How would you feel if your supervisor pulled you aside and talked to you about taking initiative like it is a bad thing?

Question

I was a team lead for retail remodels for a major chain last year and assistant to the lead the year prior. My employer lost their contract. I took the job of assistant with another company. As an assistant the first time around; I was in charge of overseeing specific tasks, I was able to assign work to others, process parts orders, etc. The lead I originally worked with did daily meetings (client's requirement), we had paperwork ahead of time, and a clear idea of what should get done each day. As a lead myself, I typically did a weekly meeting, handled all paperwork, delegated tasks, and so on. I would look at the plans ahead of time to get a clear view of what needed to take place.

With this new lead I am working with, I feel like they have poor management and leadership skills. The first day I was on the job, they didn't provide direction or access to the project plans. They made the team tear out a vendor fixture that should have simply been relocated. We lost man hours in both tearing down and rebuilding something we never should've touched. The second day they were m.i.a. The third day the retailer's project manager made us and one other person stay late by more than an hour to clean, after all the other employees had already left for the weekend.

Today they gave me a talking to. My crime: assigning a task to someone so that I could have a fixture replaced. All work that should've been completed the week prior. They were bothered I took initiative, yet they won't.

? · Answer

This isn't taking initiative and you're not the boss, you have to get that in your head. Your not a manager / supervisor, if you have no power to give people tasks you shouldn't be doing so. You should have went to your supervisor and ask them to have a look at the fixture and get it replaced.

Judy · Answer

You don't get to take over your lead's job when you feel it's not being done right.

A Hunch · Answer

Are you sure your expectations are in alignment with your role?

i don't think an assistant lead should be given the full project plan on Day #1. "They made the team tear out a vendor fixture that should have simply been relocated"- sorry, but this does not make any sense.  The only way it can be relocated is if it's "torn out" (aka removed)."We lost man hours in both tearing down and rebuilding something we never should've touched."
- was it supposed to be relocated or NOT?  Big deal that a few hours were spent on it.  You haven't seem the budget so you don't even know how it's comprised.

"The third day the retailer's project manager made us and one other person stay late by more than an hour to clean"
- you sound like a whiny baby.

"My crime: assigning a task to someone so that I could have a fixture replaced."
= Day 4 on the job, I don't think you have any business assigning tasks either.  Instead of being a bull in a china shop why don't you mellow out learn the structure and the assets of the team members.

Anonymous · Answer

I'd be looking for a new and better job.  You sort of have been told that your initiative isn't appreciated.

Pearl L · Answer

they might be just trying to help

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How would you feel if your supervisor pulled you aside and talked to you about taking initiative like it is a bad thing?

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