From the pages of In Business magazine.
Bear with me on this example from the sports world because there’s a point to all of this. As a lifelong fan of the 2016 World Series Champion Chicago Cubs (still pinching myself to make sure it’s not a dream), I rarely have anything positive to say about the Chicago White Sox. However, I’ve always paid attention to the Sox. If nothing else, during all those lean Cubs seasons, I could always compare what I was enduring on the North Side to whatever it was the Sox were up to on the South Side of town. Often it wasn’t much better.
I can honestly say that I’m finally impressed with the White Sox. They were the consensus winner of baseball’s winter meetings back in December, coming away with a bunch of top prospects via trades and signaling they were ready for the short-term pain of a complete rebuild that could very well lead to the same kind of long-term success the Cubs — who suffered through their own gut-wrenching rebuild over the past several years — are poised to enjoy.
It’s actually not the team I’m impressed with though. It’s White Sox General Manager Rick Hahn, the architect of those moves at the winter meetings. What impressed me about Hahn was that he was the one front and center answering questions about the team’s various trade coups. In years prior it would have been Kenny Williams, the team’s president and former GM.
The word around baseball was always that Hahn may have the title of GM, but it was still Williams making all the big decisions behind the scenes. When things went good, Williams was always there to take credit. When things went bad, he was still answering questions and taking the blame, but always in the “I’m taking the hit on this one to help poor Rick out” kind of way.
Baseball’s winter meetings finally gave Hahn a chance to stand on his own, and he deserved it. He successfully “managed up.”
That concept, also known more simply as managing your manager, is hardly new, but it’s also not always easy to achieve. Even with the best boss in the world, sometimes you have to manage up to get the most out of the boss relationship and your job. Often this may mean making your boss look good, but if the boss looks good it should follow that the entire team looks good.
Here are several surefire ways to manage up and put you well on your way to having your boss step aside and earning the kind of freedom you deserve.
1. Observe and ask questions. Learn your boss’ weak areas and find ways to step up and fill in those gaps. At the same time, don’t just make assumptions, ask questions like, “How would you prefer I keep you up to date on my progress on this report?” or “What can I do to help ensure our team successfully completes this project?” If you know the pressure your boss faces each day you’ll better understand the demands or frustrations
he or she faces.
2. Have your say and then do what you’re told. Look, sometimes our boss doesn’t know what the heck he’s talking about. Sometimes neither do we. But your boss is your boss. You may disagree with a decision — and you should express why you disagree in a productive, non-confrontational way — but then you just need to follow through with what your boss is asking you to do. Provided it’s not unethical or illegal, not doing something just because you think you know better isn’t going to get you anywhere.
3. No surprises. Don’t give your boss any reason to question what you’re up to. Over-communicate. Even if you think your boss knows what’s going on, provide updates on your progress and any potential, unexpected opportunities
or challenges you’ve encountered.
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