How often does it happen when you need the person directly above you for something, and suddenly your top priority is clearly not theirs? You get frustrated, but you understand because they have much more important things that need to be done. How about the scheduled meetings that constantly get pushed back? It’s slightly annoying because you have relied on those to stay on the same page, but it’s not THAT big of a deal, right? Things happen.

What about a decision that is being made about some of your role? You express concerns about the changes, they’re acknowledged in the moment, and no meaningful steps are taken to address them. Then, a few months later, the changes turn out to be a disaster, and your performance and reputation begin to suffer.

Resentment builds, trust erodes, and respect is lost. A situation that was once promising can become unsalvageable if it crosses a certain threshold, and while the staff typically has to take the brunt of the failures, however it is an organizational failure first and foremost.

Look, everyone is busy, and there are really no easy jobs, but what we have in many instances is a situation where everyone is SO busy that communication breakdowns become the norm rather than an outlier. The result is that people become siloed, people build habits and routines for themselves, and they go into survival mode. In short, work does not get done in an effective way.

Compounding this is when suddenly an absent superior suddenly decides to try and actively dictate your work. While the title allows for it, it’s akin to a parent who is never around suddenly trying to act like an authority figure over your life, and it simply DOES. NOT. WORK. We are all beholden to someone, and when it comes time to provide answers, there’s no foundation for it and no understanding of why, what, or how.

That, however, does not pass for acceptable, and as a result, decisions will need to be made, often with the two sides deciding to part ways in some capacity. It’s unfortunate because it’s not a single moment that creates this dynamic. It’s constant neglect, thinking that because someone is self-sufficient, they will continue to be so. Even more so in this world of remote work, the danger isn’t that people won’t be able to manage their work; it’s whether or not you will be able to support them when they need it most.

Decision-makers are in those positions for a reason, and if an environment is going to be an autonomous one, some of that power needs to be distributed better, or there needs to be a more active presence to prevent the erosion of an environment. Coming from athletics, there is only one definition of team: win as one, lose as one. If one person is struggling, we all have to act as the rising tide that lifts the boat.

People will only take so much, especially if they are adept performers. At a certain point, frustration will boil over, and the feelings of being dismissed will spiral into something that might be more than unmanageable; it will be unsalvageable.