A Disappearing Act

If your boss ignores your e-mails, is impossible to get hold of and is totally disinterested in anything work-related, you certainly should be concerned. Whatever may be the reason, an “absentee boss” can be an obstacle to your own success. A recent MSNBC article reviews several authors suggesting ways to tackle the issue. In my book I clarify this problem and offer solutions.

When communication stops for no apparent reason, you naturally wonder if you’re in hot water. No feedback on your report, your e-mails remain unanswered, and as you’re running out of tricks to coax a response from your distant TOT, your anxiety keeps growing. The problem is that it’s not easy to tell whether you are being consciously frozen out or simply overlooked—because the behavior in both cases appears the same.

Here is what I suggest:

Schedule Regular Meetings. Urge your boss to meet with you regularly and explain the benefits from his perspective – how it would help with your project. Suggest an agenda, frequency (such as once a week), and several possible time slots. Keep the meetings brief and on schedule. Regular meetings eliminate the need to constantly chase your boss down. But to ensure that the meetings actually happen, send a reminder a few hours ahead of time.

Level with Your TOT. Express your concern, try to find out why you are being ignored. You might discover that it has nothing to do with you—it could be pressure or too much work. On the other hand, if your performance is the issue, ask for honest feedback so that you can remedy any problems.

Repackage Your Ideas. Study your TOT’s routines and find new ways to get attention. Instead of sending long e-mails, package your messages and reports in a concise, easy-to-read format. Make your meetings and presentations visually interesting, interactive, and lively. If you can make boss’ work more enjoyable in general, you’ll get better response.

Do Some Detective Work. Try to put yourself in your TOT’s shoes, and think about why your boss might need space from you. Ask your colleagues for clues. Have they been having trouble getting your TOT’s attention? You may learn the boss is juggling too many projects to deal with you—or you may confirm that he hates talking to his team. If the latter is true, keep sleuthing . . . through online job listings.

In the end, whether your boss is displeased, disorganized, or overworked, it’s still your job on the line, so it falls to you to get communication flowing again.