New York Lawyer
December 13, 2001

Q:
An associate in my department who works on a lot of cases for me is always subtly running down one of his colleagues (also in our department, also does a lot of work for me).

He�ll say things like, �Dave was supposed to have researched this section, but, well . . . � and trail off meaningfully. Or, �You�ll see this section Dave drafted � I�m having a little trouble understanding it myself, but see what you think.� It�s a constant drumbeat.

Meanwhile, Dave does his work and I don�t hear anything from him, so while I�m wary of the motives of the associate who criticizes him, at the same time I am starting to think differently about him. I�ve thought about talking to Dave but I�m not sure what I would say.

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A:
First, it�s terrific that you�re so sensitive to the politics of this situation. Many would just take at face value what they hear and assume Dave�s performance is not up to snuff. So the first step, and often the most valuable one, is to analyze what�s going on here.

It could be that Dave is in fact not doing his job properly, that the other associate is picking up the slack and is getting very sick of it. That shouldn�t be too difficult to figure out � give Dave some specific assignments and make sure the results go directly to you, so that you can see how he�s doing. If he�s not performing well, he�ll need help with his skills.

On the other hand, it could be that for some reason the other associate is playing politics, jockeying for your favor. After looking at Dave�s work, if it appears he�s doing just fine, your actions will then depend on your attitude towards blatant office politics.

Some people thrive on office politics and don�t mind some of the hardball versions. Others hate it. Most think of it as part of the scenery but discourage it where possible. If you don�t like it, you should let the backstabber know that his actions will only sour his relationship with you. You�ll have to demonstrate that you�re serious by giving the associate fewer assignments if he keeps up his anti-Dave campaign.

You should help Dave out on this, too. Advise him that people can�t always assume that their good work will speak for itself. They have to make sure that others, especially superiors, know what they�re working on and what their accomplishments are. It would be nice if people could simply do their jobs and be recognized, but the workplace is more complex than that, misunderstandings can easily arise, credit can be wrongly assigned, and blame misplaced. It�s up to each individual to protect himself or herself by building alliances so that one�s accomplishments are clear � even if you don�t much like promoting yourself.

Sincerely,
Holly English
Principal Consultant, Values at Work