Page 131 - HBR's 10 Must Reads for New Managers

GABARRO AND KOTTER
Idea in Brief

Managing our bosses? Isn’t that Example: This manager identi-
merely manipulation? Corporate fied the kinds and frequency
cozying up? Out-and-out apple of information the president
polishing? In fact, we manage our wanted. He sent ahead back-
bosses for very good reasons: to ground reports and discussion
get resources to do the best job, agendas. The result? Highly pro-
not only for ourselves, but for ductive meetings and even more
our bosses and our companies as innovative problem solving than
well. We actively pursue a healthy with his previous boss.
and productive working relation-
ship based on mutual respect and Managers often don’t realize how
understanding—understanding our much their bosses depend on
own and our bosses’ strengths, them. They need cooperation,
weaknesses, goals, work styles, reliability, and honesty from their
and needs. Here’s what can hap- direct reports. Many managers
pen when we don’t: also don’t realize how much they
depend on their bosses—for links
Example: A new president with to the rest of the organization, for
a formal work style replaced setting priorities, and for obtaining
someone who’d been looser, critical resources.
more intuitive. The new president Recognizing this mutual depen-
preferred written reports and dence, effective managers seek
structured meetings. One of his out information about the boss’s
managers found this too control- concerns and are sensitive to his
ling. He seldom sent background work style. They also understand
information, and was often how their own attitudes toward
blindsided by unanticipated authority can sabotage the rela-
questions. His boss found their tionship. Some see the boss as
meetings inefficient and frustrat- the enemy and fight him at every
ing. The manager had to resign.
turn; others are overly compliant,
In contrast, here’s how another viewing the boss as an all-wise
manager’s sensitivity to this same parent.
boss’s style really paid off:

Of course, one could argue that the problem here was caused by
Gibbons’s inability to manage his subordinates. But one can make
just as strong a case that the problem was related to Bonnevie’s
inability to manage his boss. Remember, Gibbons was not having
difficulty with any other subordinates. Moreover, given the personal
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