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I work in an retail environment where many of the daily management responsibilities are the same for the store manager, the assistant manager (myself), the department managers, and even the leads. Many of these tasks have vague standards and therefore are left to the interpretation of each manager. In many cases my boss says not to do or act in a certain way to his direct reports but then acts in the same way himself setting a poor example. I have listened to the podcasts regarding managing down and not up, but I feel the rest of the staff looks to me as the voice of reason. An example would be when we close our store for the evening on a number of occasions he has questioned my overall procedures and work performance, but I asked him if we could set up standards or a closing checklist, and his response was he should not have to hold our hands to close the store properly. Then on a number of occasions he left the store in poor shape, and managers and associates commented to me that this was unacceptable. At the time I voiced concern to him but he acted as if I was retaliating to his past concerns. How should I approach him in regards to the double standard he is displaying?

tlhausmann's picture
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[quote="gmoney1975"]How should I approach him in regards to the double standard he is displaying?[/quote]

You don't.

Focus on developing your team and getting the job done right. Your responsibility includes establishing the standards for your team. Start with affirming feedback to your folks when you see a store closed properly or other tasks done well.

Guidance from the podcasts includes: "You can't manage your boss."

Welcome to the forums.

jhack's picture

You can't win that argument. It sounds unfortunate, but your job is to make him look good, not change his behavior.

You should create a closing checklist for your team. You should have standards for your team. Make sure [i]they[/i] are performing to standard and closing properly.

Focus on your team's performance, not your boss's.

John