When 'Managing your boss' was first published in 1980 in the Harvard Business Review, it was a relatively unknown concept. Until then, most companies operated top down--the boss told you what to do, and you did it.
John J Gabarro and John P Kotter's article turned that concept upside down. Instead of waiting for the boss to make decisions, employees should understand the types of constraints and pressures their bosses are under, so they can better work together. It was particularly important as technology and globalisation spurred the evolution of business.
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Fast forward to modern times. Those issues are more prominent than ever. Perhaps that's why 'Managing your boss' is one of the most popular Harvard Business Review articles of all time. It's in the top 20 of cumulative sales since publication and was recently repackaged into a small book.
Gabarro reflected on why almost 30 years later 'Managing your boss' is still relevant and offered tips on how today's employees should accomplish it.
What do you mean when you say managing your boss? Do you mean communicating with him or her?
Communicating but also, understanding the world your boss operates in. Find out what the constraints and pressures are that she experiences. Get some sense of who her boss is. Also, what are her idiosyncratic needs as a person? What are her strengths and weaknesses? And try to mold your style.
Isn't that just not being selfish?
To some degree, yes. Every relationship is a two-way deal. This one has asymmetric power. But the boss is dependent on you. If you don't come through, the boss is in trouble. Most relationships are more effective if you understand the other person. If you do, it's easier to work out a set of expectations.
How do you go about understanding your boss?
Most people figure that out. They observe from the boss that he or she is fabulously creative, quick and decisive but is a bloody disaster when it comes to organisation. You may have the opposite problem--a boss who isn't decisive and it's very hard to get a decision out of him or her.
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Either way, anticipate the weaknesses and try to do something so the weaknesses don't cause you a problem. If your boss is always late in getting you the material needed to do your job, start asking for what you need from him or her earlier so you're not in the lurch. If you have the resources, you can help the boss get stuff together.
Let's say you're a consultant, and you have a deal that is eminent, but Christmas is coming up. A pile of the work can be done beforehand. Your supervisor is also working on two other transactions. Go up to the partner and say: "There are all kinds of due diligence that can be done before the holiday. Why don't we do it now so we don't have to have a team working over Christmas?"
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Another proactive step is, after a month or six weeks on the job, have a conversation with your boss about goals. You might say, "I'm learning the basics of the job. It would be helpful for me to have a good idea of your goals and priorities." Bosses welcome that. A very useful question for all employees to ask their boss is, "What are your major priorities? What are the hot issues now that the department is facing? In what ways can I and the rest of the team help on that?"
This is a very modern topic because of globalisation and all employees having to do more with less. But you and John Kotter wrote this article about 28 years ago. Why do you think it's still relevant?
The world has changed in a lot of ways. The good news is, managers are more sophisticated and around these issues. The bad news is the pace of business in general has really accelerated. That's driven by much better competitiveness and by technology. Work occupies more and more of our time.
People are working harder today than 27 years ago. It's a much more competitive world, and most of us are on 24/7. It's a cliche, but it's true.
That's changed the nature of pressure on your boss. If you telecommute, you're working more often. There's less of a relationship and more work. The number of subordinates the average boss has is a lot larger now. You get a smaller piece of your boss. That means you have to manage him or her even more. Bosses are simply a lot more overloaded.
