Five Ways To Deal With Ineffective Leader

EMPLOYEES OFTEN FEEL disheartened and discouraged when reporting to a person they deem ineffective. But there are ways to work around the situation. Anumeha Chaturvedi gets some advice from HR experts. 

1 Do Due Diligence While companies usually do background checks and due diligence on employees, it is not a prerogative of companies alone. Employees should also do some research on the reporting hierarchy of the company and their immediate bosses before joining a firm. “A professional should try to assess the effectiveness of the company and their future bosses before joining a firm. They should never join a company without meeting the person they will immediately report into,” says Harshit Bhavsar, managing director of HR solutions firm Universal Hunt. 

2 Identify the Cause There are reasons why organisations appoint certain people to positions of authority and it is because these professionals possess certain traits that help the company. While professionals should be mindful of these, they should identify the reason for their boss’s ineffectiveness before escalating matters further. “Professionals should not go by assumptions. They should assess the nature of inefficiency -whether it is behavioural or technical,” says Bhavsar. 

3 Take the Lead Professionals can turn around the situation by initiating tasks and assuming ownership. They should shift their focus from personal inefficiencies to business sense. Once they start talking business and demonstrate abilities that can turn around a company, others are bound to notice them. 

4 Keep Learning Your boss’s ineffectiveness or lack of encouragement should not rob you of your personal growth. “Most companies have cross functional programmes and workshops and professionals should look for horizontal growth options by participating in these programmes that will help them gain recognition across the board,” says Bhavsar. 

5 Use Covert Means As conveying your displeasure directly to the boss can be disastrous, Dhruv Desai, senior VP, HR, and leadership academy at Angel Broking feels managers can use covert means and other indirect cues to convey the message. “Managers can describe their views as new and efficient ways of doing things to gain the trust of their bosses without sounding superior,” says Desai. They can use the 360-degree feedback systems of the company.

(The Economic Times, Mumbai, 14-08-2012)