Develop more productive habits in dealing with your manager. As a
professional in the business world, you care about doing your job the
right way. The quality of your work matters to you, both as a
professional and as a person. The company you work for cares about
making money and your boss is evaluated on that basis. Sometimes those
goals overlap, but the different priorities mean conflict is inevitable.
Take concrete steps to build a relationship with your manager that helps
both sides succeed.
Guide your manager to treat you as a vital member of the team who should
be kept as happy and productive as possible.
When your manager insists on a course of action you don't like, most
employees feel they have only two options: you can swallow your
objections, or you can leave. Neither option gets you what you want,
which is for your manager to consider your interests when making
decisions. Challenging your boss directly is risky, but if you
understand what really matters to your manager, you can build a balanced
relationship that works for both sides.
Provide timely good enough answers that satisfy the immediate need of
the boss to move forward. Use a productive solution to the Iterated
Prisoner's Dilemma to structure your interactions with management, going
along when necessary and pushing back where appropriate, without
threatening the loyalty relationship. Send the two most important
messages to your boss: I got this and I got your back, to prove your
value to the boss and the organization. Analyze your manager's
communication preferences so you can express your arguments in a way
most likely to be heard and understood. Avoid key traps, like thinking
of the boss as your friend or violating the chain of command
unnecessarily.
