The Wall Street Journal has some good advice on how to manage your boss. A summary of their thoughts:
The best approach, the kind truth method, involves honestly empathizing with the manager's situation, and expressing that empathy. By appreciating what the manager is facing and why he might be struggling, you open him up to hearing a well-intentioned suggestion about how he can do a better job.
How do I know this works? Because for many years I used it and found myself rewarded for doing so by my superiors. I was the guy that people pushed into the CEO's office and said, "You tell him!" Virtually every time I spoke the kind truth, I found that the CEO listened to me and heeded my advice. Over time I found that he started turning to me. He knew I wouldn't rant and rave at him, nor kiss up. Instead, I would offer candid, helpful advice.
If you can get to the point where you can speak honestly with your boss and he/she values that input, you've got it made! It's another way you can make yourself more valuable and demonstrate that you deserve a raise/promotion when the time is right. Then again, if you never get to this point, it's not a huge disadvantage since most people don't.
I think much of the success in this area depends on the boss and his willingness to listen to the truth. I've had bosses that wanted open, honest feedback and took it seriously. Then I've had others that didn't want to hear ANYTHING that could be construed as negative and/or constructive criticism. Try all you like with these sorts and you'll still probably get nowhere.
One final point on "managing" your boss. I've found that a weekly update not only helps you promote your career, but also helps you manage the projects/tasks your boss gives you. If she wants to add something new, you can seek to understand where it fits within the priorities of what you're already doing (as demonstrated by your weekly update). And if time is a crunch, you can always say something like, "Which of these projects I'm currently working on needs to be postponed or abandoned so I can take on this new task?" Believe me, this works like a charm (with a sane boss, at least) at really determining whether or not the new assignment is really worth pursuing.
Comments