Managing your boss - Chapter summary from the Book \"HBR\'s 10 Articles for New Managers\" PDF

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Chapter summary from the Book "HBR's 10 Articles for New Managers"...

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Managing Your Boss HBR Reading Notes #5 Breeana Berumen October 2nd, 2019 Cal Poly Pomona Central Theme: The central theme of this article is about managing the relationship between manager and boss. Although it may not seem like an important job task, getting to know your boss can affect your success as a manager and the organizations profitability. Becoming familiar with your managers preferred work style and their objectives can help you do your job better. Managers who feel as though their relationship with their boss is not important are highly mistaken and this mindset will hurt them and their companies in the long run. It is vital to consciously work alongside your supervisor to obtain the best possible results for you, your boss, and the business. By getting to know your boss, you are taking the initiative to understand what he or she expects of you. In sitting back and waiting for your boss to ask for your contribution you are hindering success. The manager/ boss relationship is interdependent. They need your help as much as you need theirs. It is in your best interest as a manager to familiarize yourself with the ways your boss does their best work. Some bosses’ like to be completely engaged in every decision that occurs in the organization, on the other hand, there are bosses’ who expect their managers to figure out the actions that must be taken and want to be updated on the results. Understanding the strengths and weakness of the boss can better prepare you for the tasks at hand. For example, if your boss is a visual learner it may benefit you and your team by printing up visuals and sales numbers for your superior before a meeting. If this is not done, your boss can lose confidence in you and time is lost searching for that information. Managers often don’t realize how much their boss depends on them. They need cooperation, reliability, and honesty from their direct reports. People often dismiss conflicts that arise with a manager and their supervisor and write it off as a personality conflict although that is only part of the problem. Managers tend to make unrealistic assumptions and expectations about their boss-subordinate relationship. A manager’s immediate supervisor can play a critical role in connecting the manager to the rest of the organizational needs, and in obtaining the resources needed for the manager to perform well. Most managers think that their bosses will magically know when help is needed and in which areas of the business. Although, that is not always the case. Bosses are human; therefore, they cannot read minds and need to be informed when their presence and expertise is needed. They are often put on a pedestal and thought to be informed and up to date. Consider this, they also have a boss and constant pressure is being put on them to perform well. In contrast, there are some bosses who will spell out everything that he or she expects from a manager, but those instances are rare. It is a learn as you go process when dealing with someone new. Effective managers are aware of this and assume primary responsibility for their own careers and development. They ensure that they have all the information needed to be good at their job. A way to develop a strong manager-subordinate relationship is by understanding the boss, understanding yourself, and ensuring compatible work styles.

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Managing Your Boss Critical Analysis: Managing your boss requires you to understand his or her context. You need to appreciate their goals and pressures. Some questions that managers could ask themselves about their bosses are, what are my bosses’ strengths and weaknesses? What are their goals and objectives? How does my boss like to get informed, through phone calls, memos, or emails? Without this information managers are operating in the dark and it can cause unnecessary conflicts and misunderstandings. A big portion of a manager’s job is to operate in line with the bosses’ objectives in mind. If this is not clearly defined it can cause a major disruption in the operation of the company. There is nothing worse than being undependable to your boss. Managers who are not taking the initiative to be prepared or are not giving the full truth because they fear it may be upsetting can be perceived as untrustworthy. It is easy to shade the truth and playdown issues. Dishonestly is the worst trait for a subordinate to have because once a boss losses trust in you, everything you do has to be double checked for accuracy and you become a liability. The other part to a successful business relationship is getting to know yourself. Understanding yourself and the way you best operate is the process of learning your own needs, strengths and weaknesses, and personal style. This part of the boss-subordinate relationship is easier because you have direct control. You cannot change you or your boss’s personality, but you can become more familiar with certain traits. If you know what impedes or facilitates working with your boss, there will be quicker conversations and less misunderstandings. Disagreeing with your boss is normal but the way you approach those disagreements can make or break a business. If you know you resent authoritarian figures due to a problem that arose a child, it may be in your best interest to take a moment before responding to their ideas. By understanding the way you operate, it can improve the efficiency of daily tasks. Another important element of a good working relationship ensures a compatible work style. Subordinates can adjust their styles in response to their bosses’ preferred method for receiving information. Main Takeaways: I find this reading important because it has given me a better understanding as to why having a good relationship with my boss is important. Before reading this article, I knew that it was important for my boss to like me, but I did not think in dept about why. I have always thought a good relationship with your boss allowed for increased trust which would then lead to a promotion. That was my mindset yesterday before reading this article. I now understand that getting to know your bosses’ strengths and weakness can help you be a better manager. Leading an organization is more than a one-person job. It takes the responsibility of all employees who work for the business. By knowing your bosses’ style of working you can focus on how to better serve them and your organization. I am a hands-on person, but I know not everyone operates the same as me. It was foolish of me to not see the bigger picture and be blind regarding how my personality and work style fits with my bosses. Knowing what I know now has caused me to rethink how I interact with my boss. I am curious how I can make their lives easier with the responsibilities I have. I never stopped to think, “In what ways do I work best?”. A manager/boss relationship is interdependent, having the two be familiar with their ways to succeed helps the corporation as a whole....