This is an all too common dilemma employees find themselves in when the leadership team is a partnership where each is equal in rank and title.
Consider the case of an employee who is given a large-scale research project with a strict deadline by one of her supervisors, the vice president of the company, and then the president subsequently assigns her a high-priority project to complete ASAP. From the employee’s perspective, the direction from the president supersedes direction from the Vice President even though the president is aware of the situation and reaffirms that his project takes priority. As any employee would, she forges ahead, assuming the vice president and the president already talked through the conflict of priorities. In many respects, this is similar to parenting – the child needs to decide which parent to listen to, and is usually the one perceived with more authority and the one who will inflict the greater punishment for non-performance. A very unfair position to be placed in.
This is a rather common scenario, and equally common is the failure of the two managers to communicate the actions and directives given to the employee. Unfortunately, through no fault of their own, employees may be forced to defend their decisions in the middle of a feud between the two managers. And the situation could be worse if the two masters are equal in authority and title.
Employees should never be placed in the middle of such hornet’s nests.
Not only do two-master hierarchies confuse employees, when arguments over rank and importance ensue in front of the staff, it demonstrates signs of weakness and poor leadership. And, if the two masters are in a perpetual, never-ending contest of proving who is more powerful and important, employees not only find it comical, they quickly lose respect for the entire leadership team.
So what’s the solution? Enrolling in a strong leadership training program would be a good start. Partners, leaders and managers who find themselves tripping over each other will learn how to define roles, establish boundaries and effectively communicate with employees to boost morale and improve production. Each will learn critical communications skills such as Active Listening, conflict resolution; I-Message versus You-Message skills and most importantly, each manager will learn an effective way of getting their own, individual needs met where win-win outcomes are the norm.
But, of course, this can only happen if, and when both managers agree to check their ego’s at the door every morning and learn how to respect one another. The alternative? Resignation letters from employees who are exhausted and want to work for leaders who have their acts together.