My friend comes to me and informs that she now reports to a new boss.

She has been acquainted with him for long, indeed due to her friendly nature she knows and chats with everyone in the organization. However, since he became formally her Boss, his attitude has changed. He does not find time for casual chat as he used to, he appears not to trust her in the work she does, he feels she needs frequent supervision, despite that she has been into the task for about two years and he is new to it. He appears to be afraid that she will get the credit for the success of the project, and he tries to forcibly take away responsibilities from her that she had been adeptly handling so far. She is frustrated beyond description and the constant breathing down her back is affecting her work. They have been only two weeks into this and already life has been miserable for her and she has no clue whom to turn to. She even contemplated complaining to a higher authority in the organization.

I know the person who is her new boss. “I suggest you try not to get worked up so soon”, I tell her. “Wait for a couple more weeks. You see, he is also new to this. Just as you feel insecure about him being your new Boss, he feels the same about you and the rest of the team. He does not know the way you work, he does not know the product. He is much more at sea than you are. He is frightened but does not want to show it, he wants you to acknowledge that he is your boss, he is afraid if the management finds out that you are the spine of the product, he becomes redundant.”

“You continue to do your work just as you used to”, I tell her. “Take care you don’t tread on his foot, though. He is yet to form an opinion about you work-wise, and don’t let him form a wrong one.”

It’s all the question of survival. These are difficult times, as they say. Everyone takes care to protect their jobs. Even at the cost of others’.