I transferred to an MD’s team within the same broader Citi Tech group after a meeting of minds. A critical work-stream was failing and needed my expertise, and I initially felt lucky to step in.
I developed a friendly rapport with the MD. For a while, I enjoyed reasonable autonomy in my job while my peers complained they had none. But in the months surrounding the reorganization, things shifted gradually. I was asked to submit several proposals for my role, none of which went anywhere—and none of which came with an explanation.
In the meantime, the MD made a point of assuring me he had my back, professing himself my friend. He even volunteered out of the blue that he had never done anything against me—a statement that made me feel alarmed.
The year-end review, arriving shortly before the reorg, made everything clear. I understood the extent to which he had cultivated this “relationship” as a control mechanism: a way to ensure he wouldn’t be challenged and that I would be easier to manipulate.
I managed to escape the situation by taking a role in another group. You would have thought he’d be glad for the internal mobility under the circumstances, but he became avoidant. What I had initially mistaken for hurt feelings turned out to be a guilty conscience; he was scared of confrontation.
Ironically, he expects loyalty from his team. But loyalty is earned and built on mutual support. Loyalty is not owed to a job title.