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It
is all about being an effective subordinate |
Most
successful people enjoy a great relationship with their boss. DNB
Singh says that you can manage your career better if you can
manage your boss well
Largely
the responsibility of the subordinate, boss management is a crucial
skill—the absence or presence of which will dramatically alter
your career graph and affect you and, of course, your boss.
Successful
careers have a common element running through them and that is excellent
boss management. Boss management implies intelligent handling of
the upward relationship with those who matter. Since the support,
help and encouragement of your boss will nudge your career upwards
now and in future, your motivation and job satisfaction is derived
from the strength of this relationship. In other words, you can
manage your career better when you manage the boss well.
Boss
management is not same as managing a tricky situation, problem or
business proposition. It is all about being an effective subordinate.
Let
us examine the basics of boss management:
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Establishing strong, professional interpersonal relationships
with the boss and those seniors who are directly or indirectly
involved in your work;
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Establishing a rapport and doing your bit to create a conducive
environment for interaction, based on mutual trust and dependability;
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Working with your boss in a planned, conscious way to obtain the
best results for the team, for your boss and for yourself.
In
an effort to establish a wonderfully effective relationship with
the boss and others in authority, I once had a colleague who diligently
memorised the birthdays, wedding anniversaries, etc, of his superiors.
When asked how that benefited him, he used to say “bosses never
forget the one who remembers”. You have to:
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Get to know as much as you can about the boss. Start by remembering
that he/she is a human being with strengths and weaknesses. Understand
his/her pressures, personal adequacies and inadequacies.
-
Adjust and adapt to their profiles and management styles.
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Understand your own profile as a subordinate and your preferred
style in managing the boss relationship.
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Make an effort to understand the qualities your boss admires most
in subordinates and make a note of those qualities that he/she
finds irritating. Look at factors common to those in the hallowed
inner circle, people who relate with him or her well. Make an
attempt to develop some of these attributes.
Sometimes,
bosses want subordinates to do things exactly as they do. Other
bosses want subordinates who possess qualities and attributes they
lack. To find out what you need to do, examine how the boss manages
his or her boss. Is it through total obedience and accommodation?
Then a similar approach would be preferred from you.
Do
not stand on judgement. Whether the boss is right or wrong is not
important. Just try to understand the bases of his or her actions.
Get to know all you can about the boss at the workplace, by indirect
questioning of the people around you. But don’t try to get
even with him by devious means. That will lead you to a disaster
as it once led a friend of mine. Listen to his story in his own
words:
Many
years ago, I happened to live in the same society as my former boss.
He was in the habit of bending rules for personal gains. He used
to finalise his fishy deals at his residence. I got into the habit
of ferreting out the information about his visitors from the security
guys and publicised these at the office. That was my way of getting
even with him. Smart isn- ‘t it? At the annual performance
assessment he fixed up my career in such a way that I had to forget
promotion for five years. I had to find a new job.
In
your understanding the boss, his or her negatives will overshadow
the positives. Do not pass any comments or share your opinions with
your colleagues. The best strategy in building a good boss relationship
is to keep your mouth shut about the negatives. If you don’t,
it could just as well be you making this statement:
-
I shared a few negative points of my boss with a close friend
who promptly added spice to my comments and passed it on to the
boss landing me in trouble. Me and my big mouth.
But
there are no ready-made formulae to deal with the boss. The style
you adopt depends much on the type of boss you have. Adapt to his/her
behaviour and management style whatever it is.
There
are different types of bosses:
The
nurturing, empowering boss
Normally
gives you a free hand, is available for guidance and support. The
danger with this type is you may create a semi-parent out of this
one, which results in dependence. Be careful. Otherwise, this is
a boss style you can look forward to.
The
benevolent monitor
Gives
you freedom, at the same time monitors your work closely. What this
one actually needs is feedback and data on all the happenings and
activities. Such bosses help you focus on results.
The
cut-and-dry boss
Always
distant, non-personal, and hierarchical. Believes in minimum talk.
Do your work and keep away. Developing an interpersonal relationship
with such bosses takes time, but is very, very satisfying.
The
non-delegator
This
type abounds in the work market. Does everything himself. You do
it and he will redo it. You check and he will re-check. A frustrating
boss who has little confidence in himself, even less in you, calls
for a high level of adjustment. Such bosses expect you to operate
as errand boys or classically as “yes men”. When working
with a non-delegator, prepare to be marginalised, bypassed.
At
the same time, he will expect your appreciation since he works late
due to pressure of work. Pity him. Growth under such bosses is limited.
Therefore, get away from him as soon as possible. Till then, accept
his style.
The
over enthusiastic, result-oriented workaholic
Has
three pastimes in life—work, work and work. Prepare to sacrifice
your time, holidays, personal life and planning if you want to fall
in line.
Alternatively,
since you are in the formative stages of career-building, make this
investment. Give him/her your time and your energy in full measure.
Long-term results with such bosses are excellent.
The
critic
Loves
to criticise all that is done and not done. Perfect at finding holes
in your work. Hard to please. Hard to work with. However, once won
over, gives support help and empowerment...but continues to criticise.
The
risk taking decision-maker
Normally
does not expect (or has the time to wade through) completed staff
work. Adjust by giving the ‘pros and cons’ of any project
(in brief and not in detail, since he/she has neither time nor patience).
Sometimes, when things go wrong as a result of his/her quick decisions,
this boss is likely to blame you. To bring such situations to a
minimum, analyse data fully at your level before taking it further.
Additionally, help him/her analyse by going into greater details.
The
avoider-of-decisions
Believes
in orbiting of proposals to avoid decisions. Requests additional
data, studies so many alternatives that the proposal/ issue dies
a natural death. Don’t expect too much to be done under this
regime. Learn to work in the status quo. You will feel nothing moves
and nothing gets done. Most important, don’t share this suffering
with your colleagues as it will reach the boss duly spiced.
The
yeller
The
one with big lungs whose voice can be heard across the corridor
at the other end of the hall. Loves to reprimand in public. Also
praises openly. Normally has a golden heart. You will adjust after
receiving a few good shouts. You will miss him when he is on vacation.
Caution—do not get overpowered or cringe when the decibel level
rises beyond eight.
The
boss with a low flash point
A
version of the yeller. Highly emotional, highly volatile but normally
great at heart. When working with such bosses keep a close focus
on the assignment given to be handled. Also ensure close follow-up
on matters of importance.
Excerpt
taken from ‘Do Not Dig Your Grave and Bury Your Career’
by DNB Singh; Macmillan India Ltd.
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