Dear Bob, I was hired to be the CIO/CTO of a small company that provides nationwide services (contract support - not IT; the industry doesn't matter). For the first year, I worked mostly in the area for which I was hired, but when the company recently won 3 large local contracts, they didn’t have any local project managers to handle them, so the boss assigned them to me. No matter that it’s an area in whi Dear Bob,I was hired to be the CIO/CTO of a small company that provides nationwide services (contract support – not IT; the industry doesn’t matter). For the first year, I worked mostly in the area for which I was hired, but when the company recently won 3 large local contracts, they didn’t have any local project managers to handle them, so the boss assigned them to me. No matter that it’s an area in which I have NO experience or training. I have had to learn everything about this industry ‘on the fly.’I have been responsible for all aspects of these contracts with very little guidance, support or training from the office staff (very small) or from my boss. This includes all personnel issues, HR functions, payroll, supplies, equipment, QC inspections, meeting with the client managers, dealing with complaints, writing status reports and the list goes on. I have only 2 team members to whom I can delegate any of my responsibilities with the knowledge that they will handle the issues effectively. Normally, I would just hire some more people that I could count on, but the boss says the budget doesn’t have any room for more personnel. Additionally, when I go to him for guidance with concerns and problems, he blows me off and tells me it’s my problem. And I have also had to keep the IT stuff running well. I recently had to go out of town on a personal family matter but was in constant phone contact with my 2 assistants to keep things running. When my trip was extended for several days, I called my boss and told him I would be delayed getting back. He responded that I might not even bother coming back! This, after four months of 14-18 hour days and 7 day weeks.I mentioned that in spite of the lack of support, all the clients are generally pleased with the service and they have awarded us a few more contracts so that must mean I have been doing something right. Then he retracted his comments and said that I should take care of my family matters and that we would ‘talk’ when I got back. He said that he would rather have me heading the IT department than running the contracts, but I’m not sure I want to stick around. It seems to me that I am wasting my time in this company. They have no appreciation for the successes I have lead the team to, only focusing on the negatives. Furthermore, he has promised me a salary increase for the past 5 months and has not made good on that, either. While I need the income, I sure don’t need the headaches this company has caused me. What’s your take on this situation? Should I simply pack up and leave or go back to taking care of the job for which I am trained and was hired?– Stressed and Contemplating Dear Stressed …Man, that’s ugly. Also, more common than you might think. Small companies especially tend to undersell contracts, figuring they’ll make everything come out somehow. And somehow always translates to 14 hour days on the part of staff members who don’t get paid any more than if they worked the 10 hours they’d expected.Not that they have a choice. The best way to answer this is for you to imagine a good friend described this situation to you. What advice would you have provided? I bet it would be something like this:“Sounds to me like a bad company and a bad boss. I’d think your best bet would be to go back to your original job and use it as a platform to launch a job search. It is, after all, always easier to land a job from a job, and without the financial pressure of being out of work it’s also easier to spot bad “opportunities” and turn them down.”But of course, that’s the advice you gave your friend, isn’t it? So be your own friend and take your advice. It came from a good source! – Bob ——– Technology Industry