Managing Your Manager
By
Katherine Spencer Lee
We'd
all like to have the perfect boss: the one who is cheerful, professional,
experienced and fair. But managers, like everyone else, aren't perfect. Perhaps
your supervisor is a great communicator but a poor delegator, or maybe your
department's visionary leader falls short when it comes to attention to detail.
Learning what makes your boss tick – not to mention what ticks him or her off
– can help you better communicate and improve your odds of developing a great
working relationship. Here are some suggestions.
The
Boss as Client
You've
probably had a variety of bosses in your work life. Some gave you good feedback
and always went to bat for you. Others made life difficult; they were too
controlling or disorganized. No matter what your manager is like, recognize that
you can either work with him or against him. And it's a lot easier to work with
him. You probably already go out of your way to accommodate clients or
customers. So why not think of your boss as your client? He or she has
expectations, and those expectations should define what you deliver. Keep in
mind that your relationship with your boss is your most important one at work;
it affects your job satisfaction and advancement opportunities.
Begin
the relationship on the right foot. Have a meeting with your boss where you
discuss such fundamental issues as job responsibilities, performance
expectations and objectives, your company and manager's guiding values, and
preferred work processes or "best practices."
Have
regular meetings. This means not only those weekly progress reports on projects,
but also a quarterly or semiannual meeting where you and your manager revisit
those "big issues." (You may need to take the initiative and request
these meetings.) Business events — from reorganizations to new product
launches — can shift priorities. Make sure your priorities are still the same
as your manager's.
Try
to understand your boss. By observing and asking questions, you can learn a lot
about your boss's world. Try to note such things as scope of responsibility,
number of direct reports, industry background, and history with the company.
Even more telling might be your boss's career goals, relationship with his or
her boss and any outside pressures. Placing yourself in his shoes can provide
insight into the demands he may also be under and help you gain perspective with
regard to your own projects. Perhaps he or she is experiencing stress from his
own boss and therefore may seem to have less time for you. In this case,
offering your assistance can come as welcome news to your manager and allow you
to take on increased responsibility.
Communicate
effectively. Figure out the best way to communicate with your manager — some
managers prefer face-to-face contact throughout the day and others prefer e-mail
or voicemail updates or questions. Also, ask if your supervisor prefers a quick
overview with bullet points or a detailed report.
Tell
your boss what you need. Once you've found the best way to communicate with your
manager, be proactive in telling him or him or her what resources you need to
get your job done (don't hope your boss will guess). Maybe you need additional
computer training to create a presentation, for instance. Let your supervisor
know why you need it and how it will help you do your job more effectively.
Dealing
with Difficult Bosses
The
suggestions above will work well with most managers, but there are some who have
more specific ways of working that make day-to-day interaction challenging. Here
are some typical "difficult boss" personalities and remedies for
dealing with them.
Boss
type: The Micro-Manager (controlling, overly involved)
Remedy: Your boss needs to develop more confidence in you. Begin by asking for
complete responsibility on smaller tasks and then work your way up to bigger
tasks. Be sure to deliver consistently excellent work or you may lose that trust
quickly.
Boss
type: The Non-Manager (indecisive, hesitant, vague)
Remedy: Instead of asking open-ended questions, give him a few choices and one
clear recommendation. Counteract vagueness by asking for clarification. Avoid
procrastination on your boss's part by communicating your deadlines and
following up on what you need.
Boss
type: The Unreasonable Manager (crushes you with work)
Remedy: Schedule a meeting to discuss priorities and options for what you can
and cannot handle. Suggest bringing in a contractor to help during peak periods.
Use
the "managing your manager" strategies presented here to forge a
harmonious, productive, and mutually beneficial relationship with your
supervisor. You'll realize that it often takes very little effort to adapt to
your boss's work style, but the payoff is big. Remember, getting along well with
your manager has more bearing than any other factor on your ability to do your
best work on the job.