- Communicate with your manager the way they prefer to communicate. …
- Be tightly aligned with your manager on their expectations for your performance. …
- Know what your manager’s goals are. …
- Perform above-average.
How to Manage Your Boss Effectively | Paul Renaud
Why is it important to manage your manager?
If you want to have a good relationship in which you both respect and support one another, managing your manager is essential. The benefits of managing your manager include:
If you are working with a new supervisor, managing your manager will be especially helpful. It can help you and your long-term manager’s relationship get along better.
10 ways to manage your manager
When you direct your manager, you are modeling the behaviors and traits of an effective manager. This strategy involves communication, understanding, honesty and problem-solving. Here are 10 ways you can manage your manager:
1. Be honest
Give truthful responses when your manager queries you about your work or requests feedback on a task or project. Always take responsibility for your choices, even if they don’t produce the results you had in mind. Tell your manager what you can do to produce better results going forward. Accountability and honesty can help you win your managers’ trust and improve your working relationship.
2. Communicate
Have open, clear and frequent communication with your manager. Use their preferred method of communication—in person, via a business messaging app, via email, or over the phone—to observe, ask questions, and provide updates. Additionally, learn whether your manager prefers to contemplate strategies alone or with others. Respect their preferences and try to imitate their style.
3. Understand goals
Assist your manager in achieving their professional goals by finding out what they are. These could be short-term goals, like completing a project on schedule or hitting a sales quota, or long-term ambitions, like becoming the department’s head. Find ways to support your managers’ careers and show interest in them, and they might be more willing to support yours as well. When your manager reaches a goal, celebrate it.
You can also communicate your goals to your manager. To achieve your goals or improve your performance, consider taking on a new responsibility or managing a small team. If they are aware of your goals, they can take action to support you in achieving them.
4. Stay calm
Keep your composure in stressful situations and dynamic or fast-paced work environments. Your manager will benefit from your calm energy and poise, which will boost the performance of the entire team. In addition to making you a dependable colleague, maintaining your composure under pressure will enable you to work productively no matter what the circumstances may be. Try exercises like deep breathing, talking or thinking through the situation, and using humor or positive thoughts to lift the mood at work to remain composed in stressful situations.
Ask if you can assist your manager by taking on tasks that lighten their workload if you see them working under pressure or under a lot of stress. Your managers will be more productive and able to concentrate on running their department if their workload and stress levels are reduced.
5. Solve problems
Analyze issues as they arise and try to find solutions to them to make your managers’ jobs easier. Be assertive and address the issue yourself if possible. Offer your manager solutions to problems or suggest ways to improve processes. Send them an email or provide them with a list of potential fixes before offering to take care of them. Another option is to propose team problem-solving sessions with your manager.
6. Be positive
Be a source of positivity and optimism in the office. Try to see the positive side of things and let your manager know. Congratulate your manager on a job well done, completed projects, and accomplished goals. Your manager might be more inclined to support you and work with you to succeed if you act and speak positively.
7. Share your knowledge
Share your abilities or experience if your manager is lacking in that particular area. Offer tactfully to show your manager how to use a novel software, tool, or gadget, or make a training manual your manager can use as a resource. You are demonstrating your value to the company while also assisting your manager’s professional growth.
8. Be caring
Learn more about your manager personally and show that you care about their happiness and wellbeing. Inquire about their family’s well-being or recent vacation. Ask your manager if they want to talk about their challenges or stress levels, or what you can do to help. Empathy, which is the capacity to comprehend another person’s feelings, can help you build a stronger bond with your manager and win their respect.
9. Practice positive reinforcement
Praise your manager for making wise decisions or positive behaviors to reinforce them. Praise your manager, for instance, for treating a worker fairly or handling a delicate situation skillfully. You can motivate your manager to repeat those actions by highlighting them and giving them feedback.
10. Be a strong performer
If you put in the effort and deliver superior results, you can control your manager more easily. If an employee is a top performer, the manager is more likely to respect and value their feedback and opinions. Consider training or continuing education courses to gain practical skills or broaden your knowledge if you want to improve your performance.
