Purdue University Management professors John Gabarro and John Kotter define managing your boss as “the process of consciously working with your superior to obtain the best possible results for you, your boss, and the company.”
Managing Your Boss is Important Because:
- Research indicates that your relationship with your boss has a bigger impact on your attitude toward your job than anything else.
- A poor relationship between you and your boss can have a negative effect on your performance and that of your team.
If managing your boss is so essential to your happiness and performance in your job, then what can you do to claim victory in this area?
Self-knowledge is vital for successfully working within an organization and for managing your boss because it provides an understanding of your strengths and areas for development. Knowing your areas for development helps you avoid situations and behavior that may be detrimental to you and your boss. When you know your strengths, you can use them to support your boss and the organization.
There are a number of ways to improve your self-knowledge. This includes the use of self score personality assessments such as the California Psychological Inventory™ (CPI™) instrument. The CPI 260™ assessment contains 260 carefully selected items that measure more than two dozen scales in five different areas, and suggests targets for further development in interpersonal behavior, social and personal values, cognitive needs and performance, and personal and work-related characteristics.
Self-knowledge can improve your relationship with your boss, but you also need to gain “boss-knowledge.” “Boss-knowledge” requires more than just showing up at work and collecting a paycheck. It takes your proactive effort to increase your “boss-knowledge” so you can understand what it is about you that facilitates or impedes working with your boss and how to take actions to make the relationship more effective.
Consider asking your boss questions to gain better insight into his or her motivation, perceptions, and needs. It can help you and your boss avoid unnecessary conflicts, misunderstandings, and problems.
Questions to Ask Your Boss:
- What are your organizational and personal agendas?
- How do you make decisions?
- What is your source of power?
- How do you view yourself?
- How do you view other people?
- What keeps you awake at night?
- What is your preferred leadership style?
- How do you best like to communicate—via e-mail, memos, face-to-face meetings, or telephone calls?
- How do you best deal with conflict and negotiation?
Some terrific ideas for maximizing their relationship with their boss
- Invite your manager to provide you with annual goals and objectives, and tell them about the areas where you need help to accomplish them.
- Map a “road less traveled” path to lead your boss where you want him or her to be.
- Manage your work so that your boss never has occasion to notice you until the project is successfully completed.
- Most managers manage by exception. Don’t be an exception—stay “below the radar”.
- Find out what makes your manager tick. Does he or she need verbal updates, e-mail, frequency or just issues?
- Define your boss’ expectations and requirements by asking what he or she wants, and then provide it.
- Make sure your boss understands the implications of your actions on his or her own.
- Use honest, frequent communication to inform (not over-inform) and make your boss look good.
- Solicit manager expectations in addition to the charter.
- Ask questions and give options. When necessary, push back.
- Tell your boss what you need from him or her in order to make you both successful.
- Put yourself in his or her position.
- Make sure your manager has the information his or her manager wants.
- Make it easier for them to manage you.
- Have a “can-do” attitude.
- Keep your manager informed if an unknown might be headed their way.
