Hi all,
Thanks for any advice. I just started a new management job at a startup. Our company has several business which are supported by departments serving all of the businesses at once. I'm in charge of one of the businesses, which is relatively new. In my first week, I requested to speak with all of the supporting department heads to get a good idea of the overall situation and updates on relevant issues concerning the business. I've met with everyone else and recieved prompt replies and enthusiasm with all but one particular department head. I sent him an email requesting a meeting at his convenience. No reply. Three days later, I sent a meeting request through our outlook system and recieved a reply (just a no, no words) only after stopping by, when he said he was dealing with another company and didn't have time to meet. He didn't even look up from his computer when he told me. He said at that time he would send me an email later that day with a good time to meet. That was Thursday and I recieved no email on thursday or Friday.
I decided to wait it out and decide what to do over the weekend, thinking maybe he's super busy. I don't want to step on anyone's toes just starting out, because his department's a vital part of what we do. On the other hand, it's difficult to plan a direction for the company without having his input on the issues that we face. I want to maintain a good relationship so that the business I'm running doesn't suffer. I don't want to go over his head after two weeks; that just looks like I can't resolve these issues myself. That being said, I've had enough. He's hidering my ability to do my job. The only thing I can think of so far is to send one more email requesting a meeting, and if that doesn't work, move on to direct confrontation, asking if there's a problem, etc. What are your thoughts?
Thanks. |