I need help. My boss is a "figure out what to do without me." type.

3 Comments

1. AnonymousAugust 27,2025 at 8:05PM UTC

   I don't think you are wrong to ask this person for advice. A good leader asks others for advice but at times, depending on the job environment it can be mistaken as a sign of weakness or incompetence. This person may feel overwhelmed and like more work is being thrust upon her when you ask her for advice, especially if you are in a competitive (as opposed) to collaborative environment. You may want to "drag out" the work you are doing to fill those gaps so it doesn't look like you are slacking even if it comes in bursts. (Unless, of course there are tight deadlines.) It sounds like your manager and this other person aren't the right people to ask if they frequently get annoyed. Is there anyone else you can ask? Otherwise could you ask them to point you to resources that can help you with the background knowledge? I.e. documentation, books, guides.

2. Dr. Patty GrossAugust 29,2025 at 1:16PM UTC

   It is a myth that a good manager should know how to do everything their employees do. A good manager leads and ensures that their employees have all the tools and resources to complete their tasks and keep the projects on track. Since you know your manager doesn't have the SME skills, have you tried asking for some continuing education that might help you? I used to manage a software development team where I wasn't familiar with all of the languages they used. What I did know was how to schedule and lead a project and make sure they had all of the diagnostic resources they needed to do their jobs. I had just enough technical expertise to know what was feasible and what was not, but I left the coding aspect of the projects to the SMEs. I was actually overwhelmed when I first took over this group, because I couldn't jump in and take over or help. Later I grew to appreciate this because it made me a better leader, and allowed me the time required to do that part of my job.

3. AnonymousAugust 31,2025 at 4:22PM UTC

   As a lead you should do just that, lead. Take some manager training classes and learn not only how to manage others but to work with those who may not fully understand what or how you do your job. Absorb everything you can as you are definitely still too new to make changes. In your weekly check ins with the person you think is afraid of being replaced show them how you support them and give them props for things they do that are great. Ask them how you can help them to be best at their role and ask them for feedback about how you both interact. You may hear things you don't like but being a lead you should be able to process this well. As for your manager perhaps give her a detailed demonstration of why you do and where your expertise ends. Yes, managing your manager may alleviate what you are dealing with and give you the comfort that you seek in this new role. You got this!