As a middle manager, everything that I do is at the discretion of the owners. They didn't hire me to be a "General Manager", so I don't feel comfortable taking charge of too much. But, with that in mind, every time I did set a rule, I let them know what problem arose, why I made the rule, and what the rule was. Keeping them on the same page as me has always been important.

I do not feel that has been reciprocated. I feel constantly out of the loop, I feel like any rule I set is going to be recinded the moment I walk out the door, and I feel like really all the owners want to do is micromanage. I no longer feel empowered, so I am essentially a bean counter and a shell of a manager. I cant' answer questions with any authority, because I don't know the actual answers.

I'm just tired of it all. I'd think my bosses would want to empower me, to give me the authority to make their restaurant an orderly and positive environment, but I'm not convinced that's the case any more.