Managing Your Boss – And Using the Most Important Tactic

Sometimes you can read an article that seems to have a timeless impact - one that touches multiple generations of people and can be applied to an almost endless series of business settings.  Such is the case with Geoffrey James’ blog on "How to Manage Your Boss" in the March 7, 2007 issue of BNET .com online.  In it, James asserts a variety of practices that you can undertake, most of which are founded in common sense and setting your own ego aside, to foster a compatible and productive relationship with your boss.

Regardless of your age, regularly undertaking activities that demonstrate a solid grasp of your business, as well as understanding your boss’s, will help enhance your job satisfaction and create a positive working environment.  I particularly like James’s concept of keeping your boss in the loop, which is a strong endorsement for proper communication.  Along these lines, I’ve always subscribed to my prime philosophy of managing your boss which is, “keep your boss well informed, but strive to keep your boss out of your business.” 

I know what you are thinking, “that has a ring of defiance to it that sounds counter-intuitive”, but let me explain by breaking that philosophy into two parts.

·      Keep your boss well informed.  In order to create the feeling by your boss that you are managing your business effectively, you must keep him or her informed of your accomplishments, ongoing projects, new strategies, and people management matters.  The best setting in which this can be shared is in a regular “touch base” session with your boss in which you review all aspects of your business.  These sessions should occur no longer that every two weeks and should last approximately one hour.  Your discussion should be comprehensive, yet presented in a somewhat summary fashion that displays that you are making decisive progress in your business.  Any new activities assigned by your boss should be noted and addressed during your next session.

·       Strive to keep your boss out of your business.  Sometimes your boss may introduce a new idea or issue and say he or she will explore it further before getting you involved.  You should not willingly allow your boss to take such a stance, for if you do, you are guilty of what I call “upward delegation.”  Don’t think that allowing this “monkey” to remain on your bosses back is going to make your life easier.  By doing so, he or she will now have the opportunity to delve deeper into an activity in your business and potentially steer it in a direction that may not be most effective for your area.  Take the initiative and insist that your boss allow you to research or solve the matter, and then give an update in your next touch base session.  This builds your accountability and helps solidify your boss’s impression of your business ownership.

This simple philosophy is at the pinnacle of the tactics to managing your boss.  Using the basic elements of regular and proper “touch base” sessions that revolve around your accountability will pay significant career dividends.