Submitted by openmind on
in
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Hi,
I work in IT as an associate director and my role will effectively disappear in 12 months. I know for a fact that my VP won't recommend me for any roles in the organization as he doesn't think highly of me now, even though he promoted me 18 months ago.
1. What are the chances if any of changing his mind? He's book smart, but focuses on his perception of what you didn't do rather than what was achieved. I challenged him and got a bad review and stopped reporting to him and moved to someone else. What approach can I take?
2. Are there any other methods of convincing someone at his level (VP) of interest or will they basically look like not being a team player?
3. No, i'm not as bad he makes out :-) I evaluate myself and i'm my biggest critic. I know the quality around me and I've also discovered where my skills lie.
4. I've been here a number of years and the pay off is decent so i'm waiting on that to be offered if nothing transpires, but i'd rather stay, it's a good company, good pay and benefits.
5. I'm working on 3-4 apps outside of work, nothing that will really set the world on fire, but keeps my creativity cogs turning. This is what i'd like to bring to this company.
Rant over :-)
Thank you for reading and providing your input.
Do you have any allies at that level?
Are there other VPs who know your good qualities and might go to bat for you? If not, you may not have time to build that kind of relationship within a year. i don't know your company and situation, so I don't know if you have that kind of "off the chain of command" opportunity. Even then, the VP of IT (I presume) is still likely to be the one with final say over IT people and organizational decisions.
I think that your "bad review + reassignment" moment may have set his flag that he's done with you. Or it may not -- how do you "know for a fact" that he wouldn't recommend you for anything?
If he really is done with you, and there's no way to build sufficient goodwill in other places quickly enough to survive your role vanishing, maybe it's a good time to go. Review your years there and the work you've done, build a Career Management Document and some resumes, and start scouting for the kinds of organizations that are already like what you wish you could bring to your company.
You have most of a year to prepare for your role going away. Produce results, work on your relationships, and you'll have accomplishments and references when that happens.
Don't give up on your VP -- work on that relationship too. You never know what might happen.