Message #4624

[msrobbie]

First of all, welcome to the boards, and it's nice to have another "lurker" join the party.  Now, down to business . . . .



In your message you said, THEY have picked a woman . . . .  Did you not have any say-so in the hiring process?  Does this woman truly work for you, or does she work for the partners?  In other words, do you sign her time sheet, do her performance reviews, have the authority to reprimand or commend her work, decided whether or not to recommend her for a raise, and so forth?



If you do not have this authority, you are not her "boss", so to speak.  She may get her training and work assignments from you, but you are not actually her supervisor.



Anyway, getting past that, anyone who feels threatened by another worker will most decidedly show that fear.  You have been with this company for three years.  Since you have been with the partners for that amount of time, they must have a relationship with you that has been carefully built over those three years.  Even though the new admin worker may have skills or knowledge that you do not, she does not know the inner workings of the company.  She will, however, learn the ins and outs and eventually make her own place in the group.



What you need to do is, while you are training her to do the tasks for which she was hired, get her to share her knowledge and skills with you.  There must be a way you can assimilate some of her work skills, and if she is any kind of decent admin, she'll probably be glad to help you while you're helping her.



I know you're intimidated by someone who has had more education that you and who seems to have a more varied set of skills.  Just remember, she is new and she is nervous and she is looking to you to be her guide into this new position.  You do have the upper hand, you just have to make the most of it.



Try to view this situation as a great opportunity for you instead of a threat.  



Good luck, and please let us know how things are going.



Robbie