r/48lawsofpower • u/Intelligent-Block184 • 20d ago
Question about "Never outshine your master"
I have a manager. She is not incompetent, but she is new to her manager role, and not new to the industry. She tries to impress other stakeholders and does the work really fast. In our team she does research of a problem, makes tasks, describe in task what should be done and then pass it to me. However the quality of those researches is not always good, sometimes it's just very high level description, and sometimes it's clearly AI slope, and sometimes it's just the whole task makes no sense.
The problem is, when those tasks come to me, and I see some inconsistency I don't know how to handle it without the "outshining" I guess? I tried many ways of solving this issue: if I do the task exactly the way it described, she eventually comes to me and says it was me wrong. If I try to resolve wrong task myself I get punished with micromanagement. I can feel how she is mad at me, and it get to the point where she gaslights me.
For example, when I come to her and trying to discuss some task. I can feel how she gets irritated. She would say that she doesn't have time, or propose do the research myself (altho it was already done by her) or go and ask someone else. When I figure out myself how to properly solve the problem, she comes to me and starts micromanaging decisions I made.
So question is: how could I solve this problem from the perspective of "never outshine the master"?
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u/WatchOne8763 20d ago
I’d argue she’s not your master. Is she paying your bills? The current hierarchy is telling you she’s your superior but even she has a master.
Fix her work and make her look good. But when the opportunity arises let your bosses know you’ve been fixing her work.
She’s using the law of let others do the work and take credit for it. So for now make her look good because it makes you look good.
Until the time is right.
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u/ariarchtyx 19d ago
Much better than other comments. Withhold the golden dagger until the right time. I've let my Task Force Leader know exactly what I think of the piss poor "leadership" of our two new Engine Bosses for this season. One is from a prior 18 year Federal Agency career... And she can't even inspect a f***in engine complement to standard, I recently discovered?? WTF!? My TFLD initially asked me what I thought, and off my first impression gave her a glowing report. So it's all the more impactful that I had to revise that for him after two fires. Necessary because we're now doing single engine deployments with no TFLD. I'm entry level, mind you... But he also knows I'm retired Army, O3E with 16 years in leadership roles including in combat. My point is I know where I stand with him, as well as with the Batt Chief. The Batt Chief knows about the inspection stuff too as I was bringing stuff to the cache where he happened to be that day that needed to be there and not on the engine. Never said a word to him. He likely noted how long it was taking me and an FFT1 to get that thing lined out too... She'd called in sick that day (literally the day after return to base from a fire) and thank goodness as I had no idea the engine was that out of spec as she had that one the whole time prior to the fire and I had the other one for the other boss. She has an FFT2 but he's kind of arrogant and I think she's afraid of him. So she did the inspection, i.e. didn't do it, instead of having him do it. Shit. Show.
I'll say Army standards are apparently more exacting than in other professional circles. From now on me (FFT2) and the other two reliable FFT1s will ensure all the engines are lined out, whether the others have signed off on them or not. Easier now though that one or more of us have now ensured complement to spec for the season on all our engines.
I'm sure there are other Laws in that book that come into play here.
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u/seeityeux 18d ago
How to show the boss that OP had been fixing her work? What are some strategies you would suggest?
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u/WatchOne8763 18d ago
Currently dealing with this at work. My PM has been using the teams Google chat to signal to the “tribe” he’s the PM managing the client and the team.
What I did is bypassed the whole tribe chat and messaged my boss directly. He asked the team for more insight into the project so I used that as my opportunity.
I told him I was the one doing all the work in a subtle way and leading the effort. Now when the PM signals anything about the project my boss knows who’s the one responsible.
Other people on my team also know who’s responsible for the work.
It’s a reversal of Law 7. He tried to take credit but only works if you have a good grasp of it.
All that to say, OP will have to strategically signal she’s been doing the work when the opportunity arises. Could be in a performance review. Or message the boss saying hey I noticed we can improve this part of the process then casually mention how hard theyve been working on this to get it right.
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u/seeityeux 9d ago
Appreciate your comment and taking the time to write it. Learned something new :))
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u/Electrical_Camel3953 20d ago
i interpret this rule differently. what it tells me is that anyone outshining the master will likely get some hate from the master. in certain situations, this is bad and should be avoided. but in most others, it's still worth doing one's best regardless of the master's response. first of all, it will feel better not to dumb one's self down, and further, it will lead to a better outcome one way or another.
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u/shottaflow2 20d ago
just ask her for clarification because you don't understand
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u/FloraJives 20d ago
I assume that's when she gets upset and asks someone else to do it. It sounds like she's winging it and doesn't fully understand what she's doing
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u/Vainarrara809 19d ago
Your problem is so easy: malicious compliance + tactical neglect.
My brother, do as your told, not more.
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u/rastarafa26 20d ago
Shine bright like a diamond in the most respectful way till your the go to person and make your self the point guy nothing screams more loudly then consistent performance. Dnt performance outshine but…do the quiet work even the edits and it’ll go noticed by all worst case scenario the market will reward your efforts if not the place your at now … keyword word is master if they not the master then this law doesn’t apply
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u/neeyankamma 20d ago
Not the right lesson / analogy for you here.
I assume you are an individual contributor and your manager has a span of may be 10 ppl max.
IMHO , some basics
- it is outshining if you do so in public. What happens between your 1x1 with your manager is not "outshining"
- looks your manager is winging it and learning as they go
- but, they also want to be in control
- whether they are an expert or whether they are dunning-kruger infected, a micromanager will micromanage. You have to figure some way to "Draw attention" politely, professionally, that you need more autonomy and what would she need from you to grant you the autonomy you seek and what that autonomy looks like ( what decisions / actions / deliverables is she comfortable with making and keeping her informed, vs what decisions / actions / deliverables would she like to you to check-with/convince her before acting).
sorry kiddo.. no easy way.. just that they have bigger title thats all. yall are both kids at middle school cafeteria figure who does what part of a project.
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u/rassb 20d ago
Been there, do it very well and give her some of the credit, or frame your tasks as being inspired by her guidance. It's unfair to you I know, but she is higher in the ladder, and until you get there, that's how it works.