View Full Version : question about whether or not to contact our board
Hi guys, I guess I'm looking for input for anyone who might have had experience with boards and non-profits, but I would welcome any and all feedback.
My direct manager called a meeting for the announcers of the radio station where I work. It was the most bizarre thing ever. He just laid into us, told us we were bringing the station numbers down, that we weren't posting enough station-related stuff on Facebook, that we were flagrantly disobeying his directives, that we were making him look bad to his boss (the general manager, who is also OUR boss).
He implied we should feel sorry for him because his boss was beating up on him, and all he can ever tell her is: "They don't do what I ask!"
I think he's wrong about this -that we don't do what he asks - and there's so much more background I could go into. But I want to keep this shortish. Anyway, the immediate issue for me is that he looked at me and said, "You're queen of the cute-puppy posts on Facebook. That's great, because the fans like it, but could you start posting more relevant stuff?"
I objected - said I thought he was wrong, and said I'd send him a list of my last thirteen posts and what they contained. I also asked him who this statement had come from - was it our general manager who had this perception? He wouldn't say, but he did mention that she was so frustrated in general with our refusal to follow his directives, that she told him: "Well, if they don't do what you say, we'll just find people who will."
There was a hush. One of us asked, "Is she saying she's going to find other announcers?" My boss said, no, she meant she was going to yank the announcers off Facebook duty and give it to someone else - Marsha, an employee on the admin side. (Marsha is considered our most valuable employee - she's a favorite, and the one person who probably doesn't have to worry about being removed. I can't help but resent this - not Marsha, she's nice, but the whole thing around Marsha. She's treated like the second coming, and I can't figure out why. I work as hard as she does, yet somehow my contributions are ignored or slighted.)
So when I got back to my desk, I calmly typed out a list of my last thirteen Facebook posts with brief descriptions of what they were. I said most of my posts were music related (and specific to our kind of music). Not all were "funny" (I've been accused of being too funny) - I had included two celebrity obituaries, for instance. I also let them know that I've been managing the page since we've had it - re-routing people with questions to the right staff members, deleting spam, responding to program questions, "liking" comments people leave on our posts.
And I concluded with, so no, I haven't done any cute-puppy posts recently.
I knew I would get slapped for defending myself, and sure enough, my boss sends me a terse message saying: "Don't email her anymore. Just keep this between you and me." Then, in another message, he tried to explain (in a hopelessly muddled way) why he did what he did to us at that meeting. He made a plea for pity with a long-winded thing about how he has problems with the general manager, doesn't like her personally, she's always calling him on the carpet, and he's just so helpless under her criticism and frustrated by his team. We don't come through for him, so we're making his life here SO much worse than it already is, etc.
I responded with a short note saying that I felt there was a danger that our general manager might be getting misinformation about me. I said I took my job and my livelihood seriously, and felt that if there were any misperceptions out there, I should try to correct them.
I don't know what goes on in my boss' head, but I imagine he wants to forbid contact between me and the general manager because he doesn't want her to know the extent of his inaction and ineptitude. I personally could write a book about it, and if she wanted to know, I can't say I wouldn't be tempted to let her in on it. But my goal in going to the general manager right now, is just to even the scales a bit where[I] I'm concerned. If she's ONLY hearing about what a bunch of screw-ups we are, then she needs some enlightenment.
I used to attend donor parties back when we first went public. I was getting to know some of our board members and contributors, and I recall once that I had occasion to email one of them about something (I can't remember what now). The general manager had been talking to me about another issue (a rare occasion), and I asked her for the email address of the guy. "Do you have Steve's email? I was supposed to get back to him on x/y/z." And she snapped, "No, you don't need his email address."
So I've been tacitly forbidden to go to the board about anything - but I would like to talk to the chairman, because it occurs to me that if I and my team are being blamed on a regular basis by the mangers, then the board needs to hear the other side of the story. In a normal world my direct boss would have my back, and would show both the general manager and the board what I'm doing and how valuable I am. But from all indications, they are both throwing me under the bus.
Our station is faltering financially - positions are being shedded, part-timers are taking the place of full-timers, and it looks a bit grim. It would just be a shame to get laid off by people who think I'm doing nothing but posting cute-puppy posts to Facebook all day. If my position is in danger, then I feel I have a right to defend what I do to them.
I don't even know how to contact our board chairman. Nobody alive will give me his email address, I'm sure. I might be able to approach him at home (I've been to his home, I'm not a complete stranger), but I would have to be sure that our meeting would be confidential. I don't know if he'd keep my confidence. It's possible he would mention my call to our general manager, and then who knows what would happen.
I'm documenting everything I do, in case the general manager swoops down and demands an accounting of all of my duties.
I don't quite know what else to do to preserve my good standing - and it might be out of my hands anyway. But I would appreciate any ideas you guys might have!
(I've been looking for another job since January. Got some irons in the fire, but it takes time.)
SteveinMN
8-26-13, 12:22pm
Looking for another job is a good alternative. Too many backstabbers and need-to-know types for my taste...
A couple of thoughts:
- Information for the Chairman ought not be that hard to find (I'm saying this as theory; not to imply you haven't dug around). Does he have an office in your building? Could you send him a paper letter? Could a friend of yours from "outside" call the station and get the information?
- What's the issue with keeping the conversation with the Chairman confidential? I mean, I get that you may not want to seem openly insubordinate by going a couple of levels over your bosses heads. But if you think the Chairman is getting information bad enough to put your job at risk, how much do you have to lose by risking openness? Or maybe start with the general manager? Related to that, I'm sure we're missing some context, but her comment about not needing Steve's email address does not -- to me -- explicitly forbid communicating with the board. Could it have been a situational response?
- You are not in this alone. Is there something your coworkers could do as far as getting the word out that 1) the direction provided by Boss stinks; and 2) you-all believe there are some misperceptions out there which should be addressed?
- Finally, I realize this is not a large organization. But at the (larger) companies at which I've worked, this kind of thing could be addressed -- at least to start -- by contacting HR/Personnel/Staffing/whatever and asking them to schedule an air-it-out meeting with your immediate supervisor and the general manager (if, in fact, you report directly to her as well).
I hope some of that helps....
Great ideas, Steve - I so wish any of your suggestions were doable right now! Yeah, the reason I'm always wailing about my work problems on this board, is that I'm blocked from pursuing "normal" channels.
One issue is that our general manager doesn't want to hear from us low-ranking employees. I've asked for meetings with Mavis and my direct boss before. I always get a terse message from my boss: "Mavis said you're not to contact her. You can work it out with me." She's an isolationist. I think this determination to keep us out of her hair is partly justified - I mean, if she had a direct report (my boss) who she could depend on to solve problems, then she wouldn't have to get involved. She doesn't have a problem solver in him, so things are ballooning out of control. But she STILL doesn't want to get involved. If she knew about all of our issues, she would be faced with having to do something about it. Just my guess. I don't have a lot to go on.
My colleagues are as unhappy as I am - but everyone is in fear of losing their jobs. Nobody wants to rock the boat, so my attempts to get others on board to have a chat with management have gone nowhere.
Which is sad, because I've tried for six years to work things out with my boss. He's too obsessed with his own issues to even see me or help me, and even if he could get out from under his own turmoil to see what his people are going through, he is essentially spineless - he can't defend himself, let alone us. I expect nothing from that quarter.
About HR - there is no real department. HR is a single overworked payroll person who is completely under the control of our general manager, Mavis. She's not someone you'd want to try to submit a grievance to confidentially. (This workplace is a gossip factory, and our HR person is one of the worst in that respect unfortunately.)
I do appreciate your ideas though, Steve! At this point I think my only shot is being able to chat with our board chairman. Yes, it has to be confidential. I would definitely be in the cross-hairs if I raised my head to do something like that. This place is Dickensian. If you dare to have an opinion or state a grievance, you're immediately shot down.
Even a blind suggestion box would work. Of course I can't even ask for that, because the first thing in that box would be from me, and they'd know it!
The organization seems so completely dysfunctional from your description that there's not an easy quick fix.
Does your board exercise any oversight?
What do you wish to accomplish by talking to a board member?
Yes, the board could do a lot. As I understand from the grapevine, the board gave our general manager the directive to do something about the fact that the station is failing (mistaken premise, btw, but there you go). Someone decided that the fund drives were under-performing, so they got rid of the fund drive/development manager. The general manager decided she didn't need to replace him, and persuaded the board that she could do that job. So now she's our GM and head of development. So it's all on her now. When the board questions her, she immediately deflects what she perceives as an attack by blaming the people under her. Yes, dysfunctional is the word!
My boss has said to me directly, and he repeated this in an email message to me, that he has complained to the GM that I won't do what he's asking. I would like the chance to speak my piece - to show that I actually am performing, and here's the data, this is everything I've done for the station since I started six years ago.
At my last public radio station, our problematic program director at the time (same position as my direct boss here) was so inept that the full-time employees were asked to make appointments with the board members in order to tell their stories. And everybody had one. They were assured that what they said would remain confidential. Within a couple of months the program director had been replaced. The general manger was later replaced as well. So they made a clean break, and it was great for the station. From that experience I know that boards can be appealed to. At least, I hope so. I honestly have no idea what our board members think they're for. Maybe it's just a social club for them...
I'm not interested in getting my managers fired, by the way. What I object to is being slammed by them in meetings to the board, when nobody is using any data. It's all just backstabbing and blame-shifting, with nothing to back it up.
The announcers are union employees, but every time I've appealed to the union on any issue I've had since I started here, they've come back with: "Do you really want to pick this battle? This is really not that bad. Sure you don't want to wait for something really clear cut, like a sexual harassment issue?" omfg
Someone decided that the fund drives were under-performing, so they got rid of the fund drive/development manager. The general manager decided she didn't need to replace him, and persuaded the board that she could do that job. So now she's our GM and head of development. So it's all on her now.
Boss to peon: "I'm sending you to a three-week seminar on why we're not making enough sales calls." >8) Kind of makes you wonder how Mavis earns the big bucks. Somehow accepting kudos for success and blaming others for failure doesn't seem the way to get the job done.
Within a couple of months the program director had been replaced. The general manger was later replaced as well. So they made a clean break, and it was great for the station. From that experience I know that boards can be appealed to.
Sounds like maybe you and a few others need to speak with board members. Or even send them an anonymous letter. Or several.
"Do you really want to pick this battle? This is really not that bad. Sure you don't want to wait for something really clear cut, like a sexual harassment issue?" omfg
Maybe you really do want to pick this battle. It may not be as overt as sexual harassment, but it is harassment/emotional abuse nonetheless. And it's not exactly like you have much of a job if the station is not doing well financially, there is dead wood floating in the lake, and the rank-and-file are being blamed for anything that goes wrong....
I hear that there are limitations. But I think your options are either to suck it up until you can find another job or to bring this ineptitude to the board's attention.
Thanks Steve, I appreciate your input!
iris lilies
8-26-13, 9:24pm
Your governing Board will evaluate how the GM is doing according to the goals they set. Or not. They are likely part of the dysfunction.
I completely disagree with Steve that "bringing this ineptitude" to their attention is worthwhile. But go ahead, go over the heads of your boss and the GM. Just understand the risk. And dear god do not go anonymous, that is amateur -land.
Once I went over the head of my boss. One time. It was for work that that my boss said again and again was done, yet no work product was verifiable. The work was not done. It was a fairly simple fact to verify, and the BIG boss person to whom I went was able to verify that fact. That work product came out the next day.
When you get into the arena of opinion, multiple work products, overall performance and etc. you've not got anything clear to communicate. On the bright side you, as the talent, do have some mojo in the deal. You can be sure that the citizen-Board is aware of The Talent.
As an aside and only tangentially related to this: the fact that you "work as hard as Marsha" is irrelevant. The truth may be that Marsha is simply more effective and productive. "Working hard" measures inputs, not outputs.
Also, I find the discussion about appropriate Facebook posts pretty silly, but if you have a quota, then go do the quota in the style that is desired (no rainbows and puppies.) It seems petty to me to respond by summarizing your posts. Just square your shoulders and make noise about "doing better" and from that day forward, play along.
Speaking as an executive director, the one time a staffer went behind my back to the board, the board told her to talk to her direct supervisor, and not to end-run me. Thank goodness! I was furious that she chose to not bring her issues to me. She didn't last long after that.
The non-profit board oversees the ED. Do not go to them with personnel issues. If you're angry & not being heard, find another position, document your concerns, and get the he// out. And, good luck!
You should try to get them to hire redfox as the development director -- I bet she'd whup their behinds into shape! But I wouldn't want to inflict that kind of dysfunction on her.
Having spent more years than I should have in a dysfunctional non-profit, my gut feeling is that going to the board is not going to work. I was, in my time, the "Marsha" of my former organization. The golden child, the can-do-no-wrong girl. The ED's right hand girl. Until he turned on me, as he did on every person who got too close/too much inside information. It was pretty ugly. I did take my concerns to the head of HR, who I knew had our founder's ear. Didn't help. They weren't ready to hear it yet, or at least unwilling to side with me over him, even though I think I was the one with the best interests of the organization at heart. He was finally let go/encouraged to leave, but not for several years. The organization continues to limp along, pretty much as dysfunctional as always.
What I would focus on instead is maximizing your own professional growth/profile to whatever extent possible. Track your Facebook and social media metrics so that you have hard, solid data points to go back to them with if they are critical. WORK NICELY WITH MARSHA!!!! Don't try to outshine her -- partner with her. I bet the two of you could come up with a pretty good social media outreach strategy and having two of you work on it together (especially when she is golden girl) minimizes the risk that they will single you out for criticism. Consider framing it as 1) wanting to learn from/support her since they want her to take the lead with this and 2) wanting to do whatever you can to contribute to mobilizing your fan base, raising the profile of the station, and hopefully, bringing in more pledges. Be VERY consicious of making sure you do not let any of your "normal" workload slip while you are devoting time/energy to the social media stuff. You can't afford any mistakes when they have the attitudes they do, especially when more layoffs are potentially looming. But document, document, document everything. I'd do weekly summaries of social media outreach/response at a minimum. Even if you don't share this with your boss when you are doing it, you have it to refer to if they ever challenge you again.
This is a scary situation but if you keep a positive attitude you can use it to your advantage. Your management sucks and is driving the station into the ground. Maybe you can't prevent that, but you can try to pick up some useful skills that would be desirable to other stations, and document how your efforts helped things. Try to consider yourself a free agent rather than an employee. See what you can do in this situation to benefit YOU as well as the station. Everyone else is just looking out for themselves, some (like the management) in really asinine ways. If you approach this with a can do, roll up your shirt sleeves attitude people are goign to see that. Now maybe, just maybe, your boss and his boss will be threatened by that and decide you are the next on the chopping block. All the more reason to dig in quick and do what you can and document it. Then you can go to prospective employers and say honestly, K-whatever was a sinking ship and I lost my job because of that but before I did here are the things I learned and did and how it affected the bottom line. Beats just waiting for the ship to sink with you on it, no?
I sincerely hope you can find something better, kitten. Good luck!
But go ahead, go over the heads of your boss and the GM. Just understand the risk. And dear god do not go anonymous, that is amateur -land.
Yes, there is risk, especially in work environments in which interpersonal skills trump meritocracy. But if there's a significant counterbalancing risk of losing one's job because of dysfunction above one's level... If I can't vote with my feet, I'll fight for my job. I value it more than honoring the ineptitude and ego of those ostensibly in charge. If the only avenue left is going above heads, I'm for it, especially if people can be enlisted as a group. And if it takes disguising those voices some, fine. There's a bigger goal here than preserving the Peter Principle and esteeming crazy. If it's worth subsuming that to some "everybody" protocol, then it really wasn’t worth fighting for in the first place. JMHO.
Thanks for these ideas, iris lilies. Good point that the board could be part of the dysfunction. In which case I really am out of options.
Yes, the focus on Facebook is a bit bizarre, I agree! Go fight City Hall. They think they live and die by FB. It's insane -getting more FB fans wouldn't increase our listening audience. And numbers don't matter now anyway - we're not commercial anymore. Makes no sense...
I suppose it was petty to summarize my Facebook work for them, but I felt that since I was being finger-pointed in a meeting, I should be able to defend myself, especially since they were wrong. This place is all about covering a$$ - I'm in the culture, so I'm no exception. If they don't like the paranoia that engenders, they should change the culture. Clearly they could give a crap about that though.
Once I had the rare opportunity to chat with my manager and the general manager at the same time. I had seen her in the hallway, and I dragged her into my boss' office because I knew it would be another year before I'd ever have this happen. I mentioned that my artist interviews weren't getting posted to the web site. Why not? The employee who had been assigned to web duty just wasn't posting them, and I wondered if we could pursue solving that problem. The general manager whipped around and said, "Why didn't you fix this before?" I said I had tried to fix it on my own. I had gone to my boss many times, but it had never been resolved. I had even asked for the permissions to post things myself, but had been denied.
She looked at my boss and said, "Is this true? She came to you before about this?" He hung his head (literally) and said, "Yeah..." He just sat there and didn't look up for a long time. Weird! (He might actually have been crying, he does that sometimes.) I added that the reason a lot of things weren't being resolved, was that people were afraid to bring problems to management's attention. I said, "We have a shoot the messenger culture here."
She briskly disagreed with me, but the problem got solved. I think she thinks I'm a bit of a pain though - probably not the best thing for my longevity at this place. (Whaddo I care, I'm leaving anyway)
Just play along - good advice, and a good way of not giving them further ammo against me.
Your governing Board will evaluate how the GM is doing according to the goals they set. Or not. They are likely part of the dysfunction.
I completely disagree with Steve that "bringing this ineptitude" to their attention is worthwhile. But go ahead, go over the heads of your boss and the GM. Just understand the risk. And dear god do not go anonymous, that is amateur -land.
Once I went over the head of my boss. One time. It was for work that that my boss said again and again was done, yet no work product was verifiable. The work was not done. It was a fairly simple fact to verify, and the BIG boss person to whom I went was able to verify that fact. That work product came out the next day.
When you get into the arena of opinion, multiple work products, overall performance and etc. you've not got anything clear to communicate. On the bright side you, as the talent, do have some mojo in the deal. You can be sure that the citizen-Board is aware of The Talent.
As an aside and only tangentially related to this: the fact that you "work as hard as Marsha" is irrelevant. The truth may be that Marsha is simply more effective and productive. "Working hard" measures inputs, not outputs.
Also, I find the discussion about appropriate Facebook posts pretty silly, but if you have a quota, then go do the quota in the style that is desired (no rainbows and puppies.) It seems petty to me to respond by summarizing your posts. Just square your shoulders and make noise about "doing better" and from that day forward, play along.
lhamo, I was thinking of you and your former situation as I was typing out my original post about this. Good advice to document EVERYTHING, do my job, and keep my eye on other prospects. Yes, I've had extensive experience here and they can't take that away. I have learned a lot - even if it's mostly how not to manage a non-profit! ;)
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