Mastering the Art of Managing Your Boss

Establishing positive working relationships with your superiors becomes essential for navigating the upheaval as your firm evolves in an unpredictable world. A bad relationship has many drawbacks, including diminished power, a lack of guidance or information, fewer resources, and less support for one's professional and personal growth.

However, consider the relationship as a collaboration where both parties are dependent on one another for success and have the ability to influence one another to enhance one another's performance.

With this in mind, you can use the following questions to improve the relationship. The focus is on the actions you need to take.

1. Are you meeting expectations? The key factor in building a good relationship with your boss is your ability to perform as expected.

• Results: Are you and your group producing the results as expected?
• Information: Are you informing your boss about what he needs to know and reporting progress?
• Support and loyalty: Forging a good relationship with your boss requires some support and loyalty. Do you have care and concern for your boss just as you want your boss to care about you, too?

2. Does your boss trust you? Trust is the glue that cements all relationships, and the one with your boss is no different. Can your boss count on you to "do the right thing?"

3. Does your boss trust you? Trust is the glue that cements all relationships, and the one with your boss is no different. Can your boss count on you to "do the right thing?"

4. Do you understand your boss as a person? Under the mantle of authority, your boss is a person who has hopes, aspirations, frustrations, strengths, weaknesses, and fears. He has a personal life, beliefs, social organizations, political views, and hobbies. Do you know enough about him to see the world through his eyes?

5. Do you understand your boss as a manager? Your boss has goals, plans, pressures, managerial strengths and weaknesses, preferences, and foibles. Do you know them?

6. Can you identify your boss's strengths? Most employees only focus on their boss's weaknesses and seldom look for their strengths! Do you know what the boss does well? What is it and how can you use it to learn and do your job more effectively?

7. Are you clear about what you need and expect? Identify what you need from your boss and succeed and do not make him guess. What can he do to help you? What can he do to provide resources, support from other groups, relief from distracting responsibilities, and clearer directions?

8. Have you discussed with your boss your growth, development, and aspirations? How can your boss help you grow, develop, and succeed?

9. Do you and your boss come from different cultures? Note that culture differs in their treatment of people in authority. You must compare the characteristics of both cultures. Do they differ in expectations and assumptions?

You must work hard to build a productive relationship with your boss! Initiate the strategies suggested. It is difficult to succeed without his support, and impossible in the face of his opposition. Endeavor to play an active role in making your relationship a partnership that benefits both of you.

Credit to Linda. A. Hill and Kent Lineback

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