navigate through the political web. If you’re a heavy reader you can try "The Prince" by Niccolo Machiavelli as well. Also start looking else where for work, post your resume – stay on top of your game and don’t let anyone shake your confidence.
February 9th, 2010 at 3:40 pm
Being managers is surely an of consequence business
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February 9th, 2010 at 3:52 pm
this is a tricky question cause in a family owned business there is more favoritism than a regular company would show. company like yours only cocern them selves with who brown noses more then any one else. although they are with in the labor laws they are more relaxed and look more toward employees who are team players so to speak. so I guess the answer to your question is yes it would be a form of job security if you don’t play the game
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February 9th, 2010 at 4:30 pm
wow,if you are this long winded at work…i would fire you at once,,,,
wow…get to the point man…
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February 9th, 2010 at 5:20 pm
Tricky situation. It could certainly be a job security situation but even worse your boss just might promote the assistant above you if you say the company is prone to nepotism and favoritism. They probably won’t let you go because you’ve been there for so long and you seem to get the job done, however, if you’re not politically savvy or a brown noser who tells the executives what they want to hear then you certainly risk the chance at being cast aside until the company comes up with a reason to downsize. It could be that your boss is intimidated by you and your potential so he will continuously try to suppress your advancement. He could be doing one of two things though – if you look at it optimistically. If you are an excellent marketing guru but a "not so great" manager then it is possible that your boss is trying to round out your experience by having you focus on developing people.
If I were you, I would play the "game" and develop the employee. At the same time try to do your own dose of moderate brown nosing with your boss and start sharing your ideas on how to improve the department/processes etc. This way you continue to show your value. As far as your development, if your employer refuses to invest in your development then you have to do it on your own outside. It sucks but the only person that suffers either way is you. Keep up your skills so that you will always remain competitive in the market place.
There is some reason why your boss doesn’t trust you. All of us encounter some form of this behavior in our careers – even in Fortune 100 companies who are ruled by the "Old boy network." It’s the exact same thing as working for the type of company you described. Try picking up the book "Working with Emotional Intelligence" by Daniel Goleman. It helped me strategize how to go up against the "old boy network" and navigate through the political web. If you’re a heavy reader you can try "The Prince" by Niccolo Machiavelli as well. Also start looking else where for work, post your resume – stay on top of your game and don’t let anyone shake your confidence.
References :
February 9th, 2010 at 5:32 pm
There is no job security. If they want to dump your for anyone else, they can. Forget about worrying; it doesn’t exist. You can only do the best job that you can; be someone they want to keep; and always, always be prepared to take your skills, talents, and abilities elsewhere. Attend as many seminars and learn as much as you can. You can always take what you learn with you if you choose to leave or they choose to have you leave. I don’t mean to sound harsh, but there is no loyalty (look at this economy, look at the people who worked for 30 years and are now unemployed).
I suggest that you always look for the next job, even if you aren’t ready to jump ship yet. You should have a great resume ready, you should keep your networking keen, you should make yourself available to listen to other offers even if you aren’t ready to take advantage of one of them. It doesn’t mean you have to apply for other jobs, just be aware of what is happening in your work world. Network with others in your area of expertise and with others in your geographical area. Form an organization for other like you; people of experience who want to ‘network’. Get together once a month and explore educational/training (or teach one another) issues. Hope this helps.
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