Dear Change in Power,
You’ve written in to Office-Politics to express your disgust about a change in power that threatens your satisfaction with your job. Sometimes the problems that come our way are opportunities for growth. Let me tell you the messages I’m getting from your letter, and then offer you some advice.
1. You’re undervaluing yourself
Read your sentence over again, “I have built a highly visible community program with little or no help from my organization.” That is a significant achievement that has value in the marketplace. Do you know how hard companies are working these days to build communities — both in the real world and online? You should research what other jobs are out there, and what people with your skills are getting paid. Do not do this in a haphazard way. Make a project of it. Do research. Read books. Consult with HR firms. Be thorough. If you really have built a ‘highly visible community program with little or no help from an organization’, then you have a great skill set. This may be your opportunity to move to a much better position.
2. Your coworker is good at networking. You have to get better!
Your coworker has the advantage over you on this. She is schmoozing the Boss’s wife socially to get ahead. This is a powerful play. Is it unethical for her to be friends with your Boss’ wife? No. Your coworker may (and this could be hard to believe) genuinely enjoy the company of your Boss and his wife. Whatever the true basis of their friendship should be of no concern to you. You can’t regulate who makes friends with whom. But as you’ve noted, it threatens your position. ‘Whom you know’ can be more powerful than ‘what you know’. It’s not nice. It’s not fair. But it’s office politics.
3. Is being friendly with the Boss, ‘kissing ass’?
Read your sentence again, “I don’t want to kiss ass to succeed.” That statement carries a lot of contempt. You’re saying that being friendly with the Boss is false. If I was your Boss, I’d be insulted. Your Boss is a human being. Is it really ‘kissing ass’ to be nice to him and his wife? Business is not just work. Business is about human relationships. All of us like to do business with people we like and trust. That often results in friendships outside of work. You should look for opportunities to connect outside of work with coworkers.
4. Should you speak up?
Returning now to your big question, “Should I just accept the fact that I may have to work for her, and keep my mouth shut, or let her know, and my boss, how I feel?” Your coworker is more skilled than you at playing the office politics game. Revealing your true feelings about the coworker is unlikely to achieve anything other than stirring up bad feelings.
My advice to you is to do two things:
1. Research other job opportunities and understand your market value
2. Apply for the job of Supervisor yourself. Be ready to blow your own horn about your achievements. Think from his perspective. What are your assets? Why are you the better person to be the Supervisor? Be armed with the research stats to show your Boss the value that you have in the marketplace, and a well-organized written list of your strengths and achievements.
Thanks for writing to Office-Politics. Let me know if this helps!
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