reposting for more clarity [what do I do in this scenario]
I've been in my current role for about two years. I took it because it was a scope step-up - started with six direct reports, now at three due to structural changes and their performance issue, not because of any other reason. Until January this year, I had consistently strong feedback from my manager, near-perfect scores, and a clear path to promotion. Then a reorg happened, and things have shifted in ways I can't fully explain.
Here's what I'm seeing:
Scope that was promised hasn't materialised, and I haven't been given clear reasoning. My promotion path, which was explicitly on the table in January, is no longer being discussed. My manager's tone has changed - feedback is inconsistent day to day, the strategy changes, and when I go back with what they said two days earlier, they make it my problem that they forgot. It's hard to push back on because it's delivered in a way that sounds reasonable on the surface.
I've also been navigating a DR situation that I think is now entangled in this dynamic. My manager had been pushing me to promote this person in 2025, I was pushing back because while they're talented, they've required significant handholding and I've had to step in more than I should have had to. My manager agreed with my assessment through every conversation, gave strict feedback about this DR as recently as this cycle, and now seems to have done a 180 after one conversation. The DR did improve but not in a way that warrants the shift I'm seeing. I genuinely can't tell if the turnaround is being framed as a credit to my coaching or as a signal that I wasn't recognising talent. This person has also received xfn feedback that is negative.
The net of it: I've been deferential, I've let my team's success speak for itself, and I'm realising that in this environment that approach has left me exposed. Thankfully I have documentation of how much hand holding I do every day, but I've been slow to manage upward, and I now feel like I'm in a position where a case could be being built against me - even if that's not what's happening.
I'm not in crisis mode. But I want to be strategic about what I do next rather than reactive. I'd really value someone's perspective on how you'd play this.