Hi everyone,
I hope you're well. I am writing to you today to seek your valuable advice on a matter that has been causing me significant stress at my current consulting job. I joined a Tier 2 in October last year (post MBA role).
I have finished three short international projects (all with positive reviews), and I'm currently staffed on a BD in my local country. It is enough recognized in the analyst circles that the local senior management team is somewhat toxic (as opposed to managers of other countries where we are also staffed). This BD only started Monday this week, and I am already finding it extremely difficult to continue working with this manager.
- The manager does not acknowledge when I raise a flag about highly ambitious timelines. He sets half-day/daily expectations of delivery, which are very high. When I convey to him of them being too ambitious, he dismisses saying that he wouldn't have set it if they weren't doable.
- He drops all delivery responsiblity on my shoulders. For example, he asks me (in a negative sense) of what is my plan to deliver today and how do I plan to achieve it. If timelines are lagging due to lack of capacity, I stand answerable to him. I have to constantly worry about completing the entire deliverable in the BD timeline. He often tests my understanding by asking me to explain what I learnt.
- He feeds huge amounts of information in a single meeting (ex. entire document worth of content). I am expected to retain all of it - as on a future date, he says I have conveyed this to you earlier and so you could prepare these x slides in no time.
I have almost broke down multiple times in the 1.5 days I have worked with him. I started feeling unwell on Tuesday i.e. the second day and took sick time off. I think he isn't particularly happy with me, due to our friction during day to day delivery, as well as my taking time off midway. A lot of our staffing happens internationally so I am not highly concerned about maintaing a good reputation with him. At the same time, I have a six month probation period, though I havent received a confirmation when eight months are about to complete. I am concerned if he can influence the process (also as he is a local manager) and have me exit. I am also concerned of how will I deal with him once I am back after my sick leave, in case I am still staffed with him.
I would greatly appreciate your guidance on how to cope with this situation. I trust your insights will help me make the best decision for my career and well-being.
Thank you for your time and support.
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