There are days I’m overjoyed that I no longer have to walk into an office, assess the environment, double check each word I type, triple filter what’s in my head before it passes my lips, and generally watch my back lest someone higher up doesn’t like the way I act, the way I dress, the way I work, or the way my aura glows. As I’ve mentioned before, the time and resources all these little struggles, political or otherwise, waste seems utterly pointless to me. It’s why I never left freelancing after being thrust into it not altogether unexpectedly (a long story that involves all of the issues raised above). I saw it coming a month before and managed to have most of my personal effects removed from the office before the hammer came down. And as I drove home that day, I couldn’t muster up tears or regrets. It’s when I knew this was a move that would change my life for the better.
This month I’ve had a few client interactions that are, from their side, riddled with politics, power struggles and what appears to be at least one personality clash. Normally, this stuff isn’t my problem. However, it is when the projects become embroiled in a “who’s the boss” struggle. It’s when I thank my Maker that I’m billing hourly, but it’s frustrating nonetheless.
I have one ongoing client who’s hired a project lead and some of the issues this person has with managing is spilling over into my otherwise management-free world. I love taking direction and receiving helpful criticism. I don’t love being chastised openly for petty issues when I have a perfectly good explanation for my actions and would have offered it had I been asked first. It’s growing quite apparent that this client’s new helper is not a team player. Moreover, I feel I’d be thrown under a bus should one thing go wrong. Hence I’ll be approaching the client and asking to move to a new project lead.
Another project had me going between two warring factions who were pretending to be on the same side. I hate to break it to them – they were transparent. They don’t get along. They don’t even work in tangent. And they gave me directions separately that are mirror opposite. I was smart enough to save every scrap of paper from the project to make sure I’m not caught in the crossfire, but it was exhausting. Not to mention time-consuming. I had to revise numerous times to suit one or the other. Finally one person moved off the project and it sailed through approvals. Otherwise I’d still be revising.
Have you ever been caught in an unsavory situation? Ever feel like the bulls-eye is painted on your own head? How do you deal with this stuff?
When a long-time client of mine took on a partner earlier this year, I was a casualty. The so-called silent partner was not silent, wanted to bring on his own PR guy, and I learned about it when I found the client had removed my copy from the website and put up the new guy’s. Without so much as a word to me, after years of working with him. Ouch. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t hurt and angry. Now, 6 months later, the partnership is not working so well, and my client needs new copy. No problem – but my client is now under my new rates, not the old ones I was grandfathering for him. And meanwhile, I was so steamed I went out and marketed like a maniac and acquired several new A+ level clients to replace him.
Way to go, Eileen! An excellent way to handle the situation. I’d have done the same – quiet grace and higher rates. ;))
It’s usually that way when a new person comes on board, isn’t it? The steamroller effect – he/she takes over and changes it to leave his/her mark. Never mind that you were doing fine. That’s just maddening.
I am not anywhere near as diplomatic as you are. I do a very blunt “cut the bulls—t and don’t take out your petty power plays on me” speech ONCE and then follow it up in writing with whomever is higher up on the food chain. And I am that blunt — I call them on the crap. I don’t care what their interoffice politics are — if they try to involve me, I’m gonna whomp ’em upside the head. metaphorically. I am not a cubicle slave and won’t be treated as such. The reason I’m hired in the first place is because I’m “different” and “quirky”, so don’t try to make me conform, because I won’t.
If it doesn’t stop, I’m out of there — usually I’ll complete the full assignment, and then I’m gone.
If I’m enticed back, I’m like Eileen — it’s at a higher rate.
Internal organizational politics are ug-ly. It’s funny: I didn’t notice them as much when I was embroiled in them as a worker bee in an office.
But now, as a freelancer, it’s one of the first things I notice about a potential client. Politics and power struggles often raise a lot of red flags and make me think twice about taking a project.
Good for you for seeing it coming, Lori. I’m sure that intuition only makes you a better freelancer.
I worked for lawyers for a lot of years and learned two very important things: CYA (always), and the one with the most documentation wins.
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