Page 132 - HBR's 10 Must Reads for New Managers
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MANAGING YOUR BOSS
              Idea in Practice


              You can benefit from this mutual   Also, communicate your expecta-
              dependence and develop a very   tions to find out if they are realis-
              productive relationship with your   tic. Persuade the boss to accept
              boss by focusing on:         the most important ones.

               •  Compatible work styles. Bosses   •  Information flow. Managers
                 process information differently.   typically underestimate what
                 “Listeners” prefer to be briefed   their bosses need to know—
                 in person so they can ask ques-   and what they do know. Keep
                 tions. “Readers” want to pro-   the boss informed through
                 cess written information first,   processes that fit his style. Be
                 and then meet to discuss.   forthright about both good and
                                             bad news.
              Decision-making styles also vary.
              Some bosses are highly involved.
              Touch base with them frequently.   •  Dependability and honesty.
              Others prefer to delegate. Inform   Trustworthy subordinates only
              them about important decisions   make promises they can keep
              you’ve already made.           and don’t shade the truth or
                                             play down difficult issues.
               •  Mutual expectations. Don’t pas-
                 sively assume you know what   •  Good use of time and resources.
                 the boss expects. Find out. With   Don’t waste your boss’s time with
                 some bosses, write detailed   trivial issues. Selectively draw on
                 outlines of your work for their   his time and resources to meet
                 approval. With others, carefully   the most important goals—yours,
                 planned discussions are key.   his, and the company’s.





            price paid by Bonnevie (being fired and having his reputation within
            the industry severely tarnished), there was little consolation in say-
            ing the problem was that Gibbons was poor at managing subordi-
            nates. Everyone already knew that.
              We believe that the situation could have turned out differently
            had Bonnevie been more adept at understanding Gibbons and at
            managing his relationship with him. In this case, an inability to
            manage upward was unusually costly. The company lost $2 mil-
            lion to $5 million, and Bonnevie’s career was, at least temporarily,
            disrupted. Many less costly cases similar to this probably occur
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