No matter where you work, you report to someone—maybe even to two or three bosses. And whether you think your boss is brilliant or a bore, the fact is that you have to manage the relationship with your boss if you want to advance your career, says author Jean Kelley.
You are more dependent on your boss than your boss is on you, because your boss holds the key to your short-term future, advises Kelley. Before you let a little mismanagement on your part disrupt your career, Kelley recommends that you apply the keys of “boss management” with these strategies:
Find out from your manager what “good” looks like. Whether you report to one or four managers, make sure you’re meeting everyone’s expectations. After all, what seems good to you may be mediocre to your manager. You could simply ask, “What does ‘good’ look like on this project?” Or, “If this went exactly like you wanted it to go and it turned out perfect, what would have to happen between now and that time?” If you do this simple step upfront and find out what the expectations are on the project and the timelines, you may save a lot of time in the end.
Ask your manager what kind of follow-up would be ideal. Many times bosses expect people to be mind readers, simply because they’re busy and can’t always go over all the details of a project. As such, your manager might for-get to tell you such things as a firm deadline or a required step. And since everyone operates from their own set of realities, the possibility of miscommunication is high. That’s why you need to take the initiative to set expectations for every project you are assigned. You need to find out: What is the deadline? What are my resources? What checkpoints or milestones do we want to establish, if any? What step or contact person is critical to this project? Just as you set expectations when dealing with clients and co-workers, you need to manage the relationship and set expectations with your manager every time.
Examine your manager’s style and adjust to that style. Peter Drucker said there are two key leadership styles: readers and listeners. Which is your boss? The readers want data before you talk with them. The listeners want to talk before they read. While there are many personality types in the workplace, if you can make this one distinction between the readers and the listeners, you’ll go far with managing your boss.
Become aware of other managers’ styles. Keeping up with the expectations and styles of multiple bosses can be a fine balancing act. The only way to wade through it all is if you can keep in mind the one thing that matters most to each of the stakeholders you have to please. It’s too overwhelming to have five stakeholders and think through five requirements for each. So either ask each person what is most important to him or her, or figure out what you have observed in each person’s behavior that you can attend to.
Jean Kelley is president and founder of Jean Kelley Leadership Consulting and Jean Kelley Leadership Alliance. She works with corporate leaders all over the world to achieve their highest potential. With her Alliance, Kelley has helped more than 500,000 businesspeople enhance their careers. She is the author of Dear Jean: What They Don’t Teach You at the Water Cooler, and Get a Job; Keep a Job Handbook. For more information, please visit jeankelley.com.
August 30, 2010 PRODUCTIVITY: Nine ways to conserve office supplies
When using office supplies that we haven’t paid for out of our own pockets, it’s easy to forget how the cost of items like paper, binders and file folders can add up. Organizations appreciate workers who take a careful approach to using supplies. This podcast outlines nine tips for conserving office supplies. (3 min.)
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Managing Up
