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Ok, once maybe. Twice you have to ask if something is in the water or am I not the only one not drinking the kool-aid!
Seriously, the first time this happened I was blind sided and got into major trouble for it. The second time, not necessarily from the exact same person, but the same group, I have to wonder if it's a pattern.
The scenario goes like this. You are tasked to complete a project, big or small, with a team. You do everything you can to make sure that the team is a part of building the process. Asking questions, taking turns leading, having meetings to gather thoughts,etc. You believe that everything is going swimmingly and everything is on track. You get kind of annoyed because you realize that not everyone is 100% engaged, but there is progress being made. You present what the team has completed and are given "100% agree" from team members....until 1/2hr before the report out or at 4:45 pm on a Friday afternoon just before the early Monday morning meeting already scheduled, and THEN all of a sudden they don't get it, they don't agree, they would rather it be done this way. I mean I received the email on how much they LOVED the concept, and then this??? This is the second time this has happened with one of my team mates. WTF is going on? I feel like I am in the twilight zone!!!:m ad:
Like a dumbass I keep being blindsided by this crap. I feel like I am being set up!!! WHAT AM I DOING WRONG!!!????? IS IT ME???? How do I protect myself from this? I have never worked on a team with this dynamic. Can someone please, please tell me what I am dealing with here and how to handle it so that I won't be in this position??? HELP!!!
Sounds like slippery, machiavellianism to me that goes on in most workplaces- Agreeing, then disagreeing at the last moment to make you look bad, or in some way advance their own interests.
Personally I would send an email to the rest of the team, CC someone else like your boss, , - Say you need any changes are needed by COB on a certain day, any changes after this date will not be made. If these people are making last minute changes to undermine, force them to be public about it by email.
Then find out who you believe is trying to set you up, and focus your efforts on trying to minimise their impact, or even get them off your team.
Thanks MikeyKing, I am trying not to be paranoid, but this is getting ridiculous! There is no question my team is dysfunctional. I have never had occasion to see this underhanded work play. I personally think it's sick and underhanded. Where is the integrity?? I know I need to get out of this place. I don't have anyone who will put a stop to this nonsense or have my back. Folks are working hard to discredit. I guess if it's not their ideas then It's a no go. It flys in the face of professionalism. It's clear with all my experience and desire to contribute is being silenced. Unfortunately, I don't have a management team who will put a stop to it. I have to go. No other way around it.
Do you think it will matter that e boss is aware that not 48 hrs prior this same person wrote they 100% agreed with the concept?
I purchased an office politics book to get my arms around how to play this out in a positive, and beneficial way for a company. It's not that I have a problem with others voicing their thoughts, but is it too much to expect that this flip flopping is something totally inappropriate?
.... Do you think it will matter that e boss is aware that not 48 hrs prior this same person wrote they 100% agreed with the concept?
I purchased an office politics book to get my arms around how to play this out in a positive, and beneficial way for a company. It's not that I have a problem with others voicing their thoughts, but is it too much to expect that this flip flopping is something totally inappropriate?
Only thing I can offer is to see if you have an alley on your team. Someone you might think could be a friend. Is there someone (1 or more) on your team you can trust? The reason I ask is you could try to find a mentor at your work now to learn more about the politics if you choose. Can you go out to lunch or get coffee with this person or people? I would do that and pick their brains to find out what the dynamics might be for your own benefit.
Office politics suck and it also sucks that someone else wants to make you look bad, assuming that is the case. If you are somewhat new, I would try to figure out the interpersonal dynamics more before complaining to a manager, I would just use caution when doing that if you are new to the corporate game. Your co-workers will throw you under the bus to make themselves look good. It is just part of the game you have to play in order to survive in corporate America.
it might be deliberate sabotage or it might just be human nature. i've been in situations like that at work where i honestly think no one really looked hard at what we were doing (it was more me doing something with the input of others, not a more balanced team) until the last second.
running a community organization, which i do in my spare time, i've run into this dozens of times. someone suggests something or i come up with something, we talk about it in a board meeting, i send something out to the membership for input, take it back to the board or have a membership meeting to make a decision, decision is made and announced and..... someone suddenly has a HUGE problem with it. sometimes even a board member. arrrgh.
all of this is a bit different from people within a team acting like this, though. either the people doing that are super incompetent and have just been zoning out the whole time or they have ill intent.
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