Learn How To Manage Up
Everyone has a boss. Yep, everyone.
Maybe they’re called a supervisor or manager. Possibly your boss is a board of directors. Or maybe your “bosses” are customers and shareholders. But we all have a boss. Someone we’re accountable to. And it’s our responsibility to know our boss and the best way to manage them.
We spend a lot of time talking about how managers need to manage. What great leaders should do. Sometimes we forget the relationship goes both ways. Not only do managers and leaders need to know how to get the best performance out of their staff but, employees need to know how to bring out the best in their manager.
Start with this: Managers and leaders need to tell the people they work with how to get the most from the working relationship. Here are a few examples:
One of my bosses was very difficult to schedule time with. She was busy all the time. The best time to speak with her was when she was driving home. If I tried to bring ideas to her in the middle of the day, she would be distracted and I typically didn’t get the attention I was looking for. So I started staying a few minutes later at the end of the day. I would ask her to call me on her drive home. We got to talk. Really talk. And the time was valuable.
Another boss was the opposite; he would come in very early in the morning. And he liked Starbucks. Every morning he would walk by managers’ offices looking for someone to go with him to Starbucks. My colleagues wouldn’t think of coming in early. Me? I got myself up at zero dark thirty for coffee. Why? Because I got quality time with my boss.
While those examples deal with quality time, I had another manager who preferred ideas in writing. If you were trying to pitch an idea, he wanted to see it in writing first. It helped me tremendously in terms of being succinct with my proposals and outlining the needs, costs, and benefits of my idea. After he had the chance to review and process it, we would discuss it in detail.
Obviously, there are times when the business forces us to work outside of our comfort zones. Emergencies occur. We have to compromise our style for the benefit of the team. But there is value in knowing how our boss likes to work.
If you’re trying to figure out how to manage your boss – ask them! Next time you have an idea: “When is a good time to discuss with you an idea I have?” After you discuss the idea: “Let me know if this is a good way to bring ideas to you in the future.”
Being able to manage your boss is a business necessity. It should not be considered or treated as manipulation. A really good boss knows enough about themselves to share information about their working style. It’s a win for everyone involved.
Image courtesy of HR Bartender
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