My supervisor does not deserve this job, can’t our bosses see this?

My team and I work under a supervisor who is, to me, less qualified, yet he leads a team of highly qualified people. Even worse, the management has a high opinion of the man. His grooming is wanting, his interpersonal skills poor, and he is not professional at all. PHOTO | FILE

What you need to know:

  • To manage your boss, you must not only pin point his flaws, but also his good side to have a balanced view. You ask how you should handle these embarrassing situations.
  • I am however concerned about your bosses interpersonal skills and his style. Though he sounds like someone who may not be receptive to feedback from his subordinates, you have to get him to understand how his behaviour affects your work, and worse still, external relationships.

Q. I am a sales executive for a leading real estate company in Eldoret.

My team and I work under a supervisor who is, to me, less qualified, yet he leads a team of highly qualified people. Even worse, the management has a high opinion of the man.

His grooming is wanting, his interpersonal skills poor, and he is not professional at all.

Many are the times we end up with egg on the face after interacting with clients.

How should we handle these embarrassing situations?

 

You paint a very absurd picture of your boss. It must be pretty depressing that you and your colleagues wake up every morning to face a boss like this. That said, there is a reason why, despite all the shortcomings you describe, he is still your boss and is listened to by his seniors.

Surely there must be something good he brings on the table. To manage your boss, you must not only pin point his flaws, but also his good side to have a balanced view. You ask how you should handle these embarrassing situations.

Note that being less qualified academically does not mean one is incompetent. There are many examples of successful leaders with less academic qualifications managing mega business empires and supervising highly qualified teams.

I am however concerned about your bosses interpersonal skills and his style. Though he sounds like someone who may not be receptive to feedback from his subordinates, you have to get him to understand how his behaviour affects your work, and worse still, external relationships. If there is a way you could share your discomfort with his manager, this would be a good step to explore.

All you need to do is demonstrate how this strange behaviour is costing the company business opportunities. Your boss may be feeling insecure given his level of education, so you need to look for ways to draw him to your side and disarm his sense of insecurity. Show him why it is important for instance to interact with clients, and invite him to those gatherings.

Talk to someone he listens to, a colleague or a friend, about his grooming. It is important to work under a boss who is inspiring and is a good role model.

That said, research says people leave bosses, not organisations. It may be time to explore growth elsewhere, and when you move, work towards being a better manager than your boss.