When to go over the boss's head?
 

I want to be a team player and work within the chain of command. This German company created a position for me to do outbound sales in the US because their current US-based sales guy is inbound-only and really only handles renewals. They made him my immediate boss. His boss is the big boss in Germany, whom I met at a trade show and somehow convinced him that I had the go-getter instinct they need here. My German being almost as good as my English helped too.

Since the first interview by Skype back in March, I have never heard from the German boss again, but my US-based boss reports to and speaks with him daily. My boss has absolutely zero sense of urgency and often takes a day or two to respond to my simple requests for "who takes this lead?" or "can you please schedule this GoToMeeting for this demo?" (I don't have access to the account and can't conduct my own demos yet).

Every Friday my boss copies me on a report to his boss showing $0 new sales, 0% of goal for the quarter and a few more goose eggs. At the moment my only job is to find and follow up on leads and get people interested, forward to him and get demos scheduled. I think I've gotten more of them in six weeks than they've had in the last year or longer, though none have closed yet. Every week my boss tells me we're gonna sit down next week and discuss my goals/targets for getting the quarterly bonus. Now we're almost two months into Q3 and this conversation keeps getting kicked down the road.

In a few weeks we're all convening at HQ in Germany. I suspect the German bosses are going to pull me aside for a private chat (in German) about what's going on. My boss doesn't speak a word of German. I am racking my brain on how I can spin anything to not throw my boss under the bus.

I told myself I'd give it one quarter without a commission check or goals before I put my foot down and started making noise. Problem is that I really like this company and job and want to make a career out of it. I've had more than one demo fall through because the prospect's calendar filled up between the time he agreed to the time slot and the two days it took my boss to get around to sending the invites out. I have asked for a paid version of LinkedIn because the 200 free searches I get are used up within the first week of the month. "Yeah, we're looking into that." Right now I use trade show attendee lists, Google, LinkedIn (as much as I can) and my rolodex for prospecting. I'm not getting the tools I need. And I'm starting to wonder if it's intentional. The big boss in Germany wouldn't have created this job for me just to give me a job. But at some point they're going to want to see some ROI and I don't even have access to the paperwork, if a prospect said he was ready to sign today. I think my boss is holding me back. How to address?

Let him fail on his own.......... palace coups rarely serve the assassin.

What has generally worked for me in this kind of situation is to be clear, unambiguous, but at the same time leave some things implied.

Example:

Boss's Boss: Why was this date missed?

Me: The approvals took longer than I anticipated.

(Well, my boss is the only approver, so the implication is that my boss dropped the ball.)

Nothing to add, but if you are too good at signing up new business, the big bosses may feel that you may be even better at increasing the renewal rate and upselling products. That would not be good for your immediate boss.

Maybe have a sit down with your boss and lay out your concerns backed up by specifics. Stress to him how you will both benefit by a positive change. If that doesn't help, go to your plan B when the big boss pulls you aside. Lay out your concerns with the same specifics and time tables with potential opportunities missed. If you feel your boss isn't serving his job and yours right, business is business.

Keep this part in mind. Show loyalty to your boss. If you can't work under your boss, then quit or do something else, but being disloyal is not a good way to make a career.

I would definitely start here. At least give the guy a chance to set things straight before you go to the nuclear option. And don't ever go above your boss unless you are either fully confident in the outcome, or willing to leave the job.

BTW, I've been in a very similar situation and ended up leaving. My job was BD and my boss (former regional sales guy) was holding me back to keep it from reflecting badly on his regional sales guys, many of whom were personal friends. Damn shame, because I could have made them a LOT of money.

Your Boss is not going to change.

You don't want to throw him under the bus even though he's likely to drag you down with him?

If he gets a whiff that he's on slippery ground do you think he's going to take the hit he deserves or throw you under the bus?

I've dealt with plenty of guys like this.

Documentation, documentation, documentation.

Every email, every note, every communication.

You can answer completely honestly without throwing anyone under the bus,

"Why are sales flat Rick?"

Well in Q2 I generated XX leads, I don't do the close so I can't answer fully.

If that becomes a bad result for your boss he did it to himself.

This is the essential conundrum: Marv and SM are both right.

In this case, I think it is better to go over the bosses head...get rid of one bus.

Time to leapfrog. I don't put up with this BS and I'm guess I am the assassin that has been served by a palace coup. Dont wait for the meeting in Germany to point out why you dont have the tools to do your job.

It obvious that the American is afraid of you and is trying to handcuff your success to show you weren't needed. You have the ear of the guy in Germany, he hired you. Use his ear.

Put yourself in the German guy's shoes - how would you feel if you hired a guy to assist and he never told you that he wasn't given the tools he needed to do the job you hired him for?

This seems like the way to go to me. Either this guy sucks, or he's intentionally sucking to make you look bad. I don't think going to him will help. It sounds like you have a decent rapport with his boss. I would thoroughly document, and either wait for the big boss to come to you or possibly go directly to the big boss instead.

This.

As mentioned earlier, document, document, document. If you put it on your PC then it is probably going onto a server somewhere and quite possibly the management can get to it. When I was an Oracle DBA I kept EVERYTHING in spiral notebooks and only did digital info when asked or such. I noted every meeting, face to face or any other interaction! As an example I was asked by the boss to do this or that so I would spell it out in an email to that boss and say is this what you want me to do, are your sure. She would always say yes that's it and then I'd save the email to a thumb drive just in case!

You can't work 'as is', so what's the risk?

Your boss goes or you go. Help your boss go, grease the skids.

Example #1. Pay for LinkedIn yourself. Submit the expense. If you get reimbursed, good. If not, keep that email as evidence that you know what needs to be done but your boss doesn't.

The question is: is this hill worth dying on?

Two things:

1. If the big boss is asking you then they know or at least suspect that something is amiss. Just tell the truth, no spin. They will figure out the rest. Also, if you are trying to spin it is likely that they can or will see thru that and think you are a DB.

2. You ARE being a team player if you tell the truth and in doing so it helps the company.

Hope it works out well

First of all, you sound like a fantastic rep. Sales always looked like magic to me, and my hat is off to a man who does it well.
It looks like if you do nothing this job is going to go down the drain by itself and take you with it. If you talk to your boss's boss, you might be able to salvage it. I'd go for it, and I would tacitly shoot for your boss's job.

I'll back up a little.

At my last job 100% of our leads came from going to trade shows and the intense preparation for them weeks beforehand. Weeks before the show I already had a huge Excel sheet of all exhibitors and many attendees I wanted to go meet, often with appointments I had set up.

I met my current employer when they happened to be our booth neighbors. I heard the German and jumped right in. I asked the German boss if so and so was there. He gave me a puzzled look and asked why. I said because that's whom I had emailed and asked for a meeting, but had gotten no response. Turns out he didn't come to the show, but the boss saw I had done my homework. And he saw me running around to every other booth with list in my hand, looking for people. During the downtime I hung with our German neighbors, we talked for hours a day for three days and became friends.

A month later I checked out their website and saw a sales job on their English page. I emailed the boss about it and asked if it was in the US or Germany. He said Germany, but that they'd consider making it US-based for me, asked for a date and time to have a Skype chat with him and his HR lady. That got delayed and delayed. In the meantime, I spent many hours, watching Youtube videos on German job interviews and etiquette. When it finally happened, I had on a suit for my webcam. Boss was in jeans and a hoodie, said they had planned to contact me about that job, but that I got to them first, asked me how much I needed and when I could start. That was it. Didn't even ask for a resume.

During that Skype "interview" he told me that my boss (to be), whom I briefly met at that show, was a great guy, but that he was strictly inbound and would not pick up the phone. My boss has been there five years and is pretty well-entrenched. And he's also very smart, experienced and great on the phone with demos. I truly respect him and envy his abilities. I don't want to even think that I may be better than him or in any way qualified to replace him. I still have a loooonnng way to go to be on top of this product and sales process. But there is no one else I can ask for anything, other than my boss.

The big German boss has twice asked all of us to send him our thoughts on two subjects. Both times I sent long, very well thought-out emails to him only and got no response. So I can't assume I can just call him up or IM him to chat. I'm going to have to be prepared for when we're all together under one roof in a few weeks. I know he had to have talked me up to get the CEO to agree to spend the money and create my position. And he's probably on the hook for some ROI there too. So I know they're going to want to meet the new guy, test my German and ask what's going on.

Oh, and I've never gotten any kind of list of weekly or monthly activity requirements or KPIs. I've simply kept track of everything on an Excel sheet and emailed it to my boss at the end of each Friday. Have-never-received-one-word-of-feedback-on-that. In fact, one week I forgot to send it and still heard nothing. WTF?

Dude - what happens if they decide not to invite you to Germany and cut the cord? I've seen that happen.

I would document 3-5 solid examples of stuff you have bird dogged - that you thought had a chance to close and what you think the reason for that it didn't.

There are ways around Linkedin pro - there are other solutions such as zoominfo - I'd make sure you have a solid request and denial documented.

Go from there. I always tell people that going over the bosses head is the nuclear option. Sure it gets results, but the existing landscape becomes uninhabitable for quite a while...

This^^^^^^

If that were to happen, then I'd obviously be on the fast track out of there. I already have flight and hotel booked and paid for (they handled it all). I'm not worried about that, as I'd 100% know it was over if they reversed everything.

Based on your follow up Rick, I would definitely avoid the nuclear option. Your boss might be a bad boss, but it sounds as if he certainly adds value to the company. Probably not someone that will get fired from your negative feedback. If it were me I would start with talking to my boss directly, and in Germany would be prepared to offer feedback but in a constructive sort of way that won't be construed as throwing your boss under the bus.

Don't use the nuclear option unless it's the point of no return, and you're prepared to walk out the door. I did it twice, early half of my corporate career....worked out great both times. My tolerance for suffering with fools is next to zero....but they knew that :). No need for details, but both times, the morale of my group (IT super techies) was at rock bottom due to the managers in question....I simply told my story to "the man", told him he had a serious problem, not to take my word for it though...ask. First time, the manager wasn't over my group the next day....second time, he was reassigned within two months....I crucified him as I abruptly resigned on the spot after he royally pissed me off (I was an AVP at a now defunct megabank)....I did it for the teammates I left behind however....

Would I do it again? Damn straight....right between the eyes however....a backstabber I am not :)

your boss finds out you are going agin' him and you are dead. If you worked for me and pulled that stunt I would cashier you that very instant. Get the delusions of grandeur out of your head and go back to work. Do your job as best you can, keep your integrity and dignity and above all, tend to your own franchise.......... there are other companies and other jobs. Don't let a bad boss suck you into doing something stupid.

The alternative??????

"If you shoot at a king, be sure to kill him..."

As to the SJW above........ yeah, you cannot make mortgage payments with ego cookies. feeling good is worth bupkis. Your wife ever ask you if you had an ego enhancing day at work????????? prolly not, because that is NOT IMPORTANT.............

^^^^ Not an ego thing at all....

I've gotten out of "the game", but securing another job at a significantly higher salary was never a problem for me....within days :).

Point the big boss to this thread. You have laid this out quite well. He will offer guidance and direction.

To me it sounds like big boss likes boss and thinks he does a great job at what he does and has hired you to fill in the gap.

Do NOT say anything bad about him. Had a friend that totally lost his job that he was doing what the previous guy couldn't because he made one derogatory comment. The trusted the previous guy even though he did not know what he was doing.

I would do the best i can within the constraints that have been put on me knowing I could do much better. For example: Schedule those demo/meetings that take the boss longer to approve/provide farther in the future so they can still happen. You should be able to determined there is a time frame he can meets, just not as quickly as you would like it to happen.

Then after showing you can work well within the constraints you are being put under, do proposals on providing you with the tools you need. One at a time. If it not too costly invest in it yourself. If just one gets approved, make it a stellar increase. When they see the results from just one thing you get more credibility with everyone including the boss let alone the bosses boss. Do that a few times and you will have not only all your contraints and problem solved, that boss will see you as someone that worked with him instead of against.

As for the big boss meeting, talk everything up and just mention you are used to more freedoms and prospect tools than you are being given...and be sure to talk up the limiting boss. specifically the things he does that are good and helping you.

Remember, jus because you don't think you are doing well to your standards doesn't mean they don't think you are doing great to theirs.

Sounds to me like your boss doesn't want to be a boss, and wants to do his thing and be left alone. Is there any way for you to report directly to der fatherland?

Nuclear ain't an option. I don't have it in me and I like and respect my boss. It's hard to run through the scenarios in my head, because I don't know how anything is going to run when we're all in Germany - break-out sessions, roundtables, one on ones with bosses, training, team building, boozing, I just don't know. Been to Germany 25x, but never did business there, other than working in a factory during college. I just don't know how this company runs.

You need to sit down with your boss and tell him EXACTLY what's on your mind Rick, and see what happens imo. He'll either "fix it", or he wont...then the next move is yours...are you ready to move on? If so, what do you have to lose? It's your career man...do what you need to do, or suck it up and kwityerbeotchin'. Seriously though...good luck!!!

Did you tell your boss you think you could close if you had the ability to move in the next day ?

You need to be really clear. I doubt you have anything to lose, because right now it sounds like nothing is really happening anyway.

Go read Peter Druker's book "The Practice of Management". And until then, just seriously do your job, and don't make waves. They know that they don't need you already. Their equation is to see how you do. If you start to complain and try to change management heirchy before any tangible results, then you are gone. Why in the world would they boot your boss at this point for you? They would not in a million years.

This is what I'm thinking - he was probably given the responsibility to look after you because he was their only other guy in the USA.

Talk to him - your best outcome is if you both end up looking good. They already know he is good at his primary job. Even if you can't swing it to get them to have you change to a German reporting line. Remember, you don't need to be in charge to be a leader.

Barn boss v reporting line. Your USA Boss would be better as the first type rather than the second.

Interesting day today. Late Fri. afternoon the boss IM'ed me that he had my goals and to call him this morning. The goals he gave me are about 1/2 to 3/4 of what I've been doing since day one. It's almost like he told me to take it easy and I'll get the full Q3 bonus. I'll have this knocked out by Wed. of each week, even accounting for the two weeks I'll be out in Sept. Of course, I'm going to keep up my current level of activity. But I'm a little nervous about really exerting myself. What if they decide to double everything for Q4 because I easily exceeded it for Q3? Very weird.

You're new.

They are observing your performance. I'd be very careful about getting between boss and big boss.

I agree that boss likes his independence. My guess is big boss pushed you on boss and both want to see how much hand-holding you need.

I wouldn't leap-frog yet.

I will restate what I had said before...

Just because you don't think you are doing well to your standards doesn't mean they don't think you are doing great to theirs.

You stated earlier that your boss was not meeting YOUR deadlines for support. Maybe these relaxed goals compared to your actual performance are his way of telling you to stop pushing him so hard. He may have responsibilities you don't know about is why he isn't meeting YOUR expectations for support.

As valuable as performance is being a team player.

Will add to the recommendation I made earlier. Work within the constraints you are given...without pushing your boss.

Remember, adding you and your position is more work for him than he has been used to doing. Tell him you don't think you will have any problem meeting goals he has set for you and ask if there is anything he feels you can do to make his job easier.

When to go over the boss's head? The answer is almost never -

FWIW, I've made that mistake more than once. I ended up falling on the sword.............

Maybe your current boss isn't much of a pusher? Or maybe he's one that likes to shelter his people from extreme pressure? Without really knowing him well, you don't fully understand the personal dynamics at play.

The good thing is, sounds like you can easily crush your goals and get your full bonus. That's good for everyone, especially you. Will they ratchet up expectations, maybe so. But that's a good segue into asking your boss for more tools to help you continue growing your numbers. Prove yourself as a high performer and he might be more apt to invest in you and listen to your feedback. Letting your performance do the talking is always the best case scenario.

true that. I learned that lesson, not pretty.