Don't Play the Bad Cop for a Weak Boss

I am constantly fighting with my team about sticking to the rules! My boss rides me about making them adhere to the process, but he himself is a jellyfish and can't stand confrontation. So I am the fall guy. How should I handle a weak boss?

It is your job to ensure that the people who report to you follow the rules. And it is appropriate for your boss to ensure that you do your job. If, however, your boss disavows your actions at the first sign of trouble, then he is not only being a hypocrite, but he is also failing at his own duties.

I imagine that a policy of strict adherence to the rules, although technically defensible, may not be very popular with members of your team. In such a case, the usual importance of presenting a unified front with your boss is magnified. Unfortunately for you, the situation also presents a golden opportunity for your conflict-averse boss to have it both ways. Why jump into the fray when he can protect his reputation with the higher-ups by hiding behind your efforts to ensure compliance, while at the same time gaining popularity with your team members by sympathetically entertaining their grievances?

You need to give your boss good reasons for stepping outside of his normal pattern of behavior. You may be doing too good a job of being his pit bull, handily garnering the results he wants despite his unwillingness to back you up. If you turn the tables by passing the buck to him more often, then he will eventually be forced to either start taking responsibility for ensuring compliance or start losing control. You can expect him to keep trying to make you do the dirty work in many cases, which is why you should do your best to leave him without that option. Go ahead and put him on the spot. At every opportunity ¿ in team meetings, in email correspondence, in casual conversations -- express your unwavering support for "his" strict management style and encourage your team to approach him with any questions and concerns they may have.

Meanwhile, it also cannot hurt to reason with your boss about why his approach is bad for business. Explain to him that it makes it very hard for you to effectively enforce controversial orders without his unequivocal support. Help your boss to understand that he can play an immensely effective "good cop" without necessarily making you the fall guy. Offer to make it easy for him to save face by telling members of your team how sympathetic he is to their position and then outlining the important reasons why you and your boss both have nevertheless decided that strictly enforcing the procedural rules is best.

Lily Garcia has offered employment law and human resources advice to companies of all sizes for more than 10 years. To submit a question, e-mail HRadvice@washingtonpost.com. We reserve the right to edit submitted questions for length and clarity and cannot guarantee that all questions will be answered.