Are you managing your manager? How to develop an effective working relationship.
Wouldn’t it be great if your boss was always perfect?
Unfortunately, we’re not perfect and neither are they. Which means that there will be times when you will need to “manage” your boss. This can be tricky because they’re the ones with the decision making power and may not be aware of their deficiencies.
But having a good relationship with your boss makes your job and work life easier, so bridging the gap in a way that ensures your voice is heard is important. Here are our 3 top tips on how to develop an effective working relationship with your boss.
Take responsibility for the relationship
• Get to know them, their motivations, passions and disinterests from a work and personal perspective. This will help you decide when to push and when to hold back on matters.
• Initiate regular, ongoing meetings with your manager so that you remain in touch with their priorities, and to build social capital for when you might need their support, or push back on a directive.
Think strategically
Approach matters with a link to organisational or team strategic alignment, not your individual needs. Your boss wants to look good to their boss, so linking your requests and any push-back to “the greater good” will get you support, or an opportunity to discuss whether the strategy is even the correct one.
Make your messaging clear and succinct
Your manager’s schedule might be choc-a-block with meetings and their inbox is probably filled with hundreds of emails every day. So, to make sure your message cuts through, be clear and get to the point quickly about what you want. So, rather than a long explanation of why you want it, ask directly what you require, which will carry more authority and allow time for a discussion, if needed.
You might have a different approach to tasks and your work than your boss, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have a productive working relationship that is mutually beneficial.