How to manage your manager
What helps employees to succeed in the workplace and
get rewarded with higher salaries? Unfortunately,
employees who focus only on producing good technical
work sometimes get neglected.
Dr Rob Yeung is an organisational psychologist at
leadership consulting firm Talentspace
The employees who get the most positive
performance appraisals and pay rises tend to engage
in a skill called upwards management – taking the
initiative to actively work on the relationships they
have with their managers.
Here are five pointers on managing upwards and
helping your manager to see you in a more positive
way.
Understand the need for upwards management
Some employees make the mistake of believing that
they can advance in their careers simply by being
assertive and asking for what they want. However,
research tells us that assertiveness may actually
backfire. In a classic study, academics David Kipnis
and Stuart Schmidt at Temple University found that
employees who demonstrated high levels of
assertiveness with their supervisors tended to be
evaluated less favourably by their supervisors.
These employees also reported more personal stress
and earned less than other employees who used
assertiveness less frequently.
Employees may believe that by being assertive they
are coming across as ambitious and demanding of
respect. In reality, though, managers tend to
perceive overly assertive employees as pushy,
presumptuous and bothersome. So, trust the data
showing that employees who engage in successful
upwards management – by changing their behaviour
to meet the needs of their managers – tend to
achieve greater career success.
Develop your observation skills
To begin managing upwards, watch your manager to
understand their needs, likes and dislikes. Business
school researchers have found that a skill called
‘sensitivity to the expressive behaviour of others’ is
linked to success in the workplace. So, be more
watchful of your manager’s facial expressions so
that you can identify your manager’s likes and
dislikes. What makes your manager frown or appear
disappointed or annoyed? What seems to please
your manager or at least make things less
complicated for your manager?
For example, does your manager mostly prefer to
receive updates in person, over the telephone, or in
emails? Some managers like being able to make eye
contact and ask questions; others prefer receiving
emails so they can take the time to reflect on how
best to respond.
As another example, consider how often your
manager likes to interact with direct reports. Certain
managers want multiple, short updates – maybe
even several times a day. Other managers prefer to
be left alone and to interact with their reports far
less frequently.
Adapt to your manager’s style
Once you have identified the ways in which your
manager likes to work, you can begin to alter your
behaviour accordingly. For instance, even if you do
not enjoy picking up the telephone to call your
manager, you may need to do so if you spot that
your manager prefers phone calls to emails. Or, if
you discover that your manager prefers to read
reports in slide presentations rather than emails, then
make the effort to communicate your updates in the
form of slides.
Adapting to your manager’s style is important
because you make life easier for your manager,
which will almost certainly lead to more positive
appraisals about your performance. In addition,
showing that you are adaptable and easy to work
with demonstrates your broader value to your
organisation; it sends a message that you could be
similarly flexible and easy to work with when
dealing with more important stakeholders such as
senior colleagues, as well as high-profile external
clients.
Focus on your manager’s strengths
Many employees find it easy to find fault with their
managers. For example, you may find that your
manager does not communicate enough or that your
manager makes decisions that you perceive to be
unfair. Or, perhaps you feel that your manager is a
micro-manager who does not give you enough
autonomy in your work.
However, studies have found that employees are
generally more successful in their careers when they
can focus on their managers’ strengths more than
their managers’ weaknesses. Researcher Randall
Gordon at the University of Minnesota, Duluth, has
found that a specific tactic called ‘other
enhancement’ is particularly effective for managing
managers.
Other enhancement is effectively about making
positive comments about traits, skills or knowledge
possessed by your manager. However, the same
research points to the fact that such positive
comments must not be viewed as insincere or
manipulative flattery.
So, by all means make positive comments about
your manager if you genuinely believe that your
manager possesses certain positive characteristics,
capabilities or expertise. For instance, you may
believe that your manager has many weaknesses
such as being unclear when delegating, indecisive
when under pressure, and terrible at listening to
reports. But if you honestly feel that your manager
is a charismatic presenter and good at business
development, then do find appropriate opportunities
to tell your manager that you recognise these
legitimate strengths.
Consider cross-cultural differences in what your
manager finds acceptable
Studies have shown that managers from different
countries tend to find different behaviours
acceptable. In one investigation, researchers Ping
Ping Fu of the Chinese University of Hong Kong
and Gary Yukl at the State University of New York
at Albany investigated the effectiveness of
influencing strategies in the United States versus
China. Their data showed that American managers
endorsed influencing strategies involving rational
persuasion and exchange more strongly than did
Chinese managers. In contrast, Chinese managers
rated coalition building and relationships as more
important than did American managers.
The wider implication is that what works in one
country for managing upwards may not be entirely
effective in another country. When you move to
another country, take your time to learn what is
deemed appropriate there. Make an effort to observe
how employees manage their managers; but also
consider asking your new colleagues for advice on
what to do – and what not to do – in terms of
managing your manager.
@robyeung
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Don't forget
You can access general careers advice on ACCA Careers.
