Hating my 'secondment' loved my old job 1

[heieup]

I have recently been moved from a job I loved on 'secondment' to a new position which I hate doing. (Incidentally the secondment wasn't voluntary but is supposed to be 12 months only (I'm not sure I believe them and I am oly 2 months in))

The main reason I hate it is down to a lack of support from the senior team for a major change within the business which I am supposed to be a change agent for and very poorly organised events which relate to this which I am supposed to make work. As a consequence my entire time is taken up with fighting people who are supposed to be supporting me and apologising to people who have been messed around by the poorly organised events.

Overall I am fighting hard, getting nowhere and being made to look incompetent due to other's mistakes.

Any advice ? (and not just get a new job !)

 

[ivymike]

Sounds like you're in a tough position. Changing an organisation from the outside without the buy-in of the affected parties (stakeholders) is a sure-fire way to stir up some strong resistance. Perhaps you could speak to your local counterparts and solicit some feedback regarding the change you're promoting. There may be some underlying reasons for the lack of support (nobody asked them whether they'd like to do it?).

 

[MikeHalloran]

The locals might be more helpful if they perceive you as an anarchist, at least in spirit. Maybe an argument along the lines of "We've got to do this because TheHomeOffice says so, but if we work together, we can influence the outcome in the least worst direction. Please help me minimize the scope of this disaster."

Of course if TheHomeOffice perceives you as an anarchist, you're toast.



Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

 

[epoisses]

Well... if you're the change agent then it's your job to create support, and if it's your job to make events work it's your fault if they're badly organised...

This is how it is, unfortunately, when responsibilities grow. Instead of you blaming the @$$holes above you, you suddenly become an @$$hole yourself, and find out that it's not always fun to have a well-paid management job with responsibilities.

The last thing the senior team needs right now during this busy time is a change agent coming to whine at them about a lack of support.



I know this must be tough and I sympathise with you, but don't forget that they put you in this position because the job has to be done and they obviously have confidence in you. Senior managers do know which jobs are tough and which ones not, and who would get them done and who couldn't.

How about this perspective?

 

[PhilBW]

The people you are trying to change see you as an outsider, and you see this assignment as temporary. Both are accurate statements, but both also are likely to prevent you from building solid relationships with these people. The more they see your personal side the less they will resist what you are doing. Look for ways to interact with them besides just doing your job. Participate in coffee breaks, lunch, informal conversations, ask about their kids, etc. It may not solve all your problems, but should help, and hopefully make this assignment more bearable.

 

[TateJ]

Sounds like they needed a "loose cannon" on deck... Don't be suprised - if after you get the job done - making enemies of the locals - the management will swoop in & "get rid of that loose cannon before it does any more damage." This way the bosses get the unpleasant task done without getting their hands dirty & they look like heroes for putting a stop to it in the end. Start working on your resume.

But - I could be wrong here... I'm a little jaded.

Windows 2000 Professional / Microsoft Intellimouse Explorer
SolidWorks 2006 SP01.0 / SpaceBall 4000 FLX
Diet Coke with Lime / Dark Chocolate
Lava Lamp​

 

[MedicineEng]

First thing:
Do you believe that this change is for good (your own and the company)?
If not, it is useless. If you cannot convince yourself, you will not convince anybody (remember, the best liers are the ones that believe in their lies).
If you really think that your work is awful but you are in the position of "it's a dirty work but someone has to do it" then tipically what you have is to study your staff and you will notice one thing: you have three type of staff; the "oppinion makers", "the followers" and the "never pleased".
The ones that you have to conquer to your side are the "oppinion makers", these are the ones that can decide if your change will be sucessfull or not. The "followers" are tipically the ones without oppinion that will go with the crowd and the "never pleased" are a lost game because tipically they are against everything that you do, so don't loose time convincing them, spend time taking their support base.

Good luck

 

[pennpoint]

If by definition this is a 'secondment', and you did not protect yourself in the initial contract you are screwed.
You may have accepted the rules as they prescribed and that may be bad for you.
If I were in your boots, I'd be looking for some back-up from management in writing. You were chosen for what they thought you could do without consideration of the resistance/revolt you might receive. Stand your ground and rely upon friendly management to support you in a faining way. You are on your own. Its you who must rise to the task.
Cause if you fail your no different than the some of us!!

Good luck mate and keep us posted

pennpoint