Managing your own boss sounds oxymoronic, at first. We often think about management as being a downstream action, with someone above managing you, and you managing those further down the chain. As it turns out, the most effective leaders do both: they take the responsibility of making sure tasks get completed and problems solved regardless. How does this work?
To be an effective leader, you have to do more than build a strong working relationship with your own team, you have to build that relationship with the people above you. The best way to do this is not by simply getting them to accept your ideas—you have to cement their trust in you. You have to show the initiative to do the work that’s best for the organization.
To expound on that further, let’s take a look at a video from the founder of Evil Genius Leadership Consultants, Jason LeDuc:
When challenges arise that need solutions, consider them to a great opportunity to forge stronger relationships with management. To that end, LeDuc gives an example from his own life from when he served in the Air Force. He explains that he had a project with a couple of different possible solutions, but he was unsure as to which would be best. He approached his Wing Commander and asked him which one sounded best to him. The commander said, “Jason, I’m a colonel, you’re a captain. You’re the project officer. You figure it out.” Then the commander said, “Listen, I don’t mean to be mean about this, but I trust you—you know what you’re doing. You’re the expert on this. Tell me what you think the best thing is to do.” Managing up is bringing the solutions up to the boss or big boss and telling them what you think the best course of action is, rather than saying you have a problem and don’t know how to figure it out.
Here are LeDuc’s three tips on effectively managing your boss:
1. Bring Solutions, Not Problems
Anyone can bring a problem to the boss and say, “What do you want me to do?” Real leaders, on the other hand, think about the problem and come up with their own preferred solution and a couple of alternatives before presenting it to the boss. The point is that you’re bringing solutions to the boss, not more problems. Your boss already has a lot to worry about. By coming up with your own answers, you’re demonstrating that you have the best interests of the company at heart, and you’re simplifying their job in the process.
2. Solve More Than Your Own Problems
As you consider what’s going on in the business around you, especially as you consider the problems you’re trying to solve, think about how your boss will view the information you’re bringing, what his or her concerns are going to be. This is especially useful if your boss answers to someone else above them, you can even reflect on the pressures he or she will face as well. If you can help anticipate and solve your boss’s problems even before you even explain yours, you’re going to be effectively managing upwards. Your boss will know that you’re doing what’s right for the company even beyond the scope of your mission.
3. One Challenge Rule
To effectively manage up, remember that you don’t want to be arguing with your boss. Sometimes the solutions you bring will get shot down and flatly rejected. That happens. After all, he or she is the boss, and it’s their job to ultimately decide. (If you’re in a position to lead others, you expect your decisions to be respected, right?) That said, LeDuc has come up with something he calls “The One Challenge Rule,” which means that if you disagree with your boss, you get one opportunity to say, “Boss, I think you’re making a mistake. Here’s why,” and lay out your case respectfully, calmly, and logically—not emotionally. Let the boss think about it. Maybe he or she changes their mind, maybe not. If the boss still decides to reject your solution, that’s okay. You accept that decision and commit to execute it the way he or she wants.
Consider LeDuc’s tips the next time you have a meeting with your boss (or their boss, etc.). Keep in mind that what you’re doing is building a strong relationship with the leadership above you, which will encourage them to place trust in you that you’re focused on what’s best for the company. In the end, you’ll be seen as a team player and someone who should be trusted with more responsibility in the future, which will ultimately result in promotion.
Like everything else, leadership is a learned skill, one that requires practice and regular commitment. Want to learn more? Reach out to us at The Brandt Group, and we can guide you on your journey as a leader. And the best news is that we don’t just offer tools for you as an individual: we can help solve the other problems your business is facing, too. Whether it’s lagging sales, slumping customer service, unhappy employees, labor shortages, or whatever else, know that we specialize in maximizing the customer experience for countless businesses all across the country, the kind that inspires long-term loyalty. So, ask yourself this: Why not yours?
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