When You Get Thrown Under the Bus at Work — Image Credit: Shutterstock

If you’ve worked long enough, then you probably know what it’s like to be thrown under the bus. This idiomatic phrase means to have your reputation deliberately sacrificed by another for that person’s personal gain or advancement.

What do you do when you are caught in the middle of this situation? And how do you recuperate from such a betrayal?

Cameron was a rising star whose contributions were always appreciated on any team. Newly promoted to Executive Vice President, he was assigned to expand the company’s reach into all 50 states.

One particular project involved another executive, Sandra, who had been a contender for Cameron’s position. She was cordial as they worked together on this, but when the time came to report formally to the board on how the initiative was shaping up, she blamed her lack of progress on Cameron.

“I’m afraid I haven’t been able to move forward as I would have liked,” said Sandra. “It’s been a little difficult to get the information I need to do my part since Cameron has been consumed with all of his other projects. You’ve been hard to chase down, my friend,” she gave Cameron a rather condescending smile. “We’ll just have to try harder.”

Cameron told me later that the top of his head become so hot when this happened that it felt like it was going to explode. He looked at Sandra in disbelief. He had been accessible at every turn, and had told Sandra how to reach him if she couldn’t find him. And this? This was clearly a move to discredit him as leader in his new position.

What would you do if a colleague threw you under the bus?

Here’s what Cameron did – and what I want to share with you, so that if you find yourself in a similar situation, you can recoup quickly and rise victorious.

1. Pre-empt any barreling bus by making sure you already have a solid reputation.

The best way to avoid people doubting your ability to do the work is to establish a strong track record through your integrity (your approach) and your ability to execute and deliver (your competence). When you have this background experience, people will remember when an isolated incident questions your leadership.

Cameron enjoyed a stellar reputation with others and so those in the room witnessing Sandra’s blame quickly questioned her motives – not Cameron’s abilities.

2. Take a short walk before you decide how to handle this.

Before you decide how you want to address being run over, take a short walk. Get outside, breathe, move around. It’s important to take a pause as you process what just happened and what you want to do to remedy it. On mental, emotional, and physical levels, this gives you the spaciousness of time to cool down and think through a best response.

Cameron got out the door as soon as the presentation was over and took a good 10-minute walk before he calmed down enough to process. Once he got his emotions under control, he was able to think through next best steps for salvaging his reputation with the board.

3. Confront for the record.

Meet with the person who just threw you under the bus.

Cameron was direct and thoughtful. “Sandra,” he began. “I was surprised in there to hear that you didn’t get the time you needed with me in order to meet the deadline. I must apologize if I appeared inaccessible. Can you share more?”

Sandra, of course, was hedging, hemming, and hawing. She knew she was caught, but thought she could wiggle out. “Well, Cameron,” she answered, “whenever I would walk past your door to check in, you seemed very busy…on a conference call, in the middle of a meeting…it was just very awkward.”

Cameron didn’t back down, but created a net for the future. “Sandra, in future, if I seem caught up and don’t notice you, it will be helpful if you shoot me an e-mail or call to schedule time. This project is high priority – and I will always make time for you as a valued team member to support you in your part.”

Sandra was caught and she knew it. The excuse was lame – but she was proud. She agreed that next time, she would make an appointment. “And one more thing, Sandra – if you aren’t not getting the answers or resources you need from me, I hope you will tell me so that I can rectify that. Will that work for you?” Sandra was officially put on notice – no more blame game.

4. Restore your reputation through a third-party champion.

At times like these, you know that anything you say publicly will simply sound like defensive excuses. In this case, you need a champion to boost your good name. Pick a trusted colleague who has influence or “power clout” with those who witnessed the crash and share what has happened. Allow them, over the next few days, to do some subtle, positive PR on your behalf when you aren’t in the room.

Having someone else speak highly of you and your abilities in this way is powerful. You take the high road; your colleague reinforces how great you are doing and why you are definitely the right person in the right seat – and you can relax.

If you have ever been thrown under the bus, then you know how devastating it is.

Be sure you are a person who never resorts to that – and commit to being a champion for others.

© Patti Cotton and patticotton.com. All rights reserved. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express written permission from the author is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that attribution is made to Patti Cotton and patticotton.com, with links thereto.

Patti Cotton

Patti Cotton reenergizes talented leaders and their teams to achieve fulfillment and extraordinary results. For more information on how Patti Cotton can help you and your organization, click here.

3 Ways You Can Avoid This

Fortune Magazine’s December 13, 2016 blog, “The World’s Most Powerful Women,” reports that women business leaders around the world are losing ground.

“This year has been a doozy for supporters of gender equality and women’s advancement, even beyond Hillary Clinton’s defeat and Donald Trump’s victory.

Dilma Rousseff, Brazil’s first female president, was ousted from power, and
South Korea’s first female president, Park Geun-hye, now seems poised to meet that same fate.
The IMF’s first female chief, Christine Lagarde, is currently engulfed in a trial that could jeopardize her future.
The number of female CEOs in the Fortune 500 sank from 24 to 21.
And some bright, still rising business stars – Theranos’ Elizabeth Holmes, Yahoo’s Marissa Mayer – have plummeted like fireballs back to earth.”

The unfortunate consequence of these disappointing events is that because this is occurring on a larger, public scale, your brain is subconsciously telling the following story:

“Hey, You, women just can’t hack it. See what happens when a woman is placed in a position of leadership? Don’t try it. It doesn’t work. Be safe. Be warm. Stay where you are. Don’t try to reach higher goals. Don’t speak up. Don’t speak out.”

In fact, most all of these situations Forbes describes were avoidable – and that’s what your brain doesn’t stop to examine. The women mentioned in the Forbes blog have lost their positions for many reasons, and some are as follows:

poor decision-making, difficulties in taking action
not asking for help or an inability to listen
surrounding themselves with the wrong people
difficulty in building the influence they need to get support and get things done
staying too long in the same position when they should have made that next move or change

Of course, politics can sometimes derail. And, in at least one disappointing case, compromised ethics were at issue.

But for the most part, the plummets these female business leaders have taken were avoidable. And that’s just plain disappointing after all we’ve worked on to move forward.

So, how can you avoid the same kind of ending?

These recent events with other women of high visibility can hurt you and your future, if you are aspiring to greater leadership and larger opportunities.

The simple answer is to get the right kind of help to check you on your ability to lead and do it well. This involves a few things.

1. Be willing to examine your own leadership.

How well do you lead yourself – your emotions and the way you manage these, as well as your decision-making, action-taking, and more. Take an assessment, and review whether you are meeting goals effectively, if you have rock-solid confidence, and if your business or company recognizes your value.

2. Be willing to ask a few trusted colleagues and mentors where you need to grow.

How well are you leading others? How do you relate, build influence, and get things done with others? Take the basal temperature by getting sound feedback so you know what to work on. If you are great talent, but you can’t communicate this to others and influence them to take action, your leadership will stall here.

3. Get the right kind of help to grow your leadership in the right places, and through the right way.

Don’t be shy, and don’t short-change yourself. This is what kills most women leaders “in the making” – not asking for help, and not investing in the right kind. You must make the investment in yourself to course-correct and camp on your abilities so that these work for you, and work extremely well. For more on this, see my special report “Coaches, Mentors, and Sponsors: The Differences and the Benefits.”

In thinking about your own leadership aspirations, where, in your own leadership, might you need to grow? Join us on LinkedIn to share, and for more discussion.

Patti Cotton helps women executives optimize their effectiveness in leading self, others, and enterprises. Her areas of focus include confidence, leadership style, executive presence, effective communication, and masterful execution. With over 25 years of leadership experience, both stateside and abroad, Patti works with individuals, teams, and organizations across industries, providing executive coaching, women’s leadership development, change, and conflict management. She is also a Fortune 500 speaker. For more information on how Patti Cotton can help you and your organization, click here.

Patti Cotton

Patti Cotton reenergizes talented leaders and their teams to achieve fulfillment and extraordinary results. For more information on how Patti Cotton can help you and your organization, click here.