Obstructionist (Or Absent) Bosses

 

So you want to climb the career ladder. You’re doing well in your job but you envision yourself growing, doing more, gaining skills and managing larger teams and initiatives.

A good boss can help you on your career path. He or she will mentor you, promote you with company executives and let you know about great opportunities.

Unfortunately, every boss is not a good boss. As a matter of fact, your boss could be the biggest obstacle to your ladder-climbing ambitions.

An article in this month’s PM Network^® looks at several different boss behaviors that could derail your career journey. Fortunately, there are ways around these obstructionist managers, and this article details what you can do.

For the boss who tends to steal credit for project wins and accomplishments, the article recommends promoting dialogue and forging direct relationships with key internal stakeholders. This is especially important right after wrapping up a successful project.

If your boss is the type that is too busy to map out a skills development plan or talk about career goals, you can stretch your role and its responsibilities in order to grow on the job. Opportunities may come up that will enable you to show what you can do beyond your ordinary duties.

For organizations with very loose reporting structures for project professionals (i.e., you don’t really have a boss), the article suggests relying on project peers and company mentors to give you the advice and props that you need to forge ahead on your career path. More senior project managers may be able to help you out.

And in case these ideas don’t help you move forward, the article includes a sidebar that explains when it might be time to find a new employer.

If you are looking for career advice, be sure to check out PM Network every month. PMI members have been turning to it for valuable information and perspectives for over 30 years.