Well, having made quite a run at the career thing in the recent years, I think I'm beginning to feel the sluggish effects of burnout. Well, I'm not sure if it's burnout or not, but I've recently gotten some acute feelings of frustration with the current system.
I've been doing project management all day everyday for a couple of years now, and it's beginning to lose its luster. The easy projects have become kind of boring (even though success is nice), and the larger projects have become tiresome even though they're not challenging. It's kind of like addition. We've all pretty much mastered addition, and if your job was to add; you'd find adding two numbers together all day to be intensely boring, and you'd find adding two hundred numbers together tiresome.
Current events have also further exacerbated my corporate malaise. The other day, someone two rungs above me on the ladder left the organization. My mentor, on the rung above mine, is moving into the position in the interim, with the clearly communicated goal of taking the position on full time. The upshot for me would be that should he get this new job, I'd probably have a decent shot at his old one. He and I have a very similar skillset, progression, and background. It'd be nice, because it would throw other tasks in with the project management. I'd still have some of the larger projects, but some of the piddly stuff would be left behind, and I'd get a helping of people management on my plate. I know, everyone bitches about people management; but it's something I need to get under my belt and it's a welcome change of pace. Besides, contrary to what evidence might be on this site, I'm actually pretty good at it.
However, it seems a monkey wrench has been thrown. My old mentor told me this morning that someone's already been shadowing him, learning his job. To make matters even more irritating, this person has only been here six months (as an intern-type position, no less), making this his very first job. The scuttlebutt is that he's somehow put himself in the good graces of the CEO, but scuttlebutt and a dollar might get you a cup of coffee. Even if it's true, acknowledging it in public will only mark you as a fool. To say the least, it's a hard pill to swallow; that someone with less experience has been plucked from obscurity to cut me out of the loop, possibly taking a position with more responsibility (and of course, pay) than my own. It seems like I'm about to get leap-frogged by a nepotist (nepotee?).
I'm meeting with my VP tomorrow, and I'm trying to collect my thoughts on this. I want to communicate my desire to take over some of the duties, but I think I'm going to play stupid on knowing who the shadow is, or that there's even any going on. Mostly because I pretty much always tend to play close to the vest when it comes to this stuff; but also because I've only been under this VP for a few months, and I'm unsure if I am trying to be kept here. I'll just explain the similarities between myself and my mentor, the need for variety in my workload, and a few of the other aspects that make me a logical fit. I'm assuming the Veep can't smell this coming, so the more clearly I think the conversation through, the more leverage I'll have when the time comes.
Anyone have any experience with this??
Similar sort of thing happening for me now too, but unfortunately I don't have any wisdom to share.
My situation looks more hopeless. I pretty sure the two layers above me know that I can do the job, but their boss wants someone with more experience (even though the predecessor had no more than I do.) I'm thinking about trying an end-around - getting the business to lobby for me too as I know my business users would want me over any unknown factor.
Good idea. Getting the clients to clamor for you will not only be a vote of confidence, but will make putting anyone else in the position much more difficult.
I rarely worry about competiton. I would clearly state my desire and qualifications for the position, what I would bring to the table and the reasons that I am a good fit.
Do a little homework and know what they want to hear. Also, no matter how fantastic the guy leaving that position might be, there are ALWAYS things they could have accomplished but did not, simply because of the amount of hours in a day is limited. Once you're in a position, you end up playing a lot of defense putting out fires, meeting quotas, taking phone calls, et cetera. However, from an outside perspective, it's easy to see and say what you would like to accomplish because you don't have hit the ball back across the net yet. You're serving, until you slide inot the seat and become awash in the actual responsibilities.
Well, things went well; but I wasn't promised a job or anything. The leapfrogger is filling in interim, and my mentor's performance in his new billet will determine whether or not he becomes permanent. My Veep did acknowledge and agree that getting some people management is something that I need to do, as well as something that will get done. The Veep also mentioned that patience is key (and said she always had to remind my mentor of that), and that there are some other pots on the stove.
I felt acknowledged, not simply placated. Plus, this Veep has reigned me in before, and waiting really paid off. So I'm cool with waiting, especially since I spoke with the leapfrogger before I left the office. He'd arrived to work at quarter of seven this morning, and said he was going to be there until 11pm. It almost made me hope he gets paid more than I do if he takes the job. Almost.
shank,
I thought about sharing wisdom with you since I had a 'situation' that was similar (sorta) recently. Mine didn't turn out as expected and I learned a lot about what I need to do. I flew across the country to talk with a company about a possible position there. My technical skills are unrivaled and they knew it. I tanked the interview because my interview/people skills aren't as awesome as my technical skills. I've been in my job for ten years now and I haven't had to work on those skills and I honestly had no idea that I was even lacking in that skill set. Hindsight is so much clearer.
Good news in the end -- the door isn't closed, we parted on extremely good terms. They still think I'm great, but just need a polish.
For myself, I have four books from Amazon on the way about interviewing skills that talk about how to interview, not just scripted answers to questions. I think those types of books will help in people management all-the-way-around, not just with job interviews so I can work on those people-skills that way.
How are you planning on working on your people skills?
By drinking alone. Heavily.
It's served me well thus far.
I drink alone...
Yeah, with nobody else. And when I drink alone, I like to be -- by myself.
You'll get whatcha need, man.