Upper Management Issues/Advice

OK, this will be difficult in a short story so I'll do my best. I'm in a position of basically a do all person. In discussions with upper management / owners I'm in running to see a management position and maybe ownership in years to come. I'm quite young and have LOTS to learn but they believe I have something.

Issue: Current shop supervisor (my boss when I'm in the shop) with 30 years in the company is the quick to bitch master when it comes to the office people. Every time he comes back out from the office he HAS to go around to everyone and tell them about how stupid he thinks the office people are. What does this matter? Quite a bit because the entire shop (excluding myself and another "do all" guy) have turned into the biggest bitch fest and poor attitudes to boot.

Operations manager (an owner) knows this all happens, him and I talked today. Before he had asked me to be the positive influence in the shop. Obviously thats out of the window.

I feel like I'm going to be having a shit storm come down on me. Not from owners but from my peers in the shop. They don't know I have opportunities to move up in the company. But when they find out I know they will do what they have to and try to knock me down. What do you recommend TW?!

 

Kinda lost here Matt...not really understanding what you see as your problem. Is the back stabber? The fact that you went to the boss? The fact you're thinking you'll move up?

 

Ok, see I knew that'd all be confusing. The shop supervisor has lost all care about the company. He is being a poor leader. The operations manager and I talked abouts this because the poor leadership is dragging everyone else down with it. Should I be concerned what the shop supervisor thinks of me when it gets around to him that I talked to the owners about his poor attitude and lack of care.

The three owners and I have talked privately and asked me which position I'd be most interested in for the long run so they can make a succession plan.

 

Just stay focused and don't worry about everyone else. If the owners are considering you for something better, then they already have a plan in their mind. Owners can see a lot more than most people realize and give them credit for. They're always watching. Just do what is right in your eyes. If it's something you agree with the guys in the shop, that go with it. If not, then don't. The worst thing you can do is fall to peer pressure.

I had a similar situation when I came to the company that I work for now. I joined as a project manager in a new industry, even though I had twelve years of PM experience in a new industry. The other PM's (four of them), always complained about the owners and said they didn't know what was going on in the company and that the PM's had to stick together. Being brand new, and some of these peers had over ten years there, I was torn on which way to think. So I kept my head down and kept doing my job. A year later, I was head of the PM staff (a lot of sour grapes from my peers) because the owners knew that everyone was not performing to full potential and how they felt. Ironically, two years later, not one of the original four PM's is with us anymore. One had left, and the other two were let go. And, my salary is 50% higher and I have a company Cadillac. Had I joined my peers in their thoughts, things would still be the same, I would still be low man on the pole, and I would still be working two jobs to make ends meet.

 

Yup, I'm with Mike. If the shop owners have an issue, they'll deal with it. They are running the company and are the "operations manager" they are close enough to know what is going on. I'm thinking they put your boss in the position for some reason.

I'm not sure I'd be concerned about him finding out (I'm thinking one way or another I would have said something to him anyway) but, I don't know that I would go to the owner with complaints about the guy they put in unless there was some exceptional situation.

 

Right. Well for example today. The engineers designs this chain pulley system and the shop supervisor knew by first look of the blueprint it wouldn't work. Instead of saying something before manufacturing it he let it go. Until today I was putting final adjustments on things and didn't want to be the guy going out in the field to modify it. So I mentioned something. 10 minutes later I had the powers to be asking me to set one of the assemblies up to prove the new design.



Thanks for the support guys. Makes me feel a little more confident with my decisions.

 

Tacomatrd99 is correct. Good owners/managers know who is doing the right thing and who is not. Stay positive and don't let the negative crowd drag you down. Your hard work will be noticed!