To manage your boss you need to know how to:■ Get agreement from him or her on what you want to do.
■ Deal with him or her over problems.
■ Impress him or her, so that they are more likely to accept
your proposals and to place their trust in you.
GETTING AGREEMENT
Getting agreement from bosses is in many ways like getting
agreement from anyone else. You need to be good at case presen-
tation and at persuasion. More specifically you need to do the
following things:
■ Find out what they expect.
■ Learn about their likes and dislikes, their quirks and their
prejudices.
■ Establish how they like things presented to them. Do they
like long, carefully worked out, written reports? Or do they
prefer a succinct proposal on one side of one sheet of paper?
Perhaps they are more likely to be persuaded if they are
introduced gradually to a proposal – a softening-up process,
as it were. It is often advisable to test the water before
plunging straight in. Some people prefer to start by talking
all the way around a problem before getting down to its
essential elements. They don’t like surprises.
■ Get to know how they like things done – by observation and
by asking other people. If something goes wrong, choose the
right moment and ask their advice on how to do it better next
time (most people love being asked for their advice).
■ Find out the right time to approach them. Some people are at
their best first thing. Others take time to warm up. It is obvi-
ously inadvisable to spring surprises on someone at the end
of a long hard day. Check on their mood in advance.
Secretaries or PAs can help, and it is always worthwhile
having these people on your side. PAs can be good friends
but bad enemies.
■ Work out the best circumstances in which to tackle them:
alone in the office, or over lunch, or driving at speed along a
motor way (there is a lot to be said for a captive audience).
138 How to be an Even Better Manager