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Truth 7. Honor Your Boss: It Pays to Adjust to the Way Your
Boss Likes to Do Things
In some countries, employees may subordinate their own
profile to that of their boss. They strive to help their
bosses look good, and may even do their work, or speak on
their behalf, to help them out of tricky situations. Such
practices might seem alien, even inappropriate, in the
typical American office. Yet a good relationship with your
boss makes all the difference to your career potential.
All good relationships take work. Maybe you are one of the
lucky ones, blessed with great boss-employee communication,
synching perfectly in thinking and working styles? However,
it is more likely that your working relationship has its
share of gripes and misunderstandings; you’d like more
direction, you’d like less, you’d like to be listened to,
you’d like your boss to understand what you are saying. So
what do you do?
It’s tempting to assume that your boss should spot when
things aren’t working. After all, it is his or her job to
manage you. Remember though that your immediate manager is
likely to have more than one subordinate and won’t change
his or her habits just for you. You, in contrast, have only
one or perhaps two bosses and can invest effort in adapting
to their needs. Honoring your boss is about going out of
your way to find what works for him, rather than expecting
him to figure out how to work with you. If you can subtly
effect a change for the better, your boss will notice the
improvement and think more highly of you. And in a large
organization, an appreciative boss is the conduit for news
of your talent and success to travel up the hierarchy.
Jean, working in Asia, reported to a boss halfway across the
world who seemed to concentrate all her attention on people
close by. So, Jean took care, each week, to call his boss to
talk things through with her. To his frustration, despite
these efforts, the boss never quite remembered what they had
discussed, no matter how often information was repeated.
Then Jean tried a new tack. He started to draw up a
discussion sheet of key issues, and found a reason to visit
headquarters more often, armed with this list. With the
sheet before her, the boss suddenly got much “smarter.” She
would carefully go through the items one by one, considering
the information and clearly taking Jean’s ideas on board.
Jean now uses the “cheat” sheet with her both in person and
on the telephone. The boss now thinks that Jean is “smarter”
and more reliable!
Different people take in information in different ways. Most
executives, in common with Jean’s boss, prefer reading or
seeing information to hearing it. If an approach doesn’t
work once, determine how your boss would like to be informed
rather than trying more of the same. A written list, a
plotted chart or verbal debrief? Regular updates or just a
review at the end? Either ask her directly or just observe
her habits, whatever you feel most comfortable with.
Communication may be a two-way process, but one party can do
much to alter the dynamics. It is in your interest to take
the lead, strategically but subtly, in communication with
your boss. Your actions can pay dividends. |
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