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Articles > Issues at Work > 5 strategies to manage your boss
5 strategies to manage your boss
The art and science of managing your boss
08th September ,2007
| How often do you blame your boss when you get frustrated at work? Why doesn't he/she give you more notice of new projects? Why doesn’t he/she give you more time? Or less work? Or more support? Or less interference? By learning to manage your boss, you can take back some of the control over the situation, and so try to ensure a good working environment for yourself. |
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Are your coffee breaks strictly timed at 15 minutes when your colleagues seem to stay out for 20 or 25 minutes? Is your cubicle the one right next to the washroom where someone from Shipping visits at 10:00am every morning like clockwork? Does your boss get a pained look on her face when you talk about career development? Or maybe you are having difficulty getting your ideas heard, or you’re not being taken seriously?
If you see yourself in these types of unfortunate work circumstances, the chances are that you need to work on your relationship with your boss.
People in positions of power and authority can make or break your career. Your boss is the gatekeeper to many of the things you want. He or she controls items as significant as work assignments, promotions, and increases in compensation.
However, bosses also have the power to influence the little things in the workplace that have a great impact on your everyday satisfaction. Things like your coffee breaks, your workstation assignments, your parking spot, and all the many other things that make work an enjoyable - or miserable - experience.
"Managing" Your Boss - A Key Skill
Clearly, knowing how to work with powerful people is a critical work skill. Just as you manage your time and your other resources, you also need to know how to “manage” your boss and other powerful people in your life.
This is where you as the subordinate shoulder much of the responsibility. You have to actively build the relationship - or else it has the potential to run right over you. Your boss’ motives may or may not be aligned with what you want to get out of your career. When you’re blessed with a naturally supportive and motivating boss, then building this relationship is not so much an effort as it is a joy. On the other hand, when you encounter a difficult boss (and you eventually will!) you need to develop some key skills for mitigating the negative effects and turning the relationship around.
Effective management of powerful people centers on you and your ability to be an effective subordinate. When you shift the burden of responsibility onto yourself, then you gain the sense of control you need to make the relationship work. This starts with recognizing that although you are subordinate, you can, and must, take action.
To start proactively managing the relationships you have with powerful people, consider the following techniques and strategies.
5 strategies to manage your boss
1. Accept that your boss is your boss
The first step in managing the relationship is to accept it. Failing to accept this is a problem that many ambitious people have, particularly if the boss is younger or comes from a traditionally disadvantaged group.
Your boss has the power and authority to direct your work. This is what you agreed to when you accepted your job, and it's why you get your paycheck.
Regardless of who the person in power is, you have to deal with him or her and make the best of the situation, so you need to get over any problems you have. So leave your ego and “attitude” at the door – even if you think you should have been the boss, you’re not!
2. Allow your boss to make mistakes.
People with power are not perfect, but neither are you. When you expect too much from your boss, he or she can only disappoint you. Keep things in perspective!
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