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The day arrives and the next thing you know I am stood there while my boss and my colleague did the bulk of presenting the work.
Work that neither of them had anything to do with to the big boss.
I remember being so surprised. My boss had been so low key about what we were going to do that day.
Oh yes, we are just going to take him through it - no big deal.
I had thought it was a big deal and I had gone through it myself working out what I was going to take the big boss through.
But the missing piece was I hadn’t agreed it with my boss.
I assumed that he was like me and would back his people and push his people forward and that I would be presenting this work.
Until that point I had thought that my boss had my back.
I was wrong.
I ended up being the junior in the situation, a bit more like taking the actions on what we should change, rather than the leader who had come up with the work and was having a constructive conversation.
The differentiator that my boss had was one he had a good relationship with the Managing director and he knew what he was striving for.
Secondly - he planned this.
This was a setup for him to show off what great work he was doing.
I learnt a few things that day:
- My boss is going to steal my and my team’s work for himself.
- Create independant relationships with senior leaders. Their view of you should not be solely through someone else.
- Find as many opportunities to present your work as often as you can but agree up front how it is going to be presented.
- Even if you put the work on the walls it doesn’t speak for itself. Find as many ways as you can to sell you, your teams and your work.
- Don’t work for dickheads who are only out for themselves.
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