Two bosses who hate eachother.

[OpenToSuggestions]

If you have two bosses then you are doomed to fail from the start.
You really cannot be working under two sets of instructions that conflict.

 

[Stu999]

Have them both killed then grab the power for yourself.

 

[potatolord]

Copy them both into an email asking for clarification.

Then stand back and watch the fun.

 

[CaNsA]

You report directly to 2 bosses? These bosses are of the same managerial level?

Seems an odd working practice to employ 2 people doing the same managerial role...

Peter Gibbons:
It's a problem of motivation, all right? Now if I work my ass off and Initech ships a few extra units, I don't see another dime; so where's the motivation? And here's something else, Bob, I have eight different bosses right now.

Bob Slydell:
I beg your pardon?

Peter Gibbons:
Eight bosses.

Bob Slydell:
Eight?

Peter Gibbons:
Eight, Bob. So that means that when I make a mistake, I have eight different people coming by to tell me about it. That's my only real motivation is not to be hassled; that, and the fear of losing my job. But you know, Bob, that will only make someone work just hard enough not to get fired.

 

[CaNsA]

I'm all seriousness though, I was in a similar situation earlier this year.

Performance review time came around and I made noises similar to the above quote.

Got promoted,and now I have 1 boss and zero responsibility for anything with a pulse.

 

[FoxEye]

Seriously tho, how would you manage to have two bosses to report to? Presumably you report to one of them directly, and that's the boss you get your instructions from. It's his boss's problem to convince him to give you the right instructions.

That's just basic chain of command, if that's not how it works then how does it work (or not) where you work? Manager vs Project Manager? Delivery Manager? Or just boss's boss? Or worse... Agile Coach? If it's the latter, all bets are off, abandon hope, your org is screwed.

 

[Lopéz]

Tell them you don't understand how dual reporting lines can work when there are clearly different directives.

 

[ElliorR]

Your bosses both live in houses?
These houses have front doors?
These front doors have letter boxes?

Is so you know the OcUK drill, boxing stance.

 

[BUDFORCE]

The solution is a Thunderdome and/or Highlander type situation. Call boss 1, ask to meet them in a designated room, then call boss 2, and ask to meet them in the same location at the same time. Lock the door, consider leaving weapons.

There can be only one/ 2 bosses enter, 1 boss leaves.

Looking for something, we can rely on.
There's gotta be something better out there.
Love and compassion.
Their day is coming.
All else are castles built in the air

 

[platinum87]

I teach new people the job, after that, my role is to make novel decisions, and to take responsibility for those decisions.

It is not to micromanage people, if you are being micromanaged your manager is useless, i guess complain to their boss?