No Support for Hiring New People? Ask Madeleine

Dear Madeleine, I am a mid-level manager with a large team in a low-profile but significant government agency. I say significant because substantial numbers of citizens depend on us for critical services. The chaos here has been profound over the last year or so. Senior leaders keep quitting or getting fired, mandates turn on a…

Can’t Read Your Boss’s Mind? Ask Madeleine

Hi Madeleine, I have a great job that I love in a fast paced, entrepreneurial young company.  We are a small shop, so for some projects I work directly with the CEO. I’ll call him Rob.  My problem is that Rob seems to expect me to read his mind. He rarely gives me any specific…

Boss Acting Weird? Ask Madeleine

Dear Madeleine, I am a fairly new marketing manager for a large consumer goods firm. I have three great people who work for me—I inherited them, so I lucked out. We function like a well-oiled machine. The problem is my boss. She was promoted about two years ago and now oversees several managers of different…

Too Many Meetings? Ask Madeleine

Dear Madeleine, I’ve recently been promoted to my first managerial role. Prior to my promotion, I had been an individual contributor here for more than 14 years. My new role has me climbing a steep learning curve because I am not working in the same group I had been in before. I’m not worried about…