*This article was originally published by the National Business Employment Weekly, December 11-17, 1994. It has been edited and is provided here for educational purposes only. It may not be reproduced or reprinted without the written permission of Dr. Jan Yager. All rights reserved. Dr. Yager is a consultant, workplace expert, and professional speaker. On the Internet: http://www.JanYager.com Phone (203) 968-8098 Address: 1127 High Ridge Road, #110, Stamford, CT 06905

Does the following scenario sound familiar? Although you were made lots of promises when you first landed your job, your immediate boss now seems to block you whenever you try to get the credit or recognition you are due. Or perhaps a jealous colleague is sabotaging your advancement by telling others that you look tired and heavier lately, or by nixing your ideas and projects. We all want to think the best of our boss, subordinates, and colleagues. We would like to think everyone at work wants us to succeed, or at least is neutral about it. If that does not seem to be true in your case, first make sure you are not being paranoid; that the blocking is actually going on and you are not imagining it.

But once you're certain that someone really is trying to block your career, you must take action.

"There are blockers who are self-interested, mean-spirited and willing to sacrifice company success-and your success-because of individual interest," says Chicago-based industrial psychological Bradford Smart. He says he knows of many managers who are being blocked at work, most often by their bosses. What can you do if your career is being blocked, or if the chemistry between you and your boss has not jelled properly? Andrew Sherwood, chairman of Goodrich & Sherwood Co., a New York human resources consulting firm, suggests you take into account four factors when deciding whether to leave or stay with a bad situation:

1. Is your learning curve on the job continuing to climb?
2. Is your job valued and respected by the company?
3. Is your boss in a highly mobile, highly respected position that might become yours down the line?
4. Does top management like your boss? (Maybe they would rather keep you and get rid of your boss.)

If you answered "yes' to one or more of these. questions, Mr. Sherwood suggests staying put and trying to work out your conflicts. Another option, he says, is to request a transfer to a different department. "Sometimes it's extremely difficult to know why your boss isn't encouraging you to move ahead," says Harry Levinson, chairman of the Levinson Institute in Waltham, Mass., and a professor emeritus of psychology at Harvard Medical School. "You may have offended a higher manager by wearing the wrong clothes, or standing on your head when you shouldn't have. One can get labeled and sort of put on the bottom. You don't get demoted, but set off to the side." In this case, he says, leaving may be your best option.

Mending Fences

In these days of rampant downsizings, it is more important than ever to develop a good relationship with your boss. If your boss does not like you, you will certainly rise to the top of the "most dispensable" list. "Downsizing has given bosses greater leeway to get rid of people they don't like," Levinson says. To fight back, find out if your human resources department is empowered enough to help you overcome your blocked situation. If it turns out that a subordinate is trying to stymie your career, you may want to try to deal with the situation yourself before going to human resources or your boss, suggests Rachel Eidson, who heads a Greenwich Conn., etiquette consulting firm. You. may discover that the person is harming you unintentionally.

Ms. Eidson recalls working at an advertising agency with an up-and-coming assistant who was inappropriately taking over her work and not following clear guidelines. For instance, Ms. Eidson would arrive at the office and look for her mail, only to find that her assistant had enthusiastically opened it, and even responded to letters without Ms. Eidson's consent. Other times, the assistant returned Ms. Eidson's phone calls without letting her know who had called.

How do you handle such an employee? Ms. Eidson had a "heart-to-heart' with her assistant. She pointed out the problems that the person's actions were causing, but she did it in a positive way, framing her comments within the context of compliments. For example, she said, "You're doing an excellent job. Your enthusiasm is appreciated and your attention to detail is outstanding. However, you need to stay within the boundaries of our roles as supervisor and assistant. You may not realize that it makes me feel uncomfortable when people go through my mail. Look at the problems that have occurred because I didn't know about a particular letter or phone call." Don't expect the person who is blocking you to instantly change. It may take a while for the comments to sink in and for a new and better working relationship to emerge. Ms. Eidson found that having patience and issuing reminders in a funny way, such as, "Hey, you're doing it again," kept the atmosphere upbeat but made the point that she wouldn't tolerate the old actions.

If a subordinate or colleague blocks you, you might be tempted to confront him or her. After all, you probably have much less to lose than if your boss is the problem. But remember that a confrontation should be your last resort, since the person likely will become defensive and deny your accusations. "It might be very high risk to confront someone individually because the person's apt to be very defensive-arguing from emotion," says Dr. Smart. "You might also become widely known for being willing to take chances, and possibly perceived as attacking the other person unfairly."

What should you do instead? As hard as it may seem, ignoring a co-worker's hostile actions and keeping a stiff upper lip may be the best tactic in the long run. You should also invest time and energy into what Brad Smart calls blockage insurance.

"Devote a higher percentage of time to winning the respect of lots more people who might have veto power over suggestions, ideas or projects," he says. "It takes a lot of time and a lot of effort, but it's increasingly important for you to have political insurance."

As you rise in the company, your ability to reach the next rung of the ladder steadily decreases. By strengthening your alliances around the office, you are ensuring that co-worker blockages will be less likely (or successful). And once you have built strong alliances, you increase the odds that others will aid your advancement. As you move ahead, they cheer you on, since your success is a reflection of their good wishes. Co-worker blockages, like sibling rivalry, are so complicated to unravel that the best course of action is to prevent them in the first place by building positive supportive relationships.

Are you to Blame?

Before pointing fingers at supposedly unhelpful colleagues, review your own behavior to make sure that you're not doing anything to cause co-workers to block you, either intentionally or inadvertently. Are you trying too hard to outshine everyone else? Are you a team player or a one-person show? Do you ever say or do anything to "put down" co-workers or praise yourself and your achievements at others' expense? Although it's tough to alter the way other people behave, you may find that changing your own behavior will lead a co- worker to stop blocking you.

If your best efforts fail to mollify a hostile colleague, another alternative is to "stay as you edge toward the exit door," says Laurence J. Stybel, president of Stybel, Peabody Lincolnshire, a Boston outplacement firm. In this scenario, you stay in your job and take advantage of whatever opportunities arise to add more marketable skills, he says. That way, when you leave, it is because you have located a better opportunity, not because you are being forced out.

"You also become more active by joining new organizations that expose you to a wider network beyond just your company," says Mr. Stybel. "You take seminars or advanced-degree programs that open up new contacts to you." Stybel relates the story of a marketing manager who was being blocked by his boss. The boss was so intent on sabotaging the manager that he gave him the task of developing a marketing and sales plan for a new product that had a 90% likelihood of failing, which would eliminate the manager's job. What should he do? The manager tried to find a new job, but at his level, there were more applicants than positions. Mr. Stybel advised him to stay and take the new position, purposely using the training in sales to enhance his future prospects. Six months later, because he had stayed and actively upgraded his skills, he landed several better job offers and accepted one of them. That story exemplifies the final type of blocking, says Brad Smart: people who block themselves by failing to upgrade their skills and develop their talents fully.

"Most people are blocked because they deserve to be blocked," Dr. Smart says. "The way to fix it is to address the core underlying issues, such as technical competence and interpersonal effectiveness. Because many organizations have 'delayered,' individuals are increasingly expected to be influential in task forces and teams without having line authority."

Elizabeth Barrett is an excellent example of someone who discovered that the key to unblocking herself at work was to explore other workstyle possibilities. A few years ago, Ms. Barrett was job hunting after losing her New York City advertising position following a merger. A helpful interviewer mentioned that she was not hiring staff full time, but that project assignments were available.

"Of course, I'd never thought of that before," says Ms. Barrett. "But for anyone who's looking for a new job, it's a very interesting way to redefine how you work. It's not for everybody," she adds, "but I've found it opened up a whole new world of flexibility for me."