after all the hullabaloo, the board simply told my boss to take the paper as read and that there is no presentation needed. "let the management do what they think is necessary and to proceed as deemed fit." and the first suggestion that all the thinking, framing, writing had come to a nought happened when my boss came to me and asked me to submit some details to him. "by end-this week", he commanded "and next week, we will push this down to the department heads to tell them this is what we want to do..."
so much for (1) me positioning what he asked for as a future initiative, to be undertaken when fundamentals are in place, earliest by mar 16, and (2) identifying that one critical success factor is people-consultation, and not forcing it on people...
haha...
Hi Jeffrey,
ReplyDeleteIt took me awhile to digest everything in this post.
Yep, your boss isn't ready to change his spots.
On the bright side the presentation must have been perceived as very well written, thoughtful and with a good flow for the board to accept it "as read": it was clear and persuasive.
You had done the work beforehand to gain the CEO's input and you were able to incorporate his feedback in a manner that he could support: you were able to gain an important ally to move the project plan forward.
The CEO undoubtedly supported the plan with the board and he has the board's support: a united team is always stronger than one struggling for cohesion. Always good to know ;-)
Have I misstated anything?
Again I will say we should always celebrate what we have learned and accomplished. Never fault the good for not being perfect. It is a step. Steps take us where we want to go. Or at least, where we need to go.
Congratulations, Edwin
Hey Edwin,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment. Yup, you have stated it rather accurately. But I am not sure how I can continue with the initiatives proposed as the person that is between me and my ceo is none other than... Lol!
After this proposal writing process, I conclude one thing - he cannot be trusted.
Regrettable to have to reach such a conclusion with the boss, but that was my conclusion after seeing how he behaved in front and behind my ceo. Perhaps this is a result of his big corporate past but it has created a stress on the company's way of doing things and team. It reinforced my belief that towards him, I need to constantly document decisions and be wary of my back.
Hope you've been well!
Jeffrey