Have you been sidelined at work? Dan and Alison answer your questions with the help of Bill Taylor, a cofounder of Fast Company. They talk through what to do when your responsibilities have been reduced, you’ve been moved to an underperforming team, or your boss is leaving you out of key meetings.
From Alison and Dan’s reading list:
HBR: What to Do When Your Boss Won’t Advocate for You by Nicholas Pearce — “When you discover you have a boss who isn’t advocating for you, the knee-jerk reaction is often to advocate for yourself and become your own PR machine. That’s often a mistake. Too much blatant self-promotion in the workplace can backfire and signal that you are narcissistic, egotistical, and ultimately unconcerned about the greater good. You ideally want others tooting your horn for you. Before taking action to close this critical advocacy gap, you’ll want to understand why your boss isn’t advocating for you.”
HBR: How to Respond When You’re Left Out of Important Meetings by Melissa Raffoni — “Once you know enough about the agenda to affirm that you need to be involved in the discussion, ask yourself whether the cons of your attending are worth the benefits. If your assessment reveals that you’d just like to be included, drop it. But if your research reveals you should be included, begin to build your case. Be prepared to answer the question of why you need to be there in a non-self-serving way.”
Forbes: 8 Ways To Rebound From A Demotion by Jeff Schmitt — “It may be hard to accept, but a demotion is temporary. You’ll overcome it, accept it, or leave because of it. So keep your resentment in check. And do what every athlete does: Find a way to motivate yourself each day. Most important, don’t try forcing the action. Focus on your role, strengths, and teammates and the game will eventually flow back through you.”
HBR: How to Keep Working When You’re Just Not Feeling It by Ayelet Fishbach — “In cases where that’s impractical—we don’t all find jobs and get assignments we love—the trick is to focus on the elements of the work that you do find enjoyable. Think expansively about how accomplishing the task might be satisfying—by, for example, giving you a chance to showcase your skills in front of your company’s leaders, build important internal relationships, or create value for customers.”