This HR Director's Day: A Far Cry From Leading

I am not sure what you call what I have been doing lately but I am sure it's a far cry from leading.

When I look in the mirror and see Miss Office Shiva staring back at me, I know it's time for to regroup and take a close look at how I am managing, leading and working because this is an entirely inefficient and ineffective way to run a department 

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The questions begin to flow.

What am I holding onto that I should delegate, what conversations need to be had and what expectations need to be set, and what am I doing that can be clearly be done better by someone else? Where am I building in unnecessary delays? Are we, as a department, setting priorities, focusing on what's important and all heading in the same direction?

The questions continue.

​In the positive sense of shedding old habits, is it time for us to change direction or to toss decisions we've outlived or outgrown? How do I get out from behind the desk? Could we possibly need more staff? Do I have the right staff? Do I have effective feedback and communication loops in place?

The questions never end.

What should I be seeing and what should I be hearing that I am not? What assumptions are blocking progress or what problems am I avoiding? If you could write a message to me on the white board, what would it be?

Seeking Advice: Getting Over Being Passed Over for Promotion

An employee wrote in and is very frustrated being asked to fill in for supervisors when nobody is available but getting passed over for promotions when it really counts.

A shortened version of what was submitted is below:

I really appreciated reading this post, Tired of Your Job? Maybe it's Time to Ask the Tough Questions. I have been focused on college for two years now, while at the same time building a good reputation with my job. However, along the way, I have become what I like to call a bounce-ball supervisor. I am there when they need me, but when promotion time comes, I do not get the raise and the position.

However, they are quick to point out when there is nobody available that "I am the man for the job." After almost two and a half years, I feel used and tired. I want to stay, but am tired of being called a good leader and then not promoted when good leaders are needed.

If anyone has a different outlook, please advise me.

My advice is to talk with your supervisor or someone in the company who would be in a position to observe you day to day about why he or she thinks you are not getting selected for promotions. It may be something you are doing <or not doing> or it could have absolutely nothing to do with you at all. It's easy to spin within our own thoughts about what we think other people's motives are and a few facts can make a world of difference. Listen to what they tell you - do not argue, defend or challenge. Take the feedback for what it is. Getting over being passed over is not easy, but it can be done. Not all employers have nefarious motives but if yours does, it may be time to move on. 

HR professionals, what advice do you have for this reader?