Lifestyle

Go to Greg

I share an assistant with a colleague, and he and I have very different opinions about her performance. I think she is doing a fine job, while my colleague thinks she should be fired. How do you handle such a situation?

You could flip a coin, duel at sundown, arm wrestle . . . Or you can get to the root of why there is such a disparity in the assessment of her performance. The problem could be her bosses, not her. Is one of you monopolizing her time? Are you both providing clear direction for how she needs to prioritize her time and work between the two of you? Are you each giving her work that is similar, and for which she has the aptitude and interest to do — or is supporting two execs akin to having half of two different jobs? Is one of you a jerk as a boss who is never happy with anyone? Conversely, is one of you a bad boss because you accept bad performance? I know you wrote in with a question, but I’ve got many of my own that you need to consider to find a solution. And if all else fails — and arm wrestling isn’t an option — then try switching sharing with another exec or go to HR and ask them to review and abjudicate the impasse.

My boss thinks it’s funny that he is technologically a dinosaur. I find it demoralizing that my superior can barely send an e-mail without asking for help? Is there a way I can help without being disrespectful?

Unless your boss wears bifocals and a cardigan, begins every sentence by saying “in my day . . . ” and complains about “young whippersnappers today,” you probably have a shot at helping him develop some facility with everyday technology. Without embarrassing him publicly, offer to reverse-mentor him in private in a fun, supportive way. Tell him that technology is changing so rapidly it is hard for anyone to keep up — but you’d be happy to help. Who knows, after a while he may even try “the Twitter.”