What do you do when you can't do anything? When you are told to lead but never given the authority to do so?
Brad successfully led his department for 12 years. He learned from his mistakes and tried to build trust and loyalty in his team. Over the years, he built a solid department that consistently turned out a quality product.
Martin was the head of the organization and a very insecure leader. He was desperate to be admired by people. Martin could not stand up to anyone else in his organization except Brad because all other department heads were women, and he was too insecure to stand up to them.
Susan, the head of another department, began to exert control over Brad's department. She had no authority there, but Martin didn't have the guts to stand up to her and tell her that, so Brad had to fight to steady his department, which had been running smoothly for over a decade. Eventually, Martin's inability to support Brad's position made everything fall apart in the department.
It can be frustrating to be given a job (and possibly a title) but have no support from upper management to do it. Sometimes, it seems you have a load of responsibility yet have never been given the tools necessary to do your work.
I have personally felt that frustration in the past. I know what it is to try to do your job around a leader rather than with them because they won't help you. It's an ugly place to be in and can cause you to question your decisions and choices up to that point.
Remember:
Do the best you can with what you have to work with. It may not be much, but as long as you are doing your personal best with what you have, you're going to win. Maybe it's not the best quality you could produce if you were given free rein, but knowing the limitations you have on you, is it enough?
Believe in yourself even when no one else will. I've already written about this before in a previous blog post, but it still rings true. If your boss doesn't see your potential, it can be a huge detriment to your personal feelings, but try not to let it bother you. Sometimes, people don't want you to fulfill your potential because they are intimidated by you and feel like you will replace them if you succeed. Do it anyway.
If nothing else, learn how NOT to do it. Learning from other people's mistakes can be valuable, too, as I've also written about in the past. Seeing a bad leader's bad decisions can help you understand what to avoid in your own life in the future when you are in charge. There may not be much you can do about your current situation, but you can be ready to do your best next time.
Don't allow the frustration of a weak leader to disrupt your life. It's not always easy to fight for what's right when you're doing it alone, but continue to do so. You won't necessarily win every battle, but when things go wrong you can know it's not your fault (even if they try to paint it that it is).
Be true to yourself. Believe in yourself. Stay strong and keep learning. Do your best with what you have to work with. Opportunities will open up to you someday from it all.
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