Is Your Manager Holding You Back?

Shawn Sommerkamp • February 3, 2020


Psalm 9:9 "The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble."

Could it be that your manager is holding you back? There is a way to determine if your boss is really a blocker. Yes, it can sometimes be hard to tell, so here are a few questions to ask yourself:

  • How often has your manager asked you about your career ambitions?
  • Do you have regularly scheduled and consistent time with your manager at least monthly?
  • Does your manager respond in a way that comes across condescending or disrespectful?
  • Does your manager share your success stories with their direct manager?
  • Are you ever praised or acknowledged for the work you do?
  • Does your manager take time to provide constructive feedback on how you can improve?
  • Does your manager consistently show signs of stress?
  • Is your manager hard to reach or access?

In the corporate world, leadership qualities in a manager are increasingly rare. Some people make great managers but inadequate leaders.

Managers know how to track the numbers, focus on departmental goals and report progress to leadership teams. However, this does not make a good leader. Leaders take a keen interest in their personnel. They know that the secret of department success is making every individual successful. Leaders let others eat first. They reward and praise and acknowledge. They shield you from the silly, political stuff at the top. They want to know what makes you tick and strive to align you for success.

Psalm 34:19 "Though a righteous man may have many troubles, the Lord delivers him from them all."

You may very well have a manager and not a leader. Worse yet, you may have a manager who is not at all interested in seeing you advance your career. Worse still, you may have experienced a manager who seems to be against you.

When you have a poor leader or a bad manager, it can generate significant stress in you and your fellow employees if you don’t know how to handle it.

Remember that people like Joseph and Daniel and David all had really bad bosses, and they persevered for considerable time under tyranny. They did so knowing God was sovereign, realizing it what was happening as part of God’s overall plan. Your situation is the same. God has you front of mind and knows what you are experiencing. Talk to him about this every day, even during the day as the drama unfolds.

It May Be Time to Take Action

And yes, it now may be time to take action. It is likely that the manager that's holding you back is not going to change any time soon. Now that you have prayed and placed it in God's hand, what can you do next? Perhaps consider having a talk with that manager directly. It is possible this manager doesn't realize what he is doing or can;t see the impact of his actions. Approaching him with humility and truth may make the difference.

Or you can go to your HR Manager and have a frank discussion. Let her know what is happening and ask her if there is anything that can be done about it. Bring multiple examples of your concern and be sure to come with a spirit of peace, not war.

If these two actions don't make a difference, it may be time to leave. In our next email we will cover the topic "How to Quite Your Job" in a way that glorifies God and set's you up for success.

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Shawn Sommerkamp is a motivational speaker and Executive Coach with 20+ years of Fortune 100 leadership experience. He founded Motivationeer™ to coach Christian professionals how to use their career to glorify God and support local church growth.

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