By Liz Ryan

Hoo-ray! You got the job you wanted: A great opportunity in the corporate strategy group, reporting to the chief financial officer. You had started to think you would languish forever in sales administration. From what you've heard, the CEO himself suggested you for the job, based on a presentation you made last summer. Evidently, dreams do come true.

Your boss, Ellen, seems happy to have you and loads you up with projects. But something strange begins to happen, almost immediately: She looks nervous when you speak up in meetings. You can see her freeze up when you give articulate and cogent answers. When you held forth recently on one of your favorite topics, she seemed downright jealous.

SEIZING THE SPOTLIGHT.  Does she want you to clam up? It sure seems that way. The one time she saw you chatting with the CEO in the hallway, she seemed about to burst. After you've been in the job a few weeks, it becomes obvious. She likes the spotlight. Her plan for you is to "be seen and not heard."

That isn't ideal, but it won't kill you. So you retreat a bit, adopt a more cautious tone, make half as many observations, defer to her like crazy. You're waiting for that panicked look of hers to fade, so you can get on her good side.

But then the CEO calls you in. "What's up, Jerry?" he asks. "I recommended you for this role because of your powerful opinions about where this company should be going. But since you took the job, you've turned into a mouse. That isn't going to get us where we need to go, and I expect more from you. When do we get the benefit of your thinking?"

Ohhhhhhh, sugar.

You slink back to your cubicle and create mental placards for the two facing walls, one reading "rock" and the other, "hard place".

HEAD-ON APPROACH.  It's bad enough to have a fearful boss who keeps you from achieving your potential. But now you have to choose between disappointing the CEO and making your supervisor angry. Suddenly, sales administration looks like an oasis.

This is a dilemma you must address head-on. You can, however, approach your boss without alienating her, by not being overly direct. In other words, avoid calling her paranoid, mediocre, or threatened by superior talent.

Instead, you say: "Ellen, I need some guidance from you. I'm grateful that you've taken a chance on me, and I'm excited about the work. My sense from the short time we've worked together is that you are maybe less comfortable with my assertive style than my last boss was. That's fine. Perhaps you're being protective until I really know this new area. And I haven't been in regular meetings with the senior leadership team before, so I appreciate that you may prefer that I listen and learn before I contribute to the conversation."

GETTING THE GREEN LIGHT.  You continue: "But the CEO called me aside the other day to say that the 'old me' is the one he expects to see. In fact, he said he's looking for more participation from me. So my question is, what's your advice?"

Now your boss has the ball. She has to choose between the lesser of two fears -- looking bad in front of the CEO, or feeling bad about being upstaged by a subordinate. Eeeny, meeny, miney, mo. She may say: "You work for me, not the CEO!" Ignore that -- it's her fear talking. It doesn't even make sense. Everybody works for the CEO.

She may say: "But of course, Jerry. You must have misinterpreted something I said. Of course I want everyone to hear all of your great ideas." Deep down, she may think the problem is you, not her -- that if you're clamming up it's because of your own awful instincts. This perception wouldn't be ideal, but at least you'd have the green light to be more vocal.

DISCOMFITING AT FIRST.  The best of all worlds would be if she said: "You're right, I've probably been too protective. And to be honest, I was surprised at first by your forthrightness. But I'm getting used to it, and the last thing I want to do is muzzle you." This would mean that your instincts were right, but that her fear-reaction wasn't intentional.

In any case, starting the conversation is essential. You may not solve the problem, but at a minimum you'll raise the issue and let your boss know that something has to give.

And while that may be discomfiting at first, it probably won't be for long. I've never heard a corporate manager say to a subordinate: "That's right, I'm sending you signals to pipe down because I become very threatened when someone under me shows initiative or business savvy. Since I often feel inadequate anyway, that's the last thing I need."

That kind of reaction might be refreshing, now and then. But I wouldn't hold your breath.

LESSONS LEARNED.  Apart from doing nothing, the one other thing you can't do is confide in the CEO. It's a rare chief executive who can deal sensitively with true candor, at least when it comes to what one subordinate thinks of another. More likely, if you spill your guts he'll either go off on your boss (not helping your career) or somehow intervene to force you to speak up in meetings. All bad stuff, especially now that you've reached a point in your career where even a great relationship with the CEO isn't ironclad protection against political enemies. You need to settle this one-on-one with your boss, like it or not.

Over time, you'll have a chance to demonstrate to your boss that the better you look as a professional, the better she looks. It's common knowledge that one mark of a great manager is a willingness to hire people smarter than oneself (in my case, these have been the only candidates available). Some leaders catch onto that idea more quickly than others.

And if your boss never does? Well, at least working for someone like her will give you a great lesson in what not to do, once it's your turn.