I just found out accidently that my manager is attending meetings behind my back on stuff that I am supposed to be working on. I know for sure that he feels like I will outshine him because I am better at communicating and have better technical acumen. What should be my next move?
One thing I learned by working at Amazon for around 5 years is you'll have issue with your manager, no matter how he or she is. What you should rather do is get him on your side and try to make it work for your benefit, also whenever you're trying to speak up during a meeting or trying to provide a solution, discuss it with your manager beforehand. If you're trying to outshine him, he'll not be happy, noone will be. Noone likes a show off. He's the person who's going to get you ahead in your career at Amazon.
Honestly Amazon is full of incompetent managers. Throwing their reports under the bus as needed because their incompetence says backstabbing their reports is the easiest work to make their paycheck. And they will do this regardless of your performance and support to your POS manager.
Yup
If you already gave that attitude towards your manager, consider leaving or switching to the other team. You are not best fit for each other
Whatโs wrong with your manager wanting to keep up?
Umm... do you expect your manager to start reporting to you on what meetings they attend??
No..but you have to keep your direct reports in loop on what they are working on
I agree, but I still don't see ant malicious intent by not telling you either.. they are usually busy.. at least the ones I've had experience with from back to back meetings
You should assume good intention. Also you think you are better than him, which probably means you have low awareness and you don't know what you don't know. The only times I leave out one of my reports from meetings they might benefit from is when they talk too much and don't read well the room or jump in without enough context. If you get invited: keep quiet a little more than what you want to speak, and when you do speak highlight how you align with your bosses POV. Last piece of advice. Praise your boss once in a while... He should be your ally. Despite his or her many limitations he/she has a lot of positive things you are probably missing. This is not kissing ass, never hurts to appreciate people and nobody wants to work with a smart ass.
This person sounds like OP's manager
Maybe I am your manager @dataman ๐
Your next move should be to stop being so insecure. If you are so great, it will show on its own. My suspicion on this is that you are probably not doing that well if your manager has to schedule meetings to figure shit out that you are doing. At the very least, you are doing a terrible job of managing up.
Can't go into details but whatever you are speculating is not true..
Your suspicion may be wrong. I had a similar situation as OP. I had a project manager who used to do the same thing, he was basically my unofficial manager. He even portrayed my work as his work to the management and got the promotion and I was given hike less than 50 bugs per paycheck. He was a very senior guy in the company (10 years in that company). Just get out of the situation OP, if you are unable to change it. If he is a senior guy, people will trust on him rather than on you. Switch the job.
Make him work for you. Tell him you're blocked and need his meeting notes. Keep asking for notes every meeting. Start asking him to go to meetings to take notes for you. It'll stop.
๐ As a manager, this is true.
I had similar experience where my Manager was always felt FOMO when I was connecting with the Senior Manager. But if you keep up your good work, you will outshine him anyways and people already notice that, so I wouldnt worry what your manager has to say. To give an example, if I'm sitting in my SM's office chatting or laughing, my M would message me on Skype asking whats going on in there and if he can come in too. Sometimes I just thought of my M as my intern.
Wait - can you explain ? Is he presenting the work you are doing or gathering info?
Gathering info..but info I had asked for from another group.
If heโs only gathering info, then youre good