People leave managers not organizations; 60% people feel that the most stressful part of their work is their boss; I start breathing normally when my manager is out of the office; my manager is a sadist who loves to highlight my flaws; crazy, workaholic, sadistic; these statements about managers represent a large majority of people working in the organizations. While academics and organizations are obsessed with all types of management theories and practice like Strategic Management, Team Management, Cross Functional Management, Leadership Management, very few actually study, counsel, coach and train people in the most important aspect of professional relationship and that is how to manage your manager.
The acceptable mantra is that it is all about leadership potential and training. The concept of leadership is top down ie your supervisor and manager is supposed to be a good leader if he has been promoted to lead you. Correct in principle but incorrect in practice. People become managers not because they have great leadership potential but because they have better functional performance. A software developer who creates some wonderful software designs is promoted to become a manager of software developers. This is a typical promotion criteria in majority of the companies. This particular performer is assumed to be a good manager, assumed to know team development strategies, assumed to deal with personality clashes, assumed to be a counselor and coach. These assumptions are nearly always too presumptuous and thus end up in not only killing the potential of the star performer as he struggles to manage people but also the rise of people under him who find themselves becoming victims of raw and ungroomed bossiness.
The best way to kill potential is both premature and post-mature promotions. However these are industry norms. It is imperative to understand that rarely you will find a natural born leader who will understand the team and get the best out of them. Thus if we are bound to be subject to managers who were probably good at their own work but are not adept at getting work done from others then we need to learn how to cope with these managers. The wish to have better managers is wonderful but not useful. If we keep on waiting for our managers to change we will keep on waiting. This wait maybe so long and painful that it may become impossible to progress.This lack of progress would make the employee even more demotivated, therefore giving his boss all the more reason to target him/her.
Managing is thus not just a top down process but managing up and managing across is equally important to be a successful professional. Managing up is normally considered as a process of bootlicking where anybody who is close to the boss is automatically considered as a part of the favoritism and nepotism cycle. While that may be true partially, it doesn't mean that all people who have a good relationship with their bosses are either blessed with angel managers or are just plain lucky. The key to successful management is the ability to handle relationship management at all levels and to handle relationship management you need to practice key lessons that have stood the test of time. The five essentials to manage your manager are:
i) Over deliver: The best way to make your manager dependent on you is by constantly reaching and exceeding your goals. Each manager's own performance is dependent on star performers in his team and he or she is very apprehensive of losing their major target achievers. When you constantly outperform targets, the manager will not only be forced to acknowledge you but be very wary of any signs of your considering a better place. Once you become a key asset to the team he will make concessions for you. Thus the safest way to manage your manager is to make yourself professionally indispensable for him.
ii) Treat him as your most important customer: Your manager is your most important internal customer. Even if the customer is difficult, try to understand him. Know his likes and dislikes; understand his moods; look for his style and adapt. If he is a numbers guy, make your presentations factual and if he is a conceptual guy talk about strategy. The bottom line is to give the customer what he wants in his style not in your own set style.
iii) Develop Trust: You have to earn the trust of your manager not just by performing well but also by developing a relationship where he or she is comfortable discussing all matters with you. For that, spend time on being a good listener to his issues. Just let him become comfortable in sharing problems of team without giving advice. Managers love a good audience and you can really become that if you focus on it.
iv) Takeinterest in his interests: Understand the personal passion of your manager. If he loves cricket ask him about it and become a student of cricket who is learning from a teacher. If he loves golf or food or cars make sure that from time to time you send him some information on it and then ask him to educate you on it. Never try to become the expert. Let him be the master coach.
v) Be assertive not aggressive: Conflicts between manager and employee are normal and if managed well they are healthy too. Avoid answering and trying to prove your manager wrong. Let him vent out. Appreciate his point of view and then taking his view adds your view to it. It may require many sittings to reach a mutual view but don't jump in and don't give in.
Managing people is the most challenging aspect of professional life. Those below may not have the choice of not being managed by us but those above have the choice of doing away with us if we don't make ourselves core to their targets, solutions and interests.
(The writer can be reached at andleeb.abbas1@gmail.com)