Articles

Wally
by Dr. Lynne Curry

Question:
I’m the only woman in our department and I’m the one who gets stepped up as acting supervisor when our supervisor takes leave. I get along with everybody in the department except "Wally." For whatever reason, Wally takes my existence as a personal insult. I can live with the fact that he does whatever he can to make life miserable for me, but I can’t handle how the rest of the guys line up behind Wally.

Yesterday was a good example. Our boss was out of town, one of our customers had an emergency and I needed to run a meeting to get us all lined out. The meeting was going great when Wally came in late. Then, as soon as I outlined what we’d all agreed to do, he said "And you think that will work?" and the rest of the guys got totally silent. One minute they were all jumping in with ways to make things work, the next minute nothing. Not one of these guys said anything to help me. So I said, "That’s the way it will work" and started barking out orders. Everyone scattered and I felt like crap. How can I fix things when Wally undermines me and everyone else lets him?

Answer:
Would you really want the guys to jump in and protect you when Wally takes potshots at you? My guess -- the guys feel embarrassed for you because you don’t know how to handle Wally and no one wants to take him on and make things worse. Besides, it’s not their battle, it’s yours.

As a supervisor, you need to learn how to handle put-downs without taking them personally. Once you learn how to keep your balance under fire, no one can embarrass, derail or manipulate you. If you don’t learn, any "Wally" can jerk your chain.

The next time "Wally" attacks, instead of reacting see "Wally" for what he is – an employee who doesn’t like working for you. But he does work for you. So instead of making yourself sound like the dictator you don’t want to be by slamming out "That’s the way it will be," say, "Yes, do you have something to add?" If Wally says "yes" and offers a good idea or even a poor one, listen and handle it. If Wally simply rolls his eyes, close the meeting by saying, "Thanks, guys for all your input. Great meeting." In short, if you want to run the meeting, don’t let Wally run you.

Question:
To keep the peace in my family I want to hire my stepson who returned from Colorado a felon. My wife begs me to give him a chance and he could be helpful in my lawn cutting and landscape business. He’s a hard worker; he just stole because he got into drugs. In my company, he’ll always be outside, never around money and always in a crew with one other guy, an old-timer who’s worked with me for five years and who promises to keep an eye on "Justin". What do I need to do to protect myself?

Answer:
Call the U.S. Department of Labor. They offer fidelity bonds that insure employers against any loss of money or property due to a newly hired employee’s dishonesty, whether theft, forgery, larceny or embezzlement. They cover ex-offenders, substance abusers in recovery, former welfare workers with no work history and those dishonorably discharged from the military. Even better, they offer the bond free for six months. Next, be clear with Justin on your expectations. Give him the chance but be clear on the rules with him. Let him know he has to earn your trust and finally, keep your eyes open. If "Justin" hurts one of your clients, you have liability – against which no insurance ever fully protects.