Help! My Manager Won't Delegate!

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  Geoffrey James, Sales Machine08/15/08 Report as spam
  1

  RE: Help! My Manager Won't Delegate!

  A reader just sent me this email, so I thought I'd answer it here.
  
  The owner and CEO of my company has had a historical records of self destructing even while having world class oppurtunities to succeed. Once a sole proprietor, he brought me on to be project/general manager. Problem is,...every decision I make, solution I offer is met with resistance, "we'll have to think about it....", "i don't know about it..." and so on. Creating a situation for the last six months of financial, organizational, and productivity nightmare. I have no controlling intrest in the company and we have been best friends for a long time prior to working together. Any suggestions?
  
  
  Sure. Don't go to work for somebody who's self destructive, even if he or she is your friend. Beyond that, you need to work this on the friend level. Draw up a list of things where you should be making the decisions. Say you want authority and budget to make those decisions -- without his interference -- or you're going to have to leave the company. If he's really your friend (and not the user that he seems to be from your brief description) he'll either give you the authority or let you leave on good terms.

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  Geoffrey James, Sales Machine08/15/08 Report as spam
  2

  RE: Help! My Manager Won't Delegate!

  And another:
  
  
  
  Close to two months a go I accepted an internship at a nonprofit organization with the belief that internships should be a time in one's life of sampling and guidance within an organization. I am a career changer in my mid-40's, have worked for other major corporations and have had other internships in the past which were very successful. However, this particular experience exposed me to a snobby boss who provided no realistic structure to the internship, spoke down to me (I'm only 4 years younger, that was tough) and then was artificially sweet to me when she wanted something. I was expecting a little more guidance in a subject matter she was fully aware I had no background in. One more week left and then I restart my Masters Degree. What positive note should I learn from this?
  
  
  
  You bet. You learned that you ought to interview your boss, and some direct reports to your boss, before you accept any job, even an internship.