How to manage your boss
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How to manage your boss
Matthew Lynn.
Management Today. London: Jan 2000. pg. 66, 4 pgs
Abstract (Document Summary)
Of all
the relationships that have to be managed at work,
none is so important as the one with the
boss.
It is also usually the most difficult to manage.
Many people automatically categorize their
boss as the enemy, but the most important step
towards managing the relationship is to
understand the person. Rule one of managing
bosses effectively is to understand who they are
and what they want. Rule 2 of boss management
is use the skills of a spin doctor. Rule 3 of boss
management is appearances at work are
everything. Perhaps the most vital skill in
managing the
boss well is creating the
impression that you are weighing up alternative
job offers.
Full Text (1721 words)
Copyright Haymarket Publishing LTD. Jan 2000
[Headnote]
If you think the only way to
handle your manager is with a cattle prod, your
career trajectory will be low.
Bosses vary and
you have to understand them to find out what they
want from you. Then you can deliver
it - on
your own terms. Matthew Lynn explains
Even if there were nothing else to look at on
the world wide web, the invention of
would
have made its creation worthwhile. The site is a
monument to managerial incompetence,
stupidity
and vindictiveness - a silent chapel where the
employed of the world can gather under
discreet electronic cover to swap tales from
the dark and beastly trenches of corporate life.
Take, for example, the hapless wage-slave
whose jury service was interrupted by an urgent
call
from his office. After asking the jury
foreman's permission take the call, he was told by
his boss that
he was needed back at work. He
explained that the jury was still deliberating
over a verdict, but his
boss replied: 'That
guy is guilty anyway. If you don't get back to the
office this minute, you're fired.'
Then
there's the story of the employee who found
himself in big trouble for tapping '****' into his
computer as his password. His boss thought
that far too obvious.
For all its twisted
comedy, is making a valid point. Those of us who
are employed by
other people know that of all
the relationships we have to manage at work - with
customers,
suppliers or colleagues - none is
so important as the one with our boss. It is also
usually the most
difficult we have to manage.
'We are all getting much worse at managing our
relationships with our employers,' observes Cary
Cooper, professor of organisational psychology
at Manchester Business School. 'It is very
important, but most people aren't very good at
it. That is partly because we all spend too much
time
sitting in front of computers sending
e-mails, so we are forgetting how to communicate
with one
another. But it is also because job
insecurity has become so much worse. People are
frightened
and stressed in the workplace, and
that stops them from communicating with one
another
effectively.'
Many people
automatically categorise their boss in a box
labelled 'the enemy', but the most
important
step towards managing the relationship is to
understand the person. Bosses, just like
everyone else, fall into different categories,
and it is no good trying to use the wrong strategy
on the
wrong person.
Rule one of managing
bosses effectively. Understand who they are and
what they want. Bosses fall
into three main
categories: the nightmare boss from hell; the
average, okay,
struggling-tokeep-their-head-
above-water boss; and the dynamic, wise, fair,
well-adjusted, even
reasonably good-looking
boss - who probably exists onlv in management
textbooks.
Bosses from hell are obviously the
most difficult to manage. Their constant ability
to thwart your
most reasonable suggestions
will regularly take your breath away. Try to find
out what they want
from you - even though that
can be tricky, since they probably don't know
themselves, and if they
did they wouldn't tell
you.
But even quite reasonable bosses can be
hard to understand. For example, you might think a
particular project is a waste of time.
Secretly, your boss might agree with you. But it
could be that
the project is a strict order
from higher up, and that your department has to
press on with it to get
permission to develop
a separate, worthwhile project. Bosses have
pressures of their own; try to
discover their
agenda and look at ways of fitting into it.
'It is almost always a mistake to be
confrontational,' observes Cooper. 'Nobody ever
likes
confrontation.' Tempting though it might
be to throw a tantrum and start issuing final
ultimatums, it is
rarely an effective way of
achieving what you want. Usually it will frighten
and alienate the very
people you are trying to
influence.
In truth, your boss will be as
susceptible to manipulation as anyone else.
Bringing him or her round
to your point of
view is a better way of achieving what you want
than stamping your feet. Surviving
in a big
office requires a constant public relations
effort. Rule two of boss management. Use the
skills of a spin doctor. Most managers can be
spun just as effectively as the press or the
public.
Take the following example: one of
your customers calls up out of the blue one
morning to place a
big order for your product.
You are thrilled, but it creates a tricky spin
issue - the order was a
compete fluke, but it
would be better if people didn't know that.
You could walk into your boss' office,
describe how lucky you have been and then start
celebrating.
But that would undermine your
achievement. Your boss might be suspicious of
someone who
seems to rely on luck. It would be
far better to casually mention there was a
possibility of a big order
from customer X,
but that you had to go to a few more meetings to
nail it down. Try to look sweaty
and nervous,
as if it were touch and go whether the order would
come off, Then you could try
asking your boss
for some advice on how to handle the final big
meeting that will land the order.
There is a
risk factor here. If your boss decides to come
along to this imaginary meeting to help
close
the deal, you could end up looking for a new job.
But if the ploy works, your boss will feel that
he or she has contributed to your
success. Allowing other people to share some
ownership of your
triumphs is one of the best
ways to make sure they will help you to triumph
some more.
One of the most useful weapons in
the armoury is the management of expectations. It
doesn't
usually matter how well you do in
absolute terms - the object is to do better than
you were expected
to do. So it is a mistake to
overplay your hand. Don't let the boss think you
are about to land a big
order, win a new
client, or beat a deadline by miles unless you are
sure you can deliver. Downplay
expectations.
For example, if your boss thinks you were going to
miss the deadline by three days
and you miss
it by only two days, he or she will be quietly
pleased by your performance. But if you
were
expected to meet the deadline, they will be
annoyed that you were so late. Getting the boss
into the first category rather than the second
shows the importance of skilful boss management.
No matter how difficult or demanding bosses
might be, it is usually a mistake to criticise
them
directly. 'You should never bad-mouth
your boss. It will always get back to them,'
observes Cooper.
'Your enemies will make sure
they hear about it.'
FIVE WAYS TO RUIN THE
RELATIONSHIP
Rule three of boss management.
Appearances at work are everything. You might be
the one
person in the organisation who
actually makes sales, brings in new clients or
comes up with the
product that draws in the
customers, but that will be no use unless your
boss knows about it.
Alternatively, you may
never make a sale or come up with a product idea,
but that won't matter so
long as your boss
doesn't realise.
Understand the way your boss
wants his office to look. Most bosses like theirs
to look busy, even
though there may not
actually be much to do most of the time. A busy
office makes the boss look in
control. So,
during a lull in the workload, it would be a big
mistake to put your feet up on the desk
and
read a magazine. Far better to peer intently at
your computer screen, even if you are just
browsing through football web sites. Even
better, go out. Your boss will usually assume you
are at
an important meeting.
Some bosses
worry that their staff are not working hard
enough. Your response should be to look
stressed and harassed, even if there is no
reason to. If you look relaxed, your boss will
assume you
are doing nothing. Others - usually
the rare bossfrom-heaven type - worry that their
staff are
overloaded. They become nervous if
you betray signs of stress. So, even if you are
cracking under
the strain of meeting a
deadline, don't show it.
Always appear the
way your boss wants you to appear. But don't be
too eager to please. One of the
worst things
you can do around an office is give your boss the
impression that when he says jump
you just ask
'how high?'. So long as you establish that you
make a valuable contribution to the
company, a
boss should devote as much energy to sucking up to
you as you do to him.
Perhaps the most vital
skill in managing the boss well is creating the
impression that you are
weighing up
alternative job offers. You don't want him or her
to think you are actively looking for
another
job - that will make you seem disloyal. Yet you
don't want the boss to think you are going to
be there for ever - that will make you,
in your boss' eyes, the office punchbag. Of
course, you can
end up in that role no matter
how you play the game. Rule four. Some bosses
really are a
nightmare - and the best strategy
is to ship out quickly and find one you can
manage. a
[Sidebar]
FIVE WAYS TO WIN
WITH YOUR BOSS
1. Flatter and make them look
good - your boss also has a boss to deal with.
2. Show commitment and loyalty to the
organisation, even if job-hunting. Your boss likes
to think he or
she has created team spirit.
3. Allow the boss to share some of the credit
for your achievements. Your boss likes to think
heshe is the
person with all the good ideas.
4. Tell them quickly when there is a problem.
Bosses like to be in the know.
5. Cut them in
sometimes an the office joke. Bosses will be
relieved to find out that you are not laughing
at them all the time.
Managing your boss: It's critical!
Tom
Brown. Apparel Industry Magazine. Atlanta: Jan
.59, Iss. 1; pg. 86, 1 pgs
Abstract
(Document Summary)
In Managing Your boss, John
Gabarro and John Kotter laid out the rules for
managing a healthy
relationship with your
boss, starting with the assertion that a
compatible relationship with your
superior is
essential to being effective in your job. They
teach 3 lessons: 1. Work hard to
understand
your boss. 2. Assess yourself. 3. Work on the
relationship regularly.
Full Text (701
words)
Copyright Shore Communication, Inc. Jan
1998
[Headnote]
Even if attempts to
neutralize your boss are successful, it is
impossible to maim the career of another
person, especially your boss, without nicking
your own armor.
The firing last summer
of AT&T's president, John R. Walter after only
nine months on the job -
speaks volumes about
the telecommunications giant, its peculiar
organizational culture, its board of
directors, and its embattled CEO, Robert
Allen.
The press was not kind to the company
or its chiefs when Walter's dismissal was
announced. Allan
Sloan, Newsweek's Wall Street
editor, commented disgustedly:
get worse for
poor AT&T and its long-suffering stockholders and
employees, the company
AT&T's board as the
manages to pull off yet another bonehead
play.
ultimate villains:
Time took
a slightly different tack in a story written by
Jill Smolowe that same week. Smolowe
pointed
out that when Walter was blocked by Allen from
bringing in his own deputies, the new
president shrewdly (so he thought) started a
campaign to win the hearts of
key corporate
customers.
buttressed morale, as did his
promotion of several insiders,
Then, Smolowe
went to the heart of the matter -
constituency
that mattered: Allen.
Personality conflicts
and controversies aside, Walter's hiring and
firing teaches a salient lesson:
your
relationship with your boss is critical.
Although I've witnessed attempts by some very
mighty managers, experience has shown that you
can't (1) ignore, (2) mock, (3) undercut, (4)
marginalize, or (5) bypass your boss - at least,
not for
long. You may have the noblest of
intentions, but, even if your attempts to
neutralize your boss are
successful, it is
impossible to maim the career of another person,
especially your boss, without
nicking your own
armor.
This, however, is not a recommendation
that you either suck up to your boss - or defer to
him or her
with unctuous respect.
The
classic reading on this subject is
Review over
17 years ago. John Gabarro and John Kotter laid
out the requisites for managing a
healthy
relationship with your boss, starting with the
assertion that,
your superior is essential to
being effective in your job.
1. Work hard to
understand your boss. Before you dismiss or
discount your boss, strive to find out
more
about the goals and pressures he or she faces: the
stress of the position, as well as the
individual's strengths, weaknesses and
preferred work style.
2. Assess yourself.
Every one of us has strengths and weaknesses.
Compute your own, and make
sure you gauge how
much of your ill feelings or disrespect for your
boss might be rooted in a global
challenge to
all authority. People with leadership potential
often have poor
3. Work on the relationship
regularly. Find common ground on which you and
your boss can team
together, or at least
converse often. Update your boss periodically and
professionally on your
priorities, your points
of progress or setbacks. Be dependable and honest.
Don't abuse your boss
by hogging his or her
calendar or becoming a redundant hanger-on.
Gabarro and Kotter wisely noted,
duties,
they need to take time and energy to manage their
relationships with their bosses.
found that the
more talented and ambitious the manager, the more
this observation proves to be
true. But that
reasoning can be, and usually is, a fatal flaw.
Again, per Gabarro and Kotter:
AT&T employees
and
AT&T employees and corporate clients
managers fail to realize the importance
of this activity and how it can simplify their
jobs by
eliminating potentially severe
problems.
Managing your boss is a must for
every manager; without it, management invariably
leads to
mayhem. Just ask someone who works
for AT&T.
How to manage your boss
Luke, Robert A Jr. Supervisory Management.
Saranac Lake: Feb
.38, Iss. 2; pg. 5, 1 pgs
Abstract (Document Summary)
It is not
unusual to find managers who do a good job
managing their employees as well as
products,
markets, and technologies, but who are almost
passive when dealing with their
managers. This
reaction almost always hurts both them and their
company. There are several
effective ways to
manage one's relationship with the boss: the
boss. 2. Explain oneself
clearly. 3. Say no if
necessary. 4. Know and accomodate work style
differences. 5. Be honest. 6.
Give
compliments.
Full Text (619 words)
Copyright American Management Association Feb
1993
That's right--this article is about
managing your boss.
Managing is too often seen
as a one-way process. In reality, managing works
best when it occurs in
many directions at
once. Effective managers don't just manage their
staffers and departments they
manage their
managers, peers, clients, and customers as well.
Exceptional managers pay close attention to
managing the boss. John J. Gabarro, in the Harvard
Business Review, notes that this aspect of
management is sometimes ignored by otherwise
talented managers. It's not unusual, in fact,
to find managers who do a good job managing their
employees as well as products, markets, and
technologies, but who are almost passive when
dealing with their managers. This reaction
almost always hurts both them and their company.
Of course, you can't do everything to your
boss that your boss can do to you--you can't fire
or hire,
promote or give a raise, assign work
or delegate. But you can manage your relationship
with the
boss. Here are six ways to do it
well.
1. KNOW YOUR BOSS. What are your boss's
goals, pressures, strengths, weaknesses? Get to
know your boss's deadline, aspirations, and
achievements. Some bosses will tell you straight
out
what they expect; others are less
forthcoming. If your boss isn't that open, ask
directly,
your priorities?
meeting.
Talk to others who have worked for your boss in
the past.
2. EXPLAIN YOURSELF CLEARLY. This is
most important when you disagree. You don't have
to
change your boss's personality--or your
own. But don't sharp-shoot the boss's resistance
to your
ideas by becoming even more forceful
and honing your attacks on the logical fallacies
in his or her
position. The boss will probably
just become more adamant. But, on the other hand,
don't
automatically assume a compliant stance,
agreeing easily with what you may know is a poor
decision. The best approach is to restate your
boss's position so you show you understand what's
been said. Then explain that you have another
suggestion you think serves the company's interest
better by being more practical, cost-
effective, politic, etc.
3. SAY NO IF YOU
MUST. If your boss asks you to do something
illegal or unethical, say no. Give a
full
explanation.
come home to roost. You also have
yourself to live with.
4. KNOW AND ACCOMMODATE
WORK STYLE DIFFERENCES. Style can be a subtle
matter so
spend some time observing to
determine what makes your boss smile, frown, clam
up, laugh, get
angry. Does the boss thrive on
conflict or avoid it? Pay attention and you'll
soon know your boss's
preferred manner of
working, the best way to communicate information.
Is your boss a hands-on type? Take the
initiative--invite the boss to your staff
meetings, seek ideas
and suggestions, give the
good news as well as the bad. Is your boss more
distant? Limit your
contacts to progress
reports, but deliver them on a regular basis.
5. BE HONEST. Few things are more harmful to a
boss than a staffer whose word can't be trusted.
This doesn't have to be blatant dishonesty--it
could be overly optimistic promises on meeting
deadlines, for example. Think about your
responses to questions. If you can foresee
problems,
mention them. Your boss will be
better informed, and your credibility will be
above reproach.
6. GIVE COMPLIMENTS. Bosses
are used to gripes, complaints, and grousing. Less
often heard
are compliments. Bosses appreciate
well-deserved compliments. They may be surprised
at
first--but they'll get used to it.