Managing Your Boss - Part 2

Mike and Mark, As always, great

Mike and Mark,

As always, great podcast. I'll try and answer your question posed in this podcast to the listeners... The reason you want to know more about what kind of relationship your boss has with other people in the organization is that you might learn what communication style works best with your boss. For example, if one of your boss' peers has a more casual style of communication and seems to relate well with your boss, that would be an indicator of what kind of communication you might want to try in order to be most effective with your boss.

Dave

Mark - Just a guess here, but I have a

Mark -
Just a guess here, but I have a couple of ideas about why you should try to understand your boss's relationships around the organization. First of all, if I know where my boss stands with his peers and higher ups, I can adjust my dealings with those individuals to help my boss develop those relationships. I also know that when I need help from another department, I usually call those individuals that I know have a good relationship with my boss first because I can "use" my boss's relationship with them as a place to leverage from. Thanks for the outstanding shows and information!
Craig.

The primary reason to know the

The primary reason to know the relationships that your boss has within the organization is to learn the informal power structure of the organization. Many times a boss uses associates that he/she trusts within the organization to gather data and improve communications. It may also be beneficial to work with associates that are close to the boss ,if the situation arises, to ensure positive outcomes. Seeking guidance by bouncing ideas and responses to challenges with associates close to the boss may provide a window into how the boss may respond to your work. It may also be helpful to have an advocate in your corner.

Your boss’s relationships

Your boss’s relationships – why you need to know the who and where they stand.

Often your Boss is maneuvering the political minefield of the senior Executive world. Often there are those who have an “axe to grind” with your Boss over past “exchanges”.

You need to be sensitive to these executive relations so as not to provide arrows to be used against your Boss – remember the godfather – never let outsiders know there is an alternate view within the family.

It is very easy to make statements that you think are helpful to you or your Boss that in fact can be used to give away a strategy or a set of steps your boss may be taking to deal with the big picture.

Remember you may think you know what your Boss is dealing with at any one time – but you probably do not know 60% of the detail or how this is being played out at the Executive level.

Steve P

I will say two main reasons: 1st

I will say two main reasons: 1st interacting with people who has a good relationship with your boss will give you the possibility to see him not in a "vertical" way understanding how he behaves with collegues and his interests finally it will deliver you an inshight to better know your boss's style. 2nd you have the possibility to send indirectly messages to your boss through his relations sellingin the same time your image and your work

Mark, I think the reason to know

Mark,

I think the reason to know about the relationship your boss has in the organization is that you can :
* if the relationship are bad you can make things better; For example, if the relationship between my boss and the financial departement are bad, I will definetly have a perfect finance management and communication with this departement. And by making things better with the other departement, your boss will appreciate you differently
* if the relationship are good, you can use it to your advantage by building on it and reinforce the good relationship.
* as for the degree of the relationship (i.e.: really bad to really good), it will determine how much you have to work on the bad side or how much leverage you will get from the good side

--
Eric.

Aloha. I'm going to take a simpler

Aloha. I'm going to take a simpler approach: Knowing about the peer relationships your boss has is helpful because your boss is a person too-- this is their peer group. You want to know about their families to improve communication, same for their peer group. Sure, you'll learn about power games and synergies within the organization, but I thought this particular podcast was about improving communications, not gaming the system or the boss. Knowing about someone's peer group helps to know about them.

Great show! The reason why you

Great show!

The reason why you would want to know which of your manager's peers they admire (and despise) is pretty simple. People try to emulate and trust who they admire. As a direct, I could observe this to understand my manager better...therefore enhancing our relationship. I could try to take on some of the positive traits that these peers hold if I thought necessary.

Thanks and keep it up!

Mark

Understanding relationships is vitally

Understanding relationships is vitally important in business. Business is all about relationships. Being able to understand your boss’s relationship allows you to understand their position in the organisation, and by virtue of that, your position.

On a day to day level, this means:
- You can know how your boss’ boss will take your proposal. You can then respond accordingly.
- You can 'fill in the gaps' in your boss' relationships. Helping you get what you need to do done, help your boss, and help the organisation.
- You can avoid political errors.
- You can understand where information flows, and as such one of the unofficial hierarchies within the organisation.
- It can give you advanced warning of problems and changes in the organization.
- And with enough awareness, you can know where the information your boss gives to you, came from.

There are probably more, those few are the main reasons I do it...

Enjoy,
Michael.

Understanding your boss' personal

Understanding your boss' personal relationships is important, because HIS/HER relationships will affect YOUR ability to get things done. When there's tension between my Boss and one of his peers in another part of the organization, I can predict that dealings at my level with that other part of the organization are likely to begin from a position of tension, or even distrust. Knowing this, I can adjust my approach, and perhaps try a little harder to build confidence with my counterparts, in the expectation of creating a working relationship that can operate effectively, below the level of the squabbling elephants.

Thanks,

Len

Different stiles, moods, approach,

Different stiles, moods, approach, tactics toward different depts. in the organization depending on my boss' relationship.
PierG

Mike, Mark, I'm a first-time

Mike, Mark,

I'm a first-time listener, this was a very interesting show with many ready-to-use ideas. Great stuff! Regarding your question, I'd say that the main reason to better understand your boss' own relationship environment is to help develop a more trusting relationship with him/her. After all, what happens to our boss is likely to have a direct impact on us. I think this has been argued by other listeners (just skimmed over some prior postings), I'd add that trust makes communications and relationships flow better, even if there's disagreement. We're obviously talking of a practical degree of trust, not necessarily on a personal level.

Cheers,

Alex

Understanding your bosses'

Understanding your bosses' relationships can also be a key to understanding what drives decisions/directives they make for me. Let's say your boss has a poor relationship with HR. That distrust might be the predicate for increased scrutiny over reviews, rather than any kind of organizational directive or personal issue with your or the team's performance. It gives a more complete picture of why certain calls and expectations are being made, and helps you to read between the lines a little.

To all our great listeners/members who

To all our great listeners/members who posted answers to our question:

First, thanks! It was great getting so many responses so quickly.

Second, EVERYONE whose post is above this one (who posted before now) is going to get a book! We really appreciate your efforts, and we really like these books.

To Dave, Craig, and Roger, SPECIAL thanks and kudos for responding so quickly.

Please send us your mailing address, to show@manager-tools.com, and we'll get you a book (tell us which one you want). It may take a few weeks, but we'll get it to you.

Finally, among all the great answers, several of you were very close to the core answer we were looking for, and ALL of your answers were accurate. WELL DONE!

The most important reason for you to understand your boss's relationships with others in the org is that it will make it easier for you to give your boss what he or she wants. Some of that is communication, some of that is leverage, some of that is goals and objectives.

But regardless of the underlying reasons, we asked the question to remind you that keeping your boss happy is a good tactic.

It's a privilege (and great, great fun) to serve you all,

Mark

another great topic. I have a pretty

another great topic.
I have a pretty good relationship with my boss but he runs afoul of some of our management. I pay attention to his relationships with the other managers in the company to help smooth out communication between them. My boss is not a native english speaker so I often help "translate" the intention of some comments. any tips on mind reading?
It is also interesting to learn more about how the other managers interact with my peer level counterparts. We trade war stories and help each other deal with our bosses.
thanks again for all the time and effort you put into this podcast. It has been a great help to me.

jburns - good thinking. What

jburns - good thinking. What nationality/native language is your boss? Both I and another subscriber have teaching English as a Second Language backgrounds - I bet one of us could track down some good cross cultural articles for you (ie, what an Anglo-American usually means when s/he says xyz, and how a Venezuelan might interpret it based on background and etc)

Hi Mike and Mark First of all,

Hi Mike and Mark

First of all, thanks for taking the time to produce these Podcasts. There informative and well set out. I think being ex-forces (RAF) I am in tune with your style, although I have to add a British attitude filter to some of the advice (not much though).

I found the managing your boss very good and it has reinforced the type of thing that I do. The problem that I am getting can be summed up in one word, ‘suspicion’. I have a boss that lives on their emotions and wants nothing less than perfection. My approaches to them to help have been met with a barrage of questions and suspicion that I am questioning the way that they manage. I am now toning down what I do and meeting their emotion with your feedback model i.e. keeping to facts. I think that it is working. Time will tell.

Re: Cross-culture (jburns &

Re: Cross-culture (jburns & jschnople)

Given the praise for Friedman's latest book in the podcasts, the questions above, and the realities of modern business (textbooks for Spanish speaking immigrants to the US are printed in China and proofread by people all over the planet), I would be interested in comments on what aspects of the Manager Tools advice one should expect to be modified by cross cultural issues.

I could imagine an entire podcast. But even some comment on individual items would be good. For example, in Japan, it seems difficult to associate with your boss' peers to learn about your boss, although in the U.S. a casual question at the cooler is ok. Conversely, in China there are many questions one might ask a virtual stranger, that would not be asked in the US (e.g. marriage status and payscale).

Of course, this may be asking too much as even a very talented group such as yourselves could be expected to know only a couple other cultures- not the whole range of possible cultural interaction. Perhaps a request for comments on these issues at the forum, post podcast would be best as it would allow specialists from particular areas to be heard.

I would like some pointers on how to

I would like some pointers on how to deal with language barrier but I'm not sure this podcast is the forum. does anyone know of helpful sources of info?
My boss is French. I work with engineers from South America and the Middle East. One of my team is from China, the others are American but I still feel I need a translator for them sometimes:)
I am learning basic Mandarin for trips to manufacturing sites and I know how to curse in French for project review meetings.
Culturally, there have been missteps with my French, American and Chinese coworkers but nothing too serious that I know of. I have tried to find sources for information but have not found anything applicable. Any leads would be appreciated.

[...] In “Managing Your Boss - Part 1”

[...] In “Managing Your Boss - Part 1” and “Managing Your Boss - Part 2“, they’ve run through the five aspects of their process/methodology for establishing a good/better relationship with your boss, and understanding where they’re coming from. As I was listening, as with my earlier piece on their Development Challenge, I was taking notes, and these are represented in the images and link that follow. As I was working through the pieces, I was already thinking that I’d offer something up on my site, from the reverse of their perspective - for the folks that have, do or will work for me, so that they have an idea of some of the things I might want considered. Sure enough, sharing these concepts with your team is one of the summary points identifed in the podcast. [...]

Boss Tip #6: Why know your bosses

Boss Tip #6: Why know your bosses peers? Your boss’s peers are the people who provide performance evaluation feedback to the company about your boss and also help (or hinder) the boss at work. If you are ever in their presence of or do work for his peers, your comments about your boss can affect your boss’s career... and especially yours.

Offering sincere, positive comments or opinions about your bosses strengths and successes reflects positively on both of you. You will win respect and support from your boss’s peers. You will be part of the team, trusted, and may be invited to join the network.

If you speak negatively about your boss or his area of responsibility, to his peers, your career advancement is limited, if not over completely. (By not speaking at all about your boss you remain invisible and your career will stagnate.)

Perform well + make your boss look good to his peers = a career with friends and advancement.

Hi Some great stuff in these, so

Hi

Some great stuff in these, so thank you for that. Would you consider putting some material out on coping with bullies?

The basis of building relationships with bosses is, as you said, founded on communication. Communication of course relies on two people putting effort in, so if your boss is a bully or even just has a poor attitude and you cannot have effective communication......

Well, in these situations I think people would get a lot out of what you guys would say.

I hope you will consider it as it seems to lead on quite nicely from this recent topic.

Chris- Sounds like you're taking the

Chris-

Sounds like you're taking the right path.

And, sounds like life's too short to live too long with a suspicious boss. Listen to our 'cast on your resume, get yours in shape, ask yourself what you want to do and where you want to do it, and start looking. Maybe nothing comes up... but this kind of activity will make you a lot more effective if that suspicious boss becomes an angry terminator.

Mark

RGammon et al: Mike and I are

RGammon et al:

Mike and I are working on a show on cultural differences and their enormous affect on managerial behaviors. There are many, many issues here, and we may well bring in additional experts to help our community.

This is a GREAT topic in light of so many issues. We may have hundreds of shows to share, but this show has special resonance for many of our listeners.

Great posts! It's a TREAT and privilege to serve you all.

Mark

Stephen- It's coming! I will

Stephen-

It's coming! I will probably add a brief commentary to an upcoming post on another topic.

(I'm generally not a fan of "coping", though. Life's too short, and bullies are vulgar, cruel, and mean-spirited - not who you want for a neighbor.

Mark

I realize i am late in posting. But I

I realize i am late in posting. But I thought I might add my two cents.

Understanding how your boss relates to his or her peers, and other staff within an organization will give you a window into how your boss views you. Knowing how a manager relates to you will give you a better insight into the behaviors that please them or upset them in the work place.

I am a brand new manager, placed in a position in which nearly 75% of my DR's have been with the company nearly 15 times longer than myself. The techniques expressed in this podcast have opened my eyes in respect to actual "management skills" and not just hard work.

Thanks.

Matthew- Thanks for the kind words.

Matthew-

Thanks for the kind words. You're right about the value of understanding your boss's relationships - good catch.

We're glad we're helping you become an "actual" manager. Keep us posted, and let us know how we can help.

It's a privilege to serve you.

Mark

simple for me. If you take the time to

simple for me. If you take the time to know who your boss interacts with, you will eventually start seeing you boss as a "real" person instead of a position (above you). You may feel that your boss is a (enter you descriptio here), but the fact is they have got to their position for a reason - they have positives and if you don't see them for the person they are, you'll continue to struggle to identify with them.

Anthony- Well said. All too often,

Anthony-

Well said. All too often, we see one side of our boss. If you're a part of Manager Tools, it's likely you are or will be someone's boss.

Smile at people on your way up - you'll see them on the way back down....

Mark

I was infact searching for a site to

I was infact searching for a site to get some idea how to mange my interesting type of boss.I am holding the post of an Asst Manager, managing a very unique boss. Somehow my responsibilities allow me to remain neutral.He likes to create poblems and then try solving them. He is too overconfident and lands up in trouble and will blame his juniors. He is suspicious about the technician, sweeper, matron, other doctors, has not even spared his patients. He keeps friendship with politicians, union activists and correspondents.Another interesting feature is his ability to break relatioships between people in the same department by rumors fabricated by him from his imaginations!! He is fond of using filthy language and likes to gossip all the time. Still he has been succesful and reached a very high post. Any ways to mange this phenomenon!???

Dr. Ajith- First, I have to ask,

Dr. Ajith-

First, I have to ask, have you listened to our cast on managing your boss?

Mark

Hi Mike and Mark Did you happen to

Hi Mike and Mark

Did you happen to catch Jared Sandberg's column in today's WSJ (5/22/07)?

Was it suppose to be satire? The idea of not communicating with my boss seems ridiculous.

Either way, the article caused me to re-visit these podcasts. Thank you for a more reasonable approach to managerial communications. I have a new boss as of Monday, and plan to apply your suggestions.

Thanks again
Curt

Curt- I did, and I don't know why he

Curt-

I did, and I don't know why he gets a column for the stuff he writes. I actually wrote in once, and he now asks me for input on such things. I've realized that what gets printed isn't always what you want, and so I don't respond any more.

I just thought it was idiotic, and a slur on communications training. I won't ask him to come here and listen to our stuff, but I wish he would.

Mark