Can you manage your boss effectively? Is it possible to manage your boss?
It can be difficult enough to control the people we are responsible for without having to “manage up” as well.
It doesn’t matter if you agree or disagree with managing your boss. However, it is essential to learn how they work. You can become a better manager if you start understanding the workings of your boss.
It is possible to make more efficient use of your time by ensuring a positive relationship with your line managers. However, what could be worse for our time management than if things get complicated between our boss and us?
What can you do when your boss makes it difficult to work? Before you act, consider these eight tips to help you manage your boss.
Try to Understand Your Boss
You must understand your boss and her work context to make sure you know her.
- Objectives and goals
- Issues and pressures
- Strengths and weaknesses, as well as blind spots
- Prefer workstyle.
It would help if you then did the same for yourself. It may seem odd to expect to “manage up,” but it is necessary.
Think of your job and the ways you can be successful at it. How can you get the resources, information, and permission you need to do your job? All the answers point to the person with the most power and leverage, the boss. It is a mistake to fail to build a relationship of mutual respect and understanding.
It is wise to try and manage your boss because it makes your job easiereasier.
Don’t try to be a reformer
Accept that your boss is human with weaknesses and limitations, just like you. It’s far more productive to focus on your strengths than trying to fix rules, as we’ve already discussed. It is good advice for managing your staff. It’s also good advice to follow when trying to manage your boss.
Ask yourself this question: “What can your boss do well?” What are her strengths? It is tempting to change the way your boss works, particularly if things aren’t going your way.
It can be challenging to alter personal preferences, styles, or agendas. It’s not easy, but it is time well spent. Getting to know your boss and developing a working relationship is essential.
It’s better to build a relationship with your boss and follow the rules than try to change him. Make sure you have regular meetings with your boss and work to establish a professional relationship built on mutual trust. Peter Drucker said it best when he stated:
“It takes more energy to move from incompetence into mediocrity than from first-rate performance towards excellence.”
It’s a great feeling to be better at what you already know!
Strengthen your strengths
Supporting your boss in their strengths is a great way to manage them. Talk about their strengths and discuss how you can best use them. You can offer your support by taking on additional roles, particularly those that utilize your strengths. Make sure your boss is aware of strengths-based leadership. This approach is valuable for all levels of management.
Focus on the Things That Matter
While strengths are necessary, their actual value is when they can be applied to the things that matter. Peter Drucker, the author of “The Effective Executive,” suggested that the following be considered:
Ask the question, “What does my boss do well?” and you will get the answer.
Ask her: “What do I need from her to perform?” Encourage activities that build on strengths and achieve the goals and objectives in step 1.
How to Manage Your Boss. Find out What Works
It is not a guide to “crawling” the boss. Start by identifying the things you believe are right. Next, find ways to communicate your ideas to your boss and get them to agree. Remember that we all have different communication styles, so it is essential to know which method of discussion and communication works best for each boss.
Drucker suggests in “The Effective Executive” that there are two types of people: some are “listeners,” and others are “readers.” Some people prefer to communicate to understand, while others need to read before they can discuss. Your boss may be a listener. Follow up with a memo. If your boss is a reader, you can discuss the critical points in a message, report or notice. What can you do to encourage your boss to get involved in more things they are skilled? It is not something you want to do to your boss. Instead, you are trying to communicate ideas and do things in a way relevant to your boss’ strengths.
Your boss may be a good friend to your clients, but her work schedule limits her time. If this happens, invite her to visit important clients regularly. It would help if you showed appreciation for what she has done and its value.
Ask your boss for help, and suggest activities that build on your strengths. It would help if you based your efforts to manage your boss on what is most effective for you.
Managing Your Boss – Building Your Relationship
Many factors will influence how you build your relationship. As we’ve discussed, it is essential to have regular, open, and good communication. It should help build trust, respect, and understanding. Naturally, the ease with which they can be supported will vary. How well you understand the four factors mentioned earlier, goals, pressure and strengths, weaknesses, and your preferred style will determine how effectively you can influence your boss.
Many of us wouldn’t consider our boss our friend. In many instances we see that many people find their boss the worst person they’d like to spend time.
In this situation, you may spend as little time with your boss as possible. What should you do if this is the type of boss you have? This topic will be covered in the article “Managing a Difficult Boss.”
How to Avoid Overloading or Losing Your Time!
Your boss will first need your time. That is normal. Overloading or wasting your time is not legitimate. You still have options to influence your boss’s time management. What can you do to control your boss’ time management? And what should you be looking out?
When you reach saturation point, tell your boss.
Your boss should be aware of the consequences of overloading you. “Yes, I could do that by then, but it would delay this …”
Refrain from agreeing to everything your boss wants you to do. Negotiate!
Ask your boss to prioritize when you give her a list of tasks.
If asked, find out the details, and if possible, tell her or take a look at it. Then:
Find out the requirements of your job.
Learn more about who could be involved.
Return with the answer, “Here’s what we can do.”
Create a Bigger Network
Feel free to ask for help in managing your boss. It would help if you built a network that can support you. A single boss can limit your career potential. It would help if you spent time building a network, regardless of whether your boss is more authoritative or weaker.
Get to know and meet the people responsible for making the organization’s decisions. Look for people who can manage well. These people are easy to find, as everyone wants to work with them. You can volunteer to help them or work with them more closely on a project. You can build your network with both managers at the same level as your boss and those higher up. Ensure you only look for managers who can create the right environment for their employees. This network should be built with integrity and a positive purpose. It is essential to maintain the professional relationships you have made with your boss.
Remember: Your boss is more effective than you!
It is the number one lesson:
Your work will be more accessible for you and your coworkers if you manage your boss. You can be a more effective boss.
Although this article may not address every problem you have with your boss, it will help. Every situation is unique and different. Some suggestions may work, while others might not. Understanding your situation and finding ways to manage it is essential.
These suggestions are not meant to be used in isolation. Each boss and every situation must be considered individually. Effective time management is worth the effort and even the risk.
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