New chair, Dealing with a toxic former department chair

FlyingLily
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New chair, Dealing with a toxic former department chair

Postby FlyingLily » Sun Nov 08, 2015 8:15 pm

In fall of 2014 I happily became the new chair of an academic department. I was thrilled to make a relatively late-career move to a bigger university, different part of the country and new challenges.

The former chair has turned this move very much bittersweet. He was given a year off at full salary, and used some of that year to send snarky and demeaning emails about me to myself, the deans, and my colleagues. Just about my every decision is a target for him. He uses words like dereliction, incompetence, ignorance, poor management, etc.

Now he is sending emails to individual faculty asking them to "take a leadership position". Also, 4 faculty have used the word "bullying" about his email behavior in the past and present. One example: He told a tenured faculty member not to speak to him ever again or to communicate with him in any way, and asked me to be the go-between for their future communications. I refused, and he called me "uncooperative" in an email to the dean.

I've met with HR and have another meeting early this week. But I'd appreciate any tips on dealing with this type of behavior day to day. He makes me so angry and unhappy. I want not to give him that power.

Code3
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Re: New chair, Dealing with a toxic former department chair

Postby Code3 » Sun Nov 08, 2015 8:55 pm

I have very limited advice, and that is document document document. And meet with HR, which you are. Boundaries need to be set. Good luck and so sorry you are going through this.

exploding pony
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Re: New chair, Dealing with a toxic former department chair

Postby exploding pony » Sun Nov 08, 2015 9:20 pm

Ignore him as much as possible. Be polite, don't fight but be firm. I would try not to engage at all. Be very very very professional and non-emotional.

The crazier he gets, the saner you look.

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Fatcat
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Re: New chair, Dealing with a toxic former department chair

Postby Fatcat » Sun Nov 08, 2015 10:23 pm

I agree with Code 3 document, sit down with HR and your Dean and decide on a disciplinary action for this problem child. Make sure it's part of his performance review and it ends up in his personnel file. Is he tenured?

Alex
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Re: New chair, Dealing with a toxic former department chair

Postby Alex » Mon Nov 09, 2015 5:31 am

Sounds like the former department head will dig his own grave w/his own missives. Demanding that you deal w/someone w/whom he'd been corresponding and whom he decided not to correspond with any longer??? Demanding that other faculty members become activists??? He's on his way to writing his own department epitaph above and beyond what was written when he was forcibly retired and you were hired in his stead and it's not going to be very flattering.

kande50
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Re: New chair, Dealing with a toxic former department chair

Postby kande50 » Mon Nov 09, 2015 7:08 pm

Remember that the wheels often turn slowly, but they do eventually turn. Use the focus that got you to where you are to focus on everything else except the whacko. You don't need to do much of anything because the idiot apparently, wrote it all down. So now it's just a matter of time.

I've watched numerous meltdowns from the sidelines, and can never believe how long "the powers that be" let it go on before they take action. My theory is that they get their lawyers busy collecting the evidence, and then wait until they tell them they have enough and it's now time to move.

And in the meantime the rest of us worry about whether the problem is going to come in with a gun, or put arsenic in the coffee pot, or.....

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Sunshine2Me
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Re: New chair, Dealing with a toxic former department chair

Postby Sunshine2Me » Mon Nov 09, 2015 7:24 pm

I have been in a somewhat similar situation for the past 9 months. I am a municipal clerk for the village in which I live. I took office by the vote of the residents. The former clerk/board pretty much left me high and dry. No directions for how to do things, where things are located - absolutely nothing. I walked in to a desk and a pencil - that's it. I'm very, very sure they wanted to see me fail.

I would not give them the satisfaction. I chose to take the high road, and believe me sometimes that's been hard to do! When dealing with the awful, wicked people I am polite and professional. I also keep notes on every interaction. I think my tongue has bled from biting it so often, but it is getting easier as they realize that they are not going to get a rise out of me and that I can do the job just fine without any direction. Their plan, for the most part, backfired. They now look the fool.

I 100% know how it feels! It's really hard to deal with, and I've gone to bed and woken up stressed beyond belief, but it is getting better, and I know that I am good at my job. Just hang in there and be professional and polite, and don't get dragged into any of his foolishness.

Strength to you!

Figgy
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Re: New chair, Dealing with a toxic former department chair

Postby Figgy » Mon Nov 09, 2015 10:14 pm

S2M - manage the behaviours not the person.

I've had 6 years dealing with escalated customer complaints and negotiating policy and information releases in political environments - lots of toxic customers that I have to negotiate with.

Now I'ce taken a role managing 2x dysfunctional teams through a change management process (deep end of the pool) and I'm not having half the people problems my predecessor did.

Why? The answer for me was learning how to manage conflict.

Emotional Intelligence training (2 day workshop) was a good start

Then I discovered 'the unreasonable complainant conduct manual' - the bible for dealing with complainants on the insane end of the scale, gave me some awesome tools.
http://www.ombudsman.qld.gov.au/Publica ... fault.aspx


Also did some short courses in conflict negotiation skills.

I'm not brilliant at it, I get cranky with idiots, but I able to negotiate through impasses and more importantly, I don't take their shit on board anymore.

There are some great conflict management and dealing with difficult people trainers in the US.

Another way you could go is the mediation training that lawyers do, often this is a 3 day workshop open to non lawyers. All about training you to stay calm and impartial around those who you want to stab in the eye with a blunt butter knife.

Idofly
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Re: New chair, Dealing with a toxic former department chair

Postby Idofly » Tue Nov 10, 2015 8:21 pm

Some really good advice here...and Figgy nails it for the ongoing conflict management.


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