Managing Your Manager

It is common knowledge that it is a manager's responsibility to supervise their staff and ensure that work that needs to be done is done. Few of us realize however, that every employee needs to manage their manager.

Managing your boss is really not as crazy as it sounds. Career counselors and workplace experts agree that the skill of managing your manager, or managing up, is essential. Especially today, when good jobs are sometimes tough to hold on to, and promotions are scarce; this is a skill we all need to hone.

There are three basic ideas to keep in mind in order to effectively manage your manager:

• Learn how they work.
• Know what they expect.
• Make the boss look good.

In order to learn how they work, you first must pay attention to his/her personality type. Determine if they are more logical or emotional. If the boss is a logical person, make sure you do your homework and present all the facts you can when proposing a new idea. On the other hand, if they are more emotional, catch their attention with an energetic pitch.

In addition, you need to know how they operate in the office. They may be the type of person who is focused and thinks only of work while they are in the office. They might, on the other hand, be one who likes to socialize for a few minutes before each meeting. Find out.

It is also important to pay attention to the dynamics of the organization and how your boss operates in it. Know the biggest issues they face and help them solve them. It also helps to find out what a project means to the people above you and your boss.

Secondly, you need to know what they expect. The best way to find this out is to ask. The sooner you do this, the better. You might try taking them to lunch. While it might seem intimidating to ask the boss to lunch, a recent survey by Office Team indicated that 83 percent of executives thought it was appropriate to ask a supervisor to lunch.

Lastly, make them look good. There is nothing your boss needs more than staff members who help get the job done. Know your job and do it well. Become a true problem solver. By providing the kind of support that helps your boss be more effective, you will be helping yourself be more successful. Remember, a big part of your job is to make your manager's job easier.

These few simple steps: learning how your boss works, knowing what they expect, and making them look good, will help you move up further and faster. By adding value to your boss, your team and your company, you will find that the corporate ladder is not as steep as you once though.