If you have a colleague who seems set on undermining you—or worse, sabotaging you—it can be difficult to know how to ask your manager for support. Here’s how to advocate for yourself. First, make the business impact clear to your boss. It will help if you can tie the problems with your coworker to concrete business results. Articulate how they’re damaging the team’s performance in a way that your boss will care about and provide plenty of evidence to back up your claims. But do your best not to complain. Make clear that you’re not acting out of jealousy or vindictiveness, but in an effort to create a good working relationship with your colleague—not to throw them under the bus. Instead, propose solutions. For example, if one of the main issues is that your coworker is stealing credit for your ideas, you might propose to your boss that the three of you agree ahead of time on how credit will be allocated. If your manager is unwilling to get involved or give direct feedback to the difficult colleague, you can simply ask for their advice on how to navigate the situation. Finally, if you suspect the issue is too significant for your boss to manage, consider going to HR. (More on that in tomorrow’s Management Tip of the Day.)
This tip is adapted from “Getting Along: My Coworker Is Sabotaging Me — and My Boss Won’t Help,” by Amy Gallo
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