Why Your Boss Won't Let You Lead

Have you found yourself hired for a job and then prevented from actually doing the job?

If you are familiar with the phrase 'buy a dog and bark yourself,' you will know that it equates to hiring someone for the job and not letting them do it.

I have coached numerous leaders who have found themselves boxed into situations where their boss or someone higher up within the organisation has put up barriers to stop them from leading and deploying their considerable talents to perform their jobs effectively.

In this edition of the Leaders Playbook, I delve into the reasons behind these barriers to help you pivot as early as possible to ensure you stay ahead of the game.

Here are three reasons companies hire leaders but then stand in their way.

1. The Hidden Side of Change

Many organisations love to talk about their transformation agenda. Embracing the future always sounds impressive. However, there is a hidden side to making changes. Change has to be a top-down strategy.

During the recruitment phase, your boss waxed lyrical about the change program and your role as leader. Now that you are onboard, they are evasive about your position, support, and deliverables.

So what happened?

Your boss was likely among the few leaders pushing for change within the organisation. However, behind closed doors, they were battling several factions in the C-suite who had yet to fully endorse the transformation strategy because they preferred the status quo.

Your manager lost the fight and tried to avoid the whole conversation about what happened, leaving you to implement a half-baked change management strategy that faces significant pushback from those who can block change.

2. Your Leadership Style Conflicts with Your Boss

Your leadership style conflicts with your boss, maybe your cheery positivity is not landing well, or you are perceived as a perfectionist because you have high standards. Perhaps you discover that your seemingly relaxed boss is, in fact, a controlling micro-manager hell-bent on checking your every move.

Whatever the reasons, there is a clash of leadership styles, and your boss is stepping back in to lead your team. This is causing you to lose confidence in your ability to do your job and confusing your team as to whom is really in charge.

Conflicting leadership styles cause friction and a lack of trust between you, your boss and your team, creating significant barriers to effective leadership.

When you don't have a complementary leadership style to your boss, it can be the catalyst that leads you to exit a promising leadership role early.

3. Your Boss Fears Being Upstaged

Existing leaders may feel threatened by new leaders like you who bring fresh ideas and innovation.

The fear of being upstaged can appear very real to insecure leaders who see you operating in your power and, instead of embracing it, see it as a deliberate attempt to undermine them.

Your boss's insecurity can stem from a lack of self-confidence or a fear of losing their position. This can lead them to adopt toxic behaviours such as withholding information, excluding you from critical decisions, or openly criticising your initiatives to sabotage your leadership effectiveness.

Existing leaders may feel threatened by new leaders like you who bring fresh ideas and innovation.

The fear of being upstaged can appear very real to insecure leaders who see you operating in your power and, instead of embracing it, see it as a deliberate attempt to undermine them.

You owe it to yourself to find a job in an organisation that meets your expectations and fosters a culture of accountability, support, and continuous improvement.

At the interview, make sure to ask questions that delve deeper into the organisation's culture. If you are currently experiencing any of these behaviours, seek support. If your circumstances do not improve, consider getting support to help you move on to an environment where your talents are appreciated and you can thrive.

Hey, I'm Selina. I help corporate leaders like you make an impact in your career so you can build your influence and authority and confidently own your zone of genius - without working harder.

I hope you enjoyed this edition of the Leaders Playbook. You can get more behind-the-scenes insights and resources by joining my newsletter .

I love to answer questions so drop your comments below.