I feel like I am being set up for failure by my manager.

Anonymous

October 13,2021 at 5:46AM UTC

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I feel like I am being set up for failure by my manager. I am planning a major event for our school department (alumni, faculty, students etc) and everything that could be going wrong is going wrong. Even though I joined the team 2 years ago, the majority of that time was spent remote so this is my first major in person event to plan. I am also fairly new to the workforce and have minimal experience planning large scale events so I thought that while I am leading the planning, my manager would provide more support, guidance, and help so that I know what needs to be done and when. Instead I have been talked down to, told it is my job to figure things out and that the only reason they are involved (the little they are) is so that it’s not a total flop. My manager has gone around my back to contact vendors and question them about the information I’ve shared; they have also told me to just look at the files of my predecessor left behind and replicate them (they were in the role for most of their career and the files don’t show half of the things that need to be done); and they question why certain things aren’t done when I was never told they needed to be done in the first place.

I know that some of the slip ups fall on me and I take responsibility for it, but right now I feel like I have just been thrown to the wolves to figure it out. And when I can’t figure it out I get chewed out for not knowing.

I am feeling utterly defeated and hopeless. It has been drilled into me that it is my fault if this event is a disaster. When I try to bring it up to my manager or ask questions/get help, I get shutdown and told to figure it out because they are spending more time on this and me than they should be.

Any advice or words of wisdom on this would be greatly appreciated.

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AnonymousOctober 13,2021 at 11:17AM UTC
Ugh. What a horrible situation! Seems like your manager is not a good leader or manager, and does not value supporting you. I suggest asking for a review after the event (although not sure your manager will agree to it, but then document that you've asked for one as it shows you want to learn and improve).
Since your manager won't converse with you, is there someone else you can turn to?
In the long run, after the event is over, you can also decide to take this as an opportunity to standardise and professionalize processes: make standard operating procedures for how to put together and run such an event and who preferred vendors are. Do you have other event planners in your network to talk to, to get tips and tricks and contacts from?
Is this a place you want to stay with? It seems that expectations weren't clear at the beginning of planning; maybe you can set those with your manager for the next event.
AnonymousOctober 13,2021 at 12:30PM UTC
Sounds like the manager does not know the answer either. That explains the toxic behavior. He/she is covering and setting you up to take the blame.
Well, the good news is you can get ahead of this. I suggest searching the web to check out any past school department events to get examples and ideas. City, state, and county shouldn't matter. I just searched, "planning school events for department of education" out of curiosity and this is one thing I found, https://www.atlantapublicschools.us/Page/29618. The other search, "ideas for school events" gave me https://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/admin/admin327.shtml and a few other things. There is also this, The Best Event Planning Facebook Groups Every Planner Should Join (https://www.socialtables.com/blog/event-planning/best-facebook-groups/). The group members share ideas and offer each other support.
As far as the manager, a case of selective hearing where he/she is concerned would help limit the exposure to toxic words and behavior. Focus on the task at hand.
Good luck! Be resourceful. You got this.
Mikal Ann ByrdOctober 19,2021 at 6:11PM UTC
Usually, events like this have a committee to help organize them. If there isn't one, could you set one up? Maybe talk to people who participated in the past to see what worked and what flopped. Take your detailed plans to your boss to review and approve. Ask what should be added or eliminated. If that input is refused then you cannot be held to meeting a standard that was not set. Well, you can be but your conscience will be clear. Good luck!
Robyn McCabria KelsoOctober 19,2021 at 6:11PM UTC
Ugh - how do these people get to be bosses. Reach out to your circle outside of work - is there someone who is an event planner (even small scale) that might be able to provide checklists or to-do's or even a timeline. Cheers to success!