I was recently moved from reporting to one manager to another. Actually, the new manager was a director. The day I received confirmation that I was now reporting to him, he resigned… Talk about feeling completely adrift. I had reported to four different bosses in the last year or so, and the director would have been the fifth. And I was again without guidance from up the ladder.
I was also suddenly very aware that I could become an easy target for a layoff if I didn’t take charge of my own destiny. I could no longer look comfortably to anyone else for direction.
My plan was simple, the program that I drove was now in my hands so I began the task of making wholesale changes to it. I wanted to make it my own rather than just run it. I’m deep into the planning stages now and things are looking bright after the previous haze and gloom.
It will be the end of 2018 before the program can launch as it is dependent on other efforts at the company, but I feel like I’m finally making progress. I’m creating process flows, preparing metrics to share with leadership, creating graphics and training material, and generally taking matters into my own hands.
I’ll post updates about my progress as I get closer to the launch date of the new program, but what have I learned?
Don’t wait for guidance! Seek it out. Be aggressively creative, and make sure you keep important people in the loop. If you’re trying to help the business and its customers, no one will tell you to stop. They may correct your course, but chances are they won’t stop you. And if they do, perhaps that’s not the company or manager you want to work for.
Personal Evolution 