Managing your boss

10 rules to manage your bossJacques Horovitz August 12, 2005 10:10 IST
The relationship with your boss is probably the most important relationship you have at work.
Boss management can stimulate better performance, improve your working life, job satisfaction, and workload. Give your boss a hand and reap the rewards.
When we think of managing someone, we usually think of managing our team members or subordinates. The above title appeared for the first time a few years ago in a Harvard Business Review article written by two well known socio-psychologists.
Their argument was that in modern companies, subordinates are not solely dependent on their bosses, but that today's complexity requires interdependence: the boss needs her team as well.
I have the vantage point of being an adviser to top management, a CEO, and now as Co-Director of the PED program at IMD. In addition, I have been involved in the restructuring of a major international company, which involves some 12,000 people and 12 hierarchical levels.
In order to unleash the energies and get closer to customers, we divided the group into 250 'small companies' of some 50 people each and of three hierarchical levels. To change the mindset, we organised a 20-day management seminar, during which we discussed the challenge of how to deal with bosses, who in the old structure, tended to hamper change.
The whole process forced me to crystallize my observations and previous experience and test them with the 250 managers. I have grouped the results into ten rules that try to answer some common questions asked by managers with respect to managing their bosses, with the aim of helping the relationship become more effective, foster faster decisions, better decisions and more trust.
1. Decisions: If you do not want a 'no' or procrastination, give him/her a hand
Your boss has other subordinates, other decisions to make. Thus, her (for simplicity, we use 'her' from now on in this article) best bet, if she is pressed for a decision, will be to say no. No, it is too risky; no, we do not have enough evidence; no, it is the wrong timing; no, it is off strategy, et cetera.
To avoid the 'no' that will ruin your and your team's enthusiasm, give her a hand. Remind her of where you left it last time you met;
Remind her of the objective rather than rushing to the 'what' and 'how';
Remind her of past problems encountered because a decision was not made;
Quickly summarize the options considered, your criteria for selecting one option -- the one you are presenting;
Tell her what you expect from her: simply to inform, to decide jointly, to share the risk, to add one criterion, to re-examine the option;
Focus on the points where you need her help;
Be prepared with facts/data for potential disagreements. Help her out with graphics and visuals so that the situation is grasped faster;
After your meeting, summarize for her the decision in writing to make sure of the understanding;
And finally, once a decision has been made, your way, her way or no way, do not criticize it externally. You have become the best defender; the best ambassador of what was decided.
2. Manage her time: You may represent only 1% of her problems, don't make it as if it is 100%.
Yes, you have preoccupations, problems to solve and issues to tackle. However, while your time is entirely devoted to them, do not expect your boss's time to be also.
The more simple the problem or issue at hand is, the less time you should have her spend on it: prepare, summarize, and synthesize information and options. Do not confuse your more frequent problems with the most important ones.
Book her for several meetings in advance. Nothing is more frustrating than to have to wait days, weeks or months for that extra new meeting needed in order to finalize a decision or a project.
3. An opinion: If you ask for her opinion, she will always have one.
Rare are the bosses who, when asked for their advice or their decision, will use the psychological ping-pong approach of retuning the question to the person who asked.
And their opinion may not always be that of a genius or a visionary. However, once given, the opinion becomes a constraint: was it an order? So, if you don't want your boss's opinion to thwart your achievements, to slow the speed of decision-making, or cloud the viewpoint, then don't ask for it. Best of all, don't ask if you don't need her opinion.
Choose the right moment to avoid procrastination: not only save her time by focusing on big issues, but choose the right moment to do so. If you present an issue at the wrong moment, the chances are she will procrastinate.
Prepare for your meeting: first because the advantage is to the one who is prepared, second because the preparation helps you reduce the time taken to come to the central issue.
Show the forest before the trees in a discussion: if you want to avoid spending a lot of time on going back to basics before she is at full speed with you, start with the basics yourself. Remind her of the objective, where you stand today, and what you want her opinion on.
4. Information: It is not data. Turn grapes into wine: you are supposed to analyze the results of a market survey, and not be the mailman who passes the thick document full of statistics to your boss. So be selective; be visual; group the data; bring out what is essential. Data overload creates stress, which in turn can create denial, rejection, and numbness. As a manager, you are paid to collect the grapes (data), and turn them into wine, i.e. useful information.
Don't give her only the bad news: give her also the good news. If you keep bringing only bad news, little by little you become the bad news yourself. Don't minimize good news, because you want to focus on the problems. By doing that you contribute to creating a bad atmosphere.
Make sure she does not get the information from others too often: sometimes by being shy about what we should give or because we think it is not relevant, we don't feed our boss with key elements. However, other people could do it before you. And then the hassle starts. "I heard that�", "Why didn't you tell me that�"
And then you need to justify yourself; you may need to modify incorrect information. The trade off is between too little information leading to starvation, frustration, and/or restlessness vs too much information leading to overload.
Round off: what helps more to give sense to an amount or a size: 886,262.11 or 890K? What makes the decision-making process faster: 79.27% vs 21.73% or simply 80% vs 20%. Look back at all the tables you sent to your boss in the last twelve months.
Participate in and contribute to her informal network: every manager, hopefully, does not rely solely for managing on formal information given in internal documents and reports. Some people use internal informal networks. Some others also have an informal outside network of experts, friends, business connections that help them shape their vision of the world and how to act. You have yours; your boss has too. Why not volunteer part of yours, so that you do not always have to react and be defensive about information fed by people you do not necessarily think are the best sources?
5. Problems: Don't just come with problems, come also with solutions.
Good bosses hate two kinds of behavior. The courtesan who always comes to tell you how great you are and the pyromaniac/fireman who comes to tell you "There is a huge problem" and then says "but don't worry, I will solve it!"
There is also a third kind, the monkey transferor. She has a problem and she puts it on your shoulders, rather than bringing a solution or at least some options.
Problems usually have several aspects. It is usually a gap between an objective and the result; there are options to close the gap; there is a choice of one option to be made; key tasks, dates, people and resources needed must be defined.
On which of those steps in problem solving do you want your boss's input? Just be clear on what input you want rather than come with the stressful -- "I have a problem�" and throw the monkey.
6. Assumptions: Do not assume she knows as much as you do, but assume she can understand; so educate her. Please help, you are the expert. You spend all of your time and that of your team on the issue. You live with data, pressure points and levers; your boss does not. She does not know more than you do.
Most senior executives are even dangerous when they get involved in making micro-decisions, as their point of reference is often not the current one but rather the situation they knew when they were junior managers.
If you need her perspective, it is because it is broader; she has a better sense for inter-relationships with other parts of the organisation. You have two options.
You inundate her with technical stuff she does not understand, hoping that the amount of technical jargon will knock her down and force her to agree with you. It may work, but it may become a barrier in communication leading to lack of trust.
You educate him by simplifying, using easy to understand language, feeding him with articles, examples, best practices, summaries that help him see a perspective. By creating understanding, you relieve tensions; create trust that can lead to better decision-making.
7. Delegations: Constantly test the waters.
It is not always easy to define ex ante what is delegated to a person. Some companies prefer to use the principle of subsidiary rather than the principle of delegation: the principle of subsidiary stipulates that you can do everything except the following list, whereas in the principle of delegation you stipulate, "you cannot do anything except�"
Whichever is used, there will always be some doubt whether you have or do not have the delegation. You have two options: either you play it safe by always asking your boss's opinion. This can lead to paralysis, bottlenecks and your own demise, as your boss will think you are unable to take responsibility.
Or you assume too much, take decisions and learn after the fact that it was not yours to decide. In between, there is the 'test the waters' strategy especially for things or areas, domains or steps that are unprecedented.
8. Promises: Do not promise what you cannot deliver, and avoid surprises, trust is at stake.
Trust does not develop overnight and depends a lot on the predictability of the other person: what she says and does, how often she is living up to or not living up to her statements. In the same way, you will not fully trust your boss if she changes her mind too often or says things contrary to what you were told the last time.
You also want to avoid being seen as unreliable by not delivering on what you promise or surprising her with bad news without forewarning.
Do not promise dates for finishing projects you cannot handle. If you see that too much is asked of you, sit down and re-discuss priorities before proceeding, rather than becoming yourself a bottleneck. Involve your boss in the process, so it becomes a common priority.
Avoid bad surprises. If your job is to be in charge of a particular area, then it is also to be in charge of bad results and improving them.
Involve your boss in discussing and evaluating the risks, agreeing on key lead indicators that you will both share, so that neither you nor he will be surprised. For instance, whereas sales are not a good lead indicator, future orders or bookings can be. Cash in the bank is not, whereas good cash flow three months in advance is.
9. Differences: Manage differences in culture.
Sometimes at IMD we use a questionnaire called the Power Map to help participants identify their own culture (i.e. values they cherish, leading to certain behaviors), to identify other executives' profiles and discuss consequences on communication and leadership in a team.
To simplify, the four main types of profiles that our survey identified are:
People who like to 'control things' and introduce processes, develop more the 'now';
People who are more concerned with people, develop more the impact on people;
People who are more concerned with getting things done, start with key actions;
People who are more concerned with ideas, frame proposals in concepts.
Of course, in managing your boss you should know her personal inclination, as well as your personal bias. If you are process oriented, you will tend to present issues in a systematic and orderly fashion, with pros and cons, chronology of tasks, etc.
If your boss is the action type, she could be bored. So in that case an executive summary, emphasizing the key actions and results would be a handy starting point.
10. Trust: Don't be sloppy in your documentation. It undermines trust.
By making the assumption that she will check what we write or say anyway, and that she will make changes, we sometimes tend to be sloppy in our writing. Tables are not finished, text is not re-read, places we are going to are not visited beforehand, spelling is not checked, and information is missing...
By not finalizing your facts, arguments, memos, spelling, supporting documents, etc., you can be sure some things will get changed, mistakes corrected. And soon you will be asked to show more facts and figures, and you will see more changes, more amendments. Soon all the delegation you had will be gone.
Conclusion
Better work between a boss and his subordinate is not just a matter of leadership. It also has to do with boss 'management', which can stimulate better performance, faster decision making and accomplishment of more � by both parties.
Jacques Horovitz is Professor of Service Strategy, Service Marketing & Service Management at IMD, one of the world's leading business schools.


Managing Your Boss
It's not manipulation—it's forging ties based on mutual respect and understanding
by John J. Gabarro and John P. Kotter
The Idea in Brief
Managing our bosses? Isn't that merely manipulation? Corporate cozying up? Out-and-out apple polishing? In fact, we manage our bosses for very good reasons: to get resources to do the best job, not only for ourselves, but for our bosses and our companies as well. We actively pursue a healthy and productive working relationship based on mutual respect and understanding—understanding our own and our bosses' strengths, weaknesses, goals, work styles, and needs. Here's what can happen when we don't:
A new president with a formal work style replaced someone who'd been looser, more intuitive. The new president preferred written reports and structured meetings. One of his managers found this too controlling. He seldom sent background information, and was often blindsided by unanticipated questions. His boss found their meetings inefficient and frustrating. The manager had to resign.
In contrast, here's how another manager's sensitivity to this same boss's style really paid off:
This manager identified the kinds and frequency of information the president wanted. He sent ahead background reports and discussion agendas. The result? Highly productive meetings and even more innovative problem solving than with his previous boss.
Managers often don't realize how much their bosses depend on them. They need cooperation, reliability, and honesty from their direct reports. Many managers also don't realize how much they depend on their bosses—for links to the rest of the organization, for setting priorities, and for obtaining critical resources.
Recognizing this mutual dependence, effective managers seek out information about the boss's concerns and are sensitive to his work style. They also understand how their own attitudes toward authority can sabotage the relationship. Some see the boss as the enemy and fight him at every turn; others are overly compliant, viewing the boss as an all-wise parent.
The Idea in Practice
You can benefit from this mutual dependence and develop a very productive relationship with your boss by focusing on:
• compatible work styles. Bosses process information differently. "Listeners" prefer to be briefed in person so they can ask questions. "Readers" want to process written information first, and then meet to discuss.
Decision-making styles also vary. Some bosses are highly involved. Touch base with them frequently. Others prefer to delegate. Inform them about important decisions you've already made.
• mutual expectations. Don't passively assume you know what the boss expects. Find out. With some bosses, write detailed outlines of your work for their approval. With others, carefully planned discussions are key.
Also, communicate your expectations to find out if they are realistic. Persuade the boss to accept the most important ones.
• information flow. Managers typically underestimate what their bosses need to know—and what they do know. Keep the boss informed through processes that fit his style. Be forthright about both good and bad news.
• dependability and honesty. Trustworthy subordinates only make promises they can keep and don't shade the truth or play down difficult issues.
• good use of time and resources. Don't waste your boss's time with trivial issues. Selectively draw on his time and resources to meet the most important goals—yours, his, and the company's.
John J. Gabarro is the UPS Foundation Professor of Human Resource Management at Harvard Business School in Boston. Now retired, John P. Kotter was the Konosuke Matsushita Professor of Leadership at Harvard Business School.

How to Manage Your Boss
by Geoffrey James
It's nice to imagine that the success of your career rests upon your basic competence at doing your job, but that's only half the picture. Raises, promotions, and other perks depend directly on how well you can manage your boss. If he or she doesn't warm up to you—or worse, doesn't remember that you exist—you'll never land the plum assignments you need to get ahead. In addition to performing well, you have to make sure the boss knows about all the things you're doing right, while also building personal rapport so that he or she will keep your best interests in mind.
Things you will need:
Little or nothing. You can't buy respect.
An hour or two a week. Be sure to schedule prep time before every meeting with the boss.
A Decent Boss: If your boss is truly evil, getting closer is a bad idea.
Chocolates: Or other bribery for the boss's admin. He or she is the gatekeeper of valuable information—not to mention the boss's agenda.
Your "Done" List: Keep track of everything you've accomplished or initiated lately, so that you're prepared when the boss asks how things are going.
Empathy: Put your ego aside if you want to be able to understand the qualities and objectives your boss values most.

Make "Keeping the Boss in the Loop" a Regular Activity
Goal: Reassure your boss that you know what you're doing.
The secret fear of every boss is that employees are screwing up and either not telling anyone or (even worse) aren't aware there's a problem. To reassure themselves, bosses may sometimes pick an aspect of an employee's job and begin randomly asking penetrating questions about the details. If you answer these queries with grace and aplomb, the boss assumes you're competent. Hesitate or evade, and the boss may assume all your work is slipshod.
Since you don't know in advance which questions your boss might ask, be prepared for every contingency. "One of the dumbest moves you can make is to walk into the boss's office unprepared," says Jack Cooper, the former CIO of Bristol-Myers Squibb. "For every hour that you'll spend meeting with your boss, you should spend ten hours making sure you can answer any questions that the boss might ask."
Ten hours of prep? For a one-hour meeting? Okay, that's probably overkill for a typical employee who interacts with his boss on a daily basis. But for senior managers at big companies where meeting with the CEO is an event on par with a presidential visit, Cooper's 10-to-1 formula makes sense.

Checklist
What Your Boss Expects: The Basics
Credibility. Follow through on assignments and do what you say you're going to. If you want your boss to trust you, your word has to carry weight.
Professionalism. Bosses appreciate individuals who are serious about what they do and willing to take the time to achieve a deep understanding of their craft.
Integrity. The test of integrity is whether you'll take a stand, even when it's unpopular with your boss. The boss has the final decision, but it's your job to make sure it's the right one.
Caring. Bosses value relationships with direct reports who care about them. Show that you're truly concerned about what the boss has to say by responding with solutions rather than complaints or excuses.
Knowledge. Bosses need people who have unique expertise. You don't have to be a pro at everything, but you do need a specific area of knowledge that your boss values.

Create a Core Message for Your Boss
Goal: Bosses are forgetful. Make sure yours knows just how valuable you are.
When you're working your butt off, it's easy to assume that your boss knows exactly what you're doing. But even though she may have assigned your work to you, in the crush of daily pressures and changing priorities, your contribution easily gets lost in the shuffle. Worse, you could end up pursuing goals that no are longer important priorities.
According to Spencer Clark, a former general manager at General Electric, the cure for this creeping invisibility is to become a one-person marketing group, constantly positioning your contribution. "Your most important task is to market your services to your immediate boss," Clark says.
To do this, create a "core message"—a brief summary of exactly what you're doing and why it's vital to the boss's success. A core message might be, "My team is designing the follow-on products to our most successful product line," or "I'm recruiting the hard-to-find technical personnel required for the new R&D facility." Then, Clark suggests, find a way to work that message into every conversation that you have with your boss—even hallway chats.


Hot Tip
Self Promotion Without Smarminess
If marketing yourself to your own boss feels a little slimy, think about ways you can casually talk things up without overselling—and without driving your core message into the ground. Each interaction should add new information, and when you can, fold the message into the day's news, for example: "I just got off the phone with a candidate for the R&D job. We're getting resumes from some really impressive people."


Tap a Vital Resource: The Boss's Influencers
Goal: Enlist others to spread the word about your importance to the company.
You may think you have a one-on-one relationship with your boss, but you're actually part of a crowd of people—from your peers to your boss's peers to your boss's bosses—who influence the boss's decision-making. Their comments and gossip will inevitably affect your boss's opinion of you and your work, so you want to be certain that, if they're not actively singing your praises, at least they're reading from the same hymnal.
Create a list of everyone who carries weight with your boss. Include their job title and whatever you know about their background and role inside your firm. Now craft a variation of your core message that positions what you're doing as helpful to each person. Then use that to frame any conversations you have with them. "You want a consistent message coming from the entire organization, not crossed wires that might confuse the boss about your importance to the organization," says Ken Evans, former North American VP of sales and marketing at Waste Management.

For Example
Supporting Messages
Audience
Message
Your Boss (VP of Marketing)
I'm developing a channel sales program that will increase revenue and profit. (core message)
VP of Engineering
This new program will get the products you're designing out to as many people as possible.
VP of Manufacturing
With channel sales, we'll be able to predict demand, which will cut down on job overruns.
VP of Human Resources
The program I'm developing will let us expand the business without exceeding headcount limitations.
CFO
With channel sales, we can sell products at a 20 percent higher gross margin than with direct sales.


Learn Everything You Can About Your Boss's Career
Goal: Understand where he came from in order to know what he expects.
Now that you've convinced the boss that you're competent, it's time to make yourself invaluable. To do this, you deliver what the boss wants—even before he knows he wants it. Over time, of course, you can observe and learn, but fast-track the process by researching the boss's career and asking questions that will help you understand his way of thinking. This activity has a side-benefit—your boss will be flattered that you're interested.
Use the Internet, the grapevine, and the boss's admin to learn about the boss's work history. Then, when appropriate, find opportunities (such as during lunch or offsite meetings) to express a healthy curiosity about your boss's experience. Apart from the fact that most everyone enjoys talking about themselves, bosses find this kind of inquiry valuable because it provides an opportunity to explain the logic of their decision-making processes. "Understanding somebody's background always helps illustrate how that person might approach a situation," says Mike Fister, CEO of Cadence Design Systems and a former senior vice president of the Enterprise Platforms Group at Intel. "I often find myself drawing on my experiences at Intel to illustrate a strategic or tactical point."


Nitty Gritty
Sample Questions for Your Boss
"I was on the web learning more about our industry and I noticed that you presented at the [name] conference. What kind of response did you get?"
"Your admin mentioned you used to work for [name of firm]. What was the most valuable thing you learned from that experience?"
"I hear you used to work in the [name] industry. What are the main differences between the way that industry runs and the way this one runs?"


Cultivate Compatible Personal Interests
Goal: Do you play golf? Love football? If not, it may be time to start.
The ideal situation is to have a boss who looks out for your interests during difficult times. This protectiveness is nurtured when the boss thinks of you not just as a competent contributor but as a kindred spirit. If you want a more expansive and resilient relationship with the boss, cultivate an interest in something that also interests the boss. Ideally, this should be an interest or activity that segues nicely into the work experience. For example, if your boss likes to talk business while playing golf, learning to play—and enjoy the game—will inevitably bring you closer.
"To really understand your boss, you need to see him or her as a person, not just as a business contact," explains Dilip Phadke, Hewlett Packard's director of business development strategic initiatives. "My current manager is a big soccer fan, and although I was never particularly interested in soccer, I keep up on the topic because it gives us something to talk about that's not directly work-related but can be used to illustrate the value of teamwork, planning, and so forth."


Voice of Experience
"Likeability is a matter of intention and behavior rather than of personality and chance. To become more likeable, find similarities and then raise them to the surface. If you can find something that you truly like and respect about a person, then that person will naturally like and respect you. While this may seem manipulative, it's not, because if you truly like somebody, you will be committed to help making that person more successful." —Robert Cialdini, author of "Influence: the Psychology of Persuasion" and "Influence: Science and Practice"

Managing Your Boss
Q. How do you manage the prototypical "difficult boss?"
A. Successfully managing a difficult boss is a challenge but often feasible. First, you should try to understand the reasons for your bossí difficult behavior. Assuming your boss generally behaves in a fairly reasonable manner, and that his/her difficult behavior seems to be a result of stress overload rather than his/her character, chances are good that the behavior can be modified. If your bossí behavior seems to reflect a chronically hostile, abusive style of interacting regardless of the amount of stress in the worksite, the chances are less positive that the behavior can change. In fact, you may want to consider seeking counsel from a trusted mentor or human resources professional to evaluate your options.
Second, you have to manage your own negative emotions regarding his/her behavior so that you do not engage in self-defeating behavior (e.g. stonewalling, or counter-attacking your boss).
Third, once you understand and have managed your own negative reactions, you may work to communicate your issues/concerns -- but framed in a helpful positive manner -- creating an atmosphere for problem resolution.
Q. If you feel you've been criticized unfairly by your boss, what's the best way to confront the boss with your concerns?
A. You should discuss your concerns -- not confront your boss. There is a difference. You need to carry out the discussion of your concerns in a non-adversarial way. Like a marriage, you should try to handle your complaints in a manner that does not do further damage to your relationship.
Q. What's the best way to respond to criticism from your boss?
A. Try to see the criticism as valuable information about how to do better, not as a personal attack. Try to separate your personal ego from your business persona. Try hard to control your impulses to react emotionally or defensively. Try to see the criticism as an opportunity to work together with your boss on a development plan. See yourself as a partner with your boss on this plan, rather than on seeing yourself as a victim of a power struggle.
Q. What's the current trend of job stress? Is there more or less?
A. The downsizing and reorganization of corporate America in the last 10-15 years has set off unmistakable pressures and stresses. There is a very real and persistent fear of loss of employment and job insecurity in the majority of employees. The impact of job loss on individuals and families has been enormous. According to the New York Times, more than 43 million jobs have been lost in the U.S. since 1979.
Q. How can empowering employees help lessen stress agents in the workplace?
A.When employees feel less like "victims of circumstances out of their control," they feel more empowered. Employees who are given candid timely and consistent communications from management about the status of their careers, as well as more responsibility to directly manage their careers and their work relationships, they tend to be less anxious and more highly motivated. Although few employees believe that job security is a guarantee anymore, employees who are empowered with ore information and responsibility over their future, tend as a whole, to cope more effectively -- because they feel less powerless.
Q. Sometimes employees are hesitant to speak to their boss about criticism. Is there a way to overcome that fear or retribution?
A. The chances that your fear of retribution will turn into reality will be significantly reduced to the degree that you can discuss criticism with your boss in a reasonable non-emotional, non-defensive manner. You can avoid setting up your boss to be angry at you and therefore risk retribution by careful planning and diplomatic communication.
Q. What's the best way to deal with stress in the workplace?
A. Stress is always in the eye of the beholder. What may cause one employee stress in the workplace, may not even cause a ripple of concern to another. The key to dealing with stress is knowing the specific stresses on the work environment that you are particularly sensitive to and the warning signs in your own body and mind that signal stress overload. Once you have identified your vulnerability, you can create on-going stress management strategies to cope with the issues.
If you feel unable to manage this process yourself, or feel overwhelmed, it may be a good idea to consult an objective professional, such as a psychologist. Your collaboration with a professional may go a long way in making you feel more empowered to manage the stresses.
Thanks to Marilyn Puder-York, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist in New York who specializes in workplace stress issues


No disrespect intended, but it appears that lousy management has reached epidemic proportions in the Information Technology industry.
Bad bosses can suck the motivation, creativity, enthusiasm, productivity and health right out of decent people trying to do a good job and earn an honest wage.
Not that employees don't sometimes try to scam the system, but that's a different story!
First, be fair!
So let's be fair here. Bosses have a lot to put up with - like you for instance! (It's possible that some of those things on your last performance review might actually be true, you know.)
And they have to deal with their own set of very challenging pressures and priorities - conflicting organizational objectives, peer relations, functional challenges, their own bosses, etc.
So it's no wonder they often get distracted from:
Assisting you in prioritizing your work;
Validating your assumptions;
Providing you with missing information;
Offering meaningful (and timely) feedback;
Connecting you with the rest of the organization;
Making sure you're on the right track before it's too late;
Helping you align the necessary organizational resources.
It's all this potential, then, that makes managing your relationship with your boss perhaps the single most important ingredient in determining your ultimate success.
A definite winning strategy
Consciously working with your superior to obtain the best possible results for you, your boss and the company is a definite Winning Strategy. But how does this work, exactly?
One way is to help your boss see that you are looking at issues from his or her perspective - not just from your own.
So if you boss is saying NO to your killer idea because there are insufficient funds, don't just grouse. Ask your boss what's needed to move forward and how you can help.
If it's an explainable variance memo that's needed, then write one. If the project is seen as too big for some reason, start smaller. If the project is considered too small to have sufficient impact, show how you can ramp up its scale
. Whatever the boss' concerns, address them - meaningfully and quickly. Because by solving the boss' concerns, you subtly influence him or her to work more on yours.
Learn how to complain
Another key is in improving how to complain (read: communicate). Most complaints are caused by broken commitments, stated or otherwise.
Therefore, when making a complaint, it's essential that you are able to:
Clearly and crisply state your complaint and its impact without getting defensive or aggressive. ("We're running into problems and looking bad in the organization because I'm not getting information I need to do the job.")
Specify the real or implied commitment that was broken. ("We haven't met in almost a week now, even though we agreed on daily updates.")
Articulate how the responsible person can resolve your concern, being as specific as possible. ("We really need to meet today to debrief - even for just 15 minutes - so this project can run more smoothly.")
Ask for their commitment to follow through as agreed. ("So you agree to meet with me at 4pm today and based on our conversation determine how frequently it's appropriate for us to debrief? I find it very helpful to understand how you're thinking about this matter - I can make far better decisions that way.")
If your complaint is properly addressed, be sure to say, "Thank you." If it's not, say, "Thank you for trying. Now what else can we do about this problem?" And remember, by basing your complaints on broken commitments, you're maximizing your impact and minimizing everyone's discomfort.
Keep 'em in line!
You can also use this commitment-based approach to keep your bosses (and coworkers) in line on an ongoing basis. Routinely:
Ask your boss to make specific commitments to you - no matter how small.
Remind your boss that he or she is making a COMMITMENT to you.
Follow up when your boss ignores or forgets that commitment by reminding him or her of the broken commitment and requesting an apology.
Do all of this with a professional, respectful and responsible tone
It's just a fact of life that "bosses will be bosses." You can lessen the probability that your boss will make bad decisions that affect you and increase the probability of your job satisfaction by effectively managing your boss/employee relationship.
It takes a little practice, but it's definitely worth the effort.No disrespect intended, but it appears that lousy management has reached epidemic proportions in the Information Technology industry.
Bad bosses can suck the motivation, creativity, enthusiasm, productivity and health right out of decent people trying to do a good job and earn an honest wage.
Not that employees don't sometimes try to scam the system, but that's a different story!
First, be fair!
So let's be fair here. Bosses have a lot to put up with - like you for instance! (It's possible that some of those things on your last performance review might actually be true, you know.)
And they have to deal with their own set of very challenging pressures and priorities - conflicting organizational objectives, peer relations, functional challenges, their own bosses, etc.
So it's no wonder they often get distracted from:
Assisting you in prioritizing your work;
Validating your assumptions;
Providing you with missing information;
Offering meaningful (and timely) feedback;
Connecting you with the rest of the organization;
Making sure you're on the right track before it's too late;
Helping you align the necessary organizational resources.
It's all this potential, then, that makes managing your relationship with your boss perhaps the single most important ingredient in determining your ultimate success.
A definite winning strategy
Consciously working with your superior to obtain the best possible results for you, your boss and the company is a definite Winning Strategy. But how does this work, exactly?
One way is to help your boss see that you are looking at issues from his or her perspective - not just from your own.
So if you boss is saying NO to your killer idea because there are insufficient funds, don't just grouse. Ask your boss what's needed to move forward and how you can help.
If it's an explainable variance memo that's needed, then write one. If the project is seen as too big for some reason, start smaller. If the project is considered too small to have sufficient impact, show how you can ramp up its scale
. Whatever the boss' concerns, address them - meaningfully and quickly. Because by solving the boss' concerns, you subtly influence him or her to work more on yours.
Learn how to complain
Another key is in improving how to complain (read: communicate). Most complaints are caused by broken commitments, stated or otherwise.
Therefore, when making a complaint, it's essential that you are able to:
Clearly and crisply state your complaint and its impact without getting defensive or aggressive. ("We're running into problems and looking bad in the organization because I'm not getting information I need to do the job.")
Specify the real or implied commitment that was broken. ("We haven't met in almost a week now, even though we agreed on daily updates.")
Articulate how the responsible person can resolve your concern, being as specific as possible. ("We really need to meet today to debrief - even for just 15 minutes - so this project can run more smoothly.")
Ask for their commitment to follow through as agreed. ("So you agree to meet with me at 4pm today and based on our conversation determine how frequently it's appropriate for us to debrief? I find it very helpful to understand how you're thinking about this matter - I can make far better decisions that way.")
If your complaint is properly addressed, be sure to say, "Thank you." If it's not, say, "Thank you for trying. Now what else can we do about this problem?" And remember, by basing your complaints on broken commitments, you're maximizing your impact and minimizing everyone's discomfort.
Keep 'em in line!
You can also use this commitment-based approach to keep your bosses (and coworkers) in line on an ongoing basis. Routinely:
Ask your boss to make specific commitments to you - no matter how small.
Remind your boss that he or she is making a COMMITMENT to you.
Follow up when your boss ignores or forgets that commitment by reminding him or her of the broken commitment and requesting an apology.
Do all of this with a professional, respectful and responsible tone
It's just a fact of life that "bosses will be bosses." You can lessen the probability that your boss will make bad decisions that affect you and increase the probability of your job satisfaction by effectively managing your boss

Managing Your Boss
You can hate your boss, kiss up to your boss or learn to manage your boss. Only one of these options is worth it for everyone in the long run.
Thomas J. Zuber, MD, and Erika H. James, Phd

Great organizations, whether they are medical practices, medical schools or hospitals, are the product not only of dynamic leadership but, perhaps more importantly, a dynamic following. While most physicians assume some sort of leadership role in their organizations and indeed in the health care system at large, they also often find themselves accountable to a medical director, physician manager, administrator, etc. Yet for many, this role can be difficult. Some days, they perceive the "boss" as a roadblock to success; other days, they believe the only way to succeed is to follow blindly. How do you strike the right balance? The answer is in learning to manage upward.
Do you tend to be rebellious or overly compliant?
Managing up is the process of consciously working with your boss to obtain the best possible results for you, your boss and your organization. This is not political maneuvering or "kissing up." Rather, it is a deliberate effort to bring understanding and cooperation to a relationship between individuals who often have different perspectives.
Managing up may seem counterintuitive in a world of top-down organizational structures. Physicians often invest significant time and effort in managing the nurses or office personnel they directly supervise, yet they take a passive approach to managing their supervisors. Doing so can harm the individuals and the organization. For example, failure to manage your boss can result in misunderstandings about what you expect from one another and cause you to waste time on tasks that are not in line with organizational goals. Furthermore, career progress and satisfaction rarely occur if you don't manage your boss. In fact, some suggest that the primary duty of all employees is to have a successful relationship with the boss. Are you up to the task?
Recognize the value of the relationship
Managing your boss begins with an understanding of the value of the relationship, which has been described as "a mutually dependent existence between two fallible individuals."1 You depend on your boss for direction, feedback and support, while your boss depends on you for new ideas, hard work and cooperation to achieve the organization's goals. Both sides have needs, and both sides have something to offer. It is a critical relationship worth tending to. Here's where to start:
KEY POINTS:
Great organizations rely not only on dynamic leaders but dynamic followers.
Managing up means being proactive but not presumptuous, supportive but not sycophantic with your boss.
Although it requires great patience, emotional maturity and courage, managing up can improve your organization, your job satisfaction and your boss.
Get to know your boss. The first rule for managing bosses effectively is to understand who they are and what they want. In other words, put yourself in their shoes. While many physicians have a superficial understanding of their bosses' goals and pressures, they often fail to assess the individual strengths, weaknesses, aspirations and work styles of their supervisors. Exploring these issues will help you think outside of your own needs, identify commonalities you never knew existed and gain insight on how to interact more effectively with your boss. For example, some bosses are "readers," meaning they prefer to receive information in written form (e.g., e-mail and memos). Others are "listeners," meaning they prefer to receive information verbally (e.g., face-to-face or telephone conversations). If you want your ideas to be heard, make it easy for your boss by communicating in the manner he or she prefers. You'll be meeting your boss's needs as well as your own.
Get to know yourself. Developing an effective working relationship with your boss also requires that you understand yourself. Recognize your strengths, weaknesses, goals and personal needs, and pay particular attention to how you respond to being managed. For example, do you tend to be rebellious or overly compliant?
Managing up requires patience, emotional maturity and the courage to take action.
Rebellious physicians often resent their bosses' authority and rebel against their decisions. This type of behavior is common among those who are used to being the experts or authorities in their relationships. Subordinating themselves or having to respond to or comply with the desires and demands of a boss can be very unpleasant to them. They may, in fact, view the boss as a hindrance to progress and react impulsively and negatively to the boss. If you are a rebellious physician, what you need to remember is that how you deal with your negative feelings toward your boss will often determine the course of the relationship. Failure to recognize your tendencies and actively manage the situation early on can lead to a dysfunctional relationship.
Overly compliant physicians are at the other behavioral extreme. They swallow their emotions and become passive even in the face of poor decision making by their supervisors. Because these individuals always want to agree with the boss, they often fail to provide needed input on key decisions. If you are an overly compliant physician, what you need to remember is that your inaction can cause great harm to the organization, in part by perpetuating poor decision making by those at the top.
While not all individuals fall into these two extremes, it is important to understand your tendencies. If you can predict your reactions (or overreactions) to your boss, you may be able to avoid distressing situations and build a more productive relationship. You will also be better prepared to advocate for your own needs.
Dare to follow well
Suggested Reading
"How to Manage Your Boss." Lynn M. Management Today. January 2000:66-69.
"I Can Manage, Boss!" Phillips KJ. Supervision. January 1995;56(1):17-18.
"Managing Up." Meagher D. Australian Financial Review. May 8, 2000:39. Accessed online, May 12, 2001: http://www.boss.afr.com.au/magarticle.asp?doc_id=18139&rgid=2&listed_months=26
"Managing Your Boss." Gabarro JJ, Kotter JP. Harvard Business Review. Boston: Harvard University Press; 1993:150-157.
Militant Managers: How to Spot - How to Work With - How to Manage - Your Highly Aggressive Boss. Elbing C, Elbing A. Burr Ridge, Ill: Irwin Professional Publications; 1994.
Managing up is no easy task. It requires patience, emotional maturity and the courage to take action, but its rewards are worth the effort. Here are some specific ways to practice the art of managing up:
Solicit clear expectations and priorities. One of the worst mistakes you can make is to assume you know what your boss expects. Most bosses do not spell out their expectations, and the burden of discovery falls on those below them. Don't wait for your boss to provide you with this information. Instead, initiate a series of informal discussions on "our objectives," helping your boss clarify and communicate his or her ideas - and making sure you communicate your own ideas as well.
Provide adequate information. Information is power, and for many physicians, withholding information from their boss is a way to feel some sense of power. However, ultimately this tactic works against you. A poorly informed boss cannot advocate for your needs or make the best decisions for your organization. Be willing to share what you know and to keep your boss informed at the level that fits his or her work style.
Relay good and bad news. Some supervisors give both verbal and nonverbal clues that they only want to hear good news; they don't want to hear about problems. These bosses can represent a particular challenge. Great organizations do not ignore their problems or try to sweep them under the rug. Instead, they face them head on with courage and innovation. For the good of the organization, you must communicate failures with successes, but do so delicately and appropriately. In addition, you should be prepared to accept good and bad news yourself, whether it focuses on your individual performance or the organization at large.
Build trust. A key element in managing your boss is building trust in the relationship by being trustworthy. Most physicians are dependable, hardworking and well-meaning, but because of misunderstandings or mismatched priorities, they can be inappropriately labeled as problem physicians. To combat this, make every effort to maintain honesty and dependability by honoring commitments and deadlines. Your positive example will impact not only your boss, but others around you.
Help your boss manage his or her time. For most supervisors, time is a precious commodity. Effectively managing your boss will require that you respect his or her time. Every request made of the boss uses up resources, so make sure your requests are necessary. Don't take every issue to your boss for his or her opinion. Instead, come up with your own ideas to solve problems and then act on your own, where appropriate. You might even want to try doing something intentionally to make life easier for your boss. Perhaps your boss will spend that free moment advocating for your needs.
Sell your issue. Bosses aren't mind readers. To get what you want in your organization, you have to ask for it and you have to sell your boss on the issue. This isn't manipulation but a legitimate set of techniques to make it easier for your boss to understand and accept your ideas. Don't expect your boss to understand your issue automatically. Learn how to present it, for example, by "bundling" (connecting your issue to another important issue for the organization) or by "framing" (placing it in a moral or business context that your boss can understand). You should also carefully select your language (e.g., speak numbers if your boss is a numbers person) and, where appropriate, involve other individuals in the selling effort. With some bosses, you'll be more successful selling your issue in private versus trying to convince them in a public setting. And of course, pay attention to your timing, making sure you present the issue when other more pressing issues are not consuming your boss's attention.
Being angry, disgruntled, accusatory or passive will only make things worse.
Give positive reinforcement. Everyone within an organization needs positive reinforcement. You need it; your boss needs it. Some experts even suggest that the most important objective for employees is to appear supportive of their bosses. Empathize with the boss. Praise his or her achievements without appearing sycophantic. And express appreciation whenever it can be honestly conveyed. It will help your boss do his or her job better, which is ultimately in your favor.
Choose your words. Physicians often are meticulous and critical in their clinical work; however, in organizations this critical nature can be threatening. Learn not to pass judgment immediately as you learn about a new technology or a new way of practicing. Where you are right to pass judgment, do so with tact and good intentions. For example, if you disagree with a policy, thoughtfully explain your reasons, rather than saying simply "this is bad and should be axed."
Focus on what you can change. Let's face it. There are a lot of terrible bosses out there, and it is unlikely that you will successfully change anyone. While you can't control your boss, you can control your attitude. And to a large extent, managing up is simply that: having the right attitude. Being angry, disgruntled, accusatory or passive will only make things worse. When you realize that you do have the power and influence to make things better, you are on your way to creating a more effective organization, a more fulfilling career and a better boss indeed.
Dr. Zuber is an assistant professor in the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta. Dr. James is an assistant professor in the Department of Organization and Management, Goizueta School of Business, Emory University. Conflicts of interest: none reported.

How to Manage Your Boss
Posted by Kristina Cowan
You've probably heard the phrase "bad manager" before. Perhaps you're in the throes of a job you loathe--mostly because of a problematic superior who doesn't do a good job managing you and others.
But what about the way you manage your boss? It's just as critical, according to John J. Gabarro and John P. Kotter, authors of "Managing Your Boss," a Harvard Business Review “Classics” article. Workers must manage their bosses if they want to do their best and benefit themselves, their supervisors and their companies, the authors say.
Two Fallible, Too Human
To manage your boss, you must know your relationship with him or her involves "mutual dependence between two fallible human beings," the article says. Once you recognize that, there are two requirements:
That you have a good understanding of the other person and yourself, especially regarding strengths, weaknesses, work styles and needs.
That you use this information to develop and manage a healthy working relationship--one that is compatible with both people's work styles and assets, is characterized by mutual expectations, and meets the most critical needs of the other person.
As you establish and work toward these goals, you're on your way to effectively managing your boss.
At first blush, the idea of "managing the boss" seems to defy conventional logic. But it's a smart strategy.
It emphasizes the interpersonal side of business, something often overlooked in the working world. It empowers workers to take control of their destinies, showing that they're just as powerful (in their own rights) as their bosses. And rather than underscoring how workers are victims of bad managers, it illuminates a two-way street in the boss-subordinate relationship.
Knowing You, Knowing Me
To understand your boss, the article says, get up to speed on his/her goals, problems, pressures, and heed clues about his/her behavior. Find out how he/she prefers to get information (memos, meetings, phone calls?), whether he/she thrives on conflict or tries to keep it at bay.
When it comes to understanding yourself, the article highlights two extreme behaviors. Counterdependent workers resent the boss's authority and rebel against it. Overdependent workers are the opposite, compliant to the point of squelching their own anger and viewing the boss as omnipotent. These extremes harbor unrealistic notions of what a boss is, according to the article:
Both views ignore that most bosses, like everyone else, are imperfect and fallible. They don't have unlimited time, encyclopedic knowledge, or extrasensory perception; nor are they evil enemies. They have their own pressures and concerns that are sometimes at odds with the wishes of the subordinate--and often for good reason.
If you're aware of these extremes and the range between them, you can gauge where you fall, and how that might affect your relationship with your boss.
We Can Work Well Together
Once you have a sense of your boss and yourself, you should develop a way of working that suits you both.
Work styles can be adapted so you communicate more effectively. The article points to Peter Drucker's categorizing of bosses as "listeners" or "readers."
If your boss is a listener, you brief him or her in person, then follow it up with a memo. If your boss is a reader, you cover important items or proposals in a memo or report, then discuss them.
Establishing mutual expectations is also important. Determining a boss's expectations can be tricky, so think creatively, perhaps sending him/her memos outlining expectations and scheduling follow-up meetings to cover the memos.
You should keep your boss as informed as possible, in ways that suit his/her style. Meeting deadlines is critical, too, and honesty is still the best policy, particularly where your boss is concerned.
Managing Your Boss (Harvard Business Review, article preview)


Manage Your Boss, Manage Your Time
By Vince Thompson
For years we’ve heard that time management is about quadrants, action items, and prioritizing tasks. In fact, go to just about any time management seminar, and the trainer will spend lots of time showing you how to analyze your calendar, log your time spent in various activities, plan your work week, and so on. At some time during that seminar you’ll do doubt realize that you do indeed spend too much time on e-mail, phone calls, and “putting out fires.” You’ll vow to plan your calendar more efficiently, organize your activities into quadrants, and prioritize your workload. But within a week you’ll most likely find yourself right back where you started. Why does this happen? Because no matter what your job, you tend to do the things that you think your boss expects you to do. So even though you may have a page-long “to-do” list, you know that your boss also expects you to answer her e-mails within 15 minutes or to be available on Instant Messenger. Your boss expects you to pick up the phone when needed and to help senior management deal with any last minute emergencies. Very often, these expectations take precedence over the important tasks you need to do. And while communication and helping senior management are important, if you’re truly going to have the time to spend on tasks that move yourself and the company forward, you’ll have to gain more power over your schedule. In short, you need to have a conversation with your boss about the various activities you are expected to do. The two of you must reach an agreement on what it means for you to do your job successfully. Then, you must constantly manage his or her expectations. Manage Your Manager, Not Your TimeIn order to take back your time, your career, and your life, you need to step into the realm of managing your manager. The goal is to achieve complete alignment between what your boss wants you to do and what you believe you really should do. Here’s how you do it: 1. Analyze your boss's needs. You need to know what your boss expects of himself and what your boss’s boss expects of him. What can you do to help your boss be more successful? A lot of people in business assume that “meeting the boss’s needs” means doing exactly what the boss wants them to do—accepting the boss’s vision and direction wholesale. Wrong! This assumption is a little to simplistic and dangerous. Real “managing upward” demands a more serious and subtle analysis of human needs, which starts with the realization that needs come in two forms—explicit needs and implicit needs. “Explicit needs” are fairly simple. They may be stated in the organization’s strategic plan, or they may be announced by your boss whenever the team gets together for a strategy session. They generally sound something like this:
“We need to expand our business internationally.”
“We need to create a shipping policy that will save us some money.”
“We need to commerce-enable our Website.”
“Implicit needs” are more subtle. People don’t talk about them. Sometimes they’re not even aware of them. Most of the time they are things that people would deny if confronted with them. They sound like this:
“Make me look good in front of my boss so that when he gets kicked upstairs he’ll recommend me for his job.”
“Help me demonstrate my creativity by coming up with some ideas for next year’s marketing campaign that I can tweak a little and take on as my own.”
“Help me feel more like a leader and less like the kid who was always picked last for schoolyard games.”
While explicit needs tend to run a linear path, implicit needs tend be random, triggered by emotion and circumstance. And although you will never actually talk to your boss about his or her implicit needs, it’s a fun exercise to sit down with a sheet of paper and try to list your boss’s implicit needs. Paying attention to implicit needs is serious, as these often drive the issues that’ll keep us up at night. From the first day you meet your new boss through the last day you work together, devote enough of your time to really figuring out your boss’s implicit needs. Then spend time on the needs that you can feel good about supporting to further your company’s interest as well as your boss’s career. 2. Adopt a Management Value Added Mindset. The concept of Management Value Added (MVA) is based on a simple question that you should ask whenever you’re making a decision about how to invest your time and energy: “What value does management add?” One way to start using MVA is to sit down with your boss to discuss his or her explicit needs (the ones written down as part of the company’s strategy or the division’s official mandate). It shouldn’t take long for the two of you to agree on what they are and to prioritize them appropriately. Then ask your boss, “How do you feel I can add the most value?” If your boss responds, “Huh?” you can flesh out the question with additional questions like these:
“What are the activities I am engaged in when I am contributing the most?”
“What are the activities that you and the company most need me to do?”
“What do you consider to be the best and most productive use of my time?”
“What do you think is the special contribution that I am best positioned to offer to you and the company?”
“Of all the things that I’m engaged in on behalf of this company, what are the three areas where you believe that I can contribute the most?”
Listen carefully to your boss’s answers. Using them as a guide, you can begin to understand exactly how your boss views your contributions. It’s quite likely that the way he or she measures your value differs from the way you measure it. 3. Implement what you learn. Use the information your boss shares with you to determine how to spend your time, which projects to support, and which meetings to attend. For example, if your boss tells you that your most important areas of contribution are your ability to hire, nurture, and guide talent; build capacity; and stay close to customers, then before committing to any new activity, you can ask yourself, “Will this activity help me achieve my priorities? Will it help me put the right people in the right jobs? Will it help me build capability? Will it help me know and connect with our customers?” If the answer is no, avoid the activity—even if it sounds otherwise interesting, appealing, or fun. Implementing the MVA concept helps you maintain a focus on the things that matter while earning the support of those you serve. Then, when your boss or someone else in the organization asks you to commit time or energy to an area that falls outside of the MVA priorities you’ve established, you can talk to your boss about how the new commitment may affect your main goals and reach a joint decision as to whether a shift in priorities is warranted. Each time you and your boss are out of alignment, you have an opportunity to further understand your boss’s needs and goals. Expect this approach to help you remove many useless meetings from your agenda, but also realize that sometimes, often as a result of implicit needs, you’ll be required to go along for the ride. Manage Your Future for Success When you follow the process outlined here you’ll have a clearer understanding of where your focus should be each day. Along with this clarity you’ll acquire a renewed sense of purpose because you’re now spending your time on what really matters—both to you and to your boss. And when everyone’s needs are being met in a way that supports the company’s vision, the result is a more productive, happier work environment.