When I coach leaders, one of the most common frustrations they cite is discovering an issue too late and being unable to resolve it before it creates a bigger problem. Manager-imposed time is a critical part of your schedule. In fact, if you choose not to dedicate time to keeping your manager informed and satisfied, the consequences can be fatal to your position and their trust in you. So, here are 3 reasons to invest time managing managers, and what’s in it for you.
Even if you’re an entrepreneur, you have a boss. That’s right, your boss is the person paying you. Actually, one of the greatest challenges for entrepreneurs is tailoring their vision of what they offer to match the desires of their clients. Perhaps we try to convince a client that what we have is what they want, without taking the time to ensure it meets their needs.
Whether you’re an employee or an entrepreneur, it’s useful to remember that the manager or the client influences gold – they’re the one’s paying you.
What Happens When You Don't Manage Managers?
Generally, it takes more of your time to manage the aftermath of ignoring your boss than it does to schedule manager-imposed time in your diary every day.
Consider this scenario. You have a problem in your team where an item is going to be delayed for client delivery. You dive into solving this problem and work with your team members to gain resolution. However, you’re so busy, you forget to inform your Manager of any potential impact. Therefore, your manager is blissfully unaware of any potential delay.
The Real Impact Of Poor Communication
You visit your Manager who has just put the phone down with the client with the delivery issue. Your manager is stressed and asks why he or she has just received a call from the client to say that if we can’t deliver tomorrow as per the agreement, we are in breach of contract and the agreement will be terminated. Holey Moley!
The manager asks how he or she is hearing this for the first time from the client and was in no way prepared to respond. The manager then questions you as to how this happened, when we were first aware and you recount the full story, feeling somewhat defensive.
Two Or More Heads Are Better Than One
Understandably, your boss then asks you one hundred other questions to understand how you chose to resolve the situation, who you did and didn’t inform and whether you considered five other options. You hadn’t.
In a controlled tone of frustration, your manager also asks whether you were away that the client had written a clause in the contract stating that late delivery equated to breach of contract. You weren’t.
Suppressing disbelief, your boss then asks if you’re aware of the financial impact of losing this contract and shares the sum with you. Your heart sinks and you weakly express that you thought you were taking ownership and responsibility and that you have found a good solution.
The Impact For You
Worst case scenario, you become the person responsible for losing that client. Not ideal. In the best-case scenario, a solution is found, on-time delivery is made and your manager implements an entirely new reporting structure for every project which takes up a great deal more of your time. Either way, it costs you, either in reputation or time and all your hard work and good intentions are futile.
Managing Managers Involves Questioning
The scenario mentioned above is all part of the learning process. If you choose to consider the benefits of open communication and these 3 reasons to invest in managing managers you may not have to learn the hard way.
Remember, empowering communication requires us to consider the following questions carefully.
- Could I know, see, understand that the other person may not?
- Is it possible the other person could see, know or understand something that I don’t?
In reality, the answer to these questions is nearly always ‘yes’. As a result, keeping others abreast of situations is a useful habit to start.
How Do We Best Manage Our Managers?
Developing the relationship with our managers or seniors takes investment and consideration.
Essentially, you can follow these key guidelines for support.
- Keep your boss informed. Even if you’re in the process of solving a problem. If your manager knows what’s going on they can offer support to improve performance or results and they can support you externally, in front of clients.
- Your job is to maintain the reputation of your boss. So, if your boss is the last to know about a situation that he or she has overall responsibility for, it can be embarrassing for him or her and it creates a perception of incompetence. Specifically, it makes you a high-risk team member – one to watch.
- Part of your role is to anticipate what your manager wants and needs from you. Naturally, your ability to predict improves over time.
- All opinions are not created equal. It’s your responsibility to share your opinion, even when it differs from your manager’s. Frankly, if three people in a team always agree, two of them are not necessary! Everyone has a different level of awareness in their dominant focus. When those awareness levels are combined, we get the full picture and this delivers choices. The loyalty aspect of this involves following a path contrary to your opinion if that’s what your manager believes is the best choice.
3 Reasons To Invest Time Managing Managers
Time
Time is a key benefit you gain when you manage your manager effectively. By predicting what our manager may require from us, and by keeping them informed, we free our time to work our role. When we become skilled at presenting our boss with everything they need, before they request it, they give us more autonomy.
Being autonomous with our time frees us to spend more time developing our team, connecting with our peers and developing our pet projects.
Learning & Career Development
When we manage our managers effectively, we have more control over the time we spend with them. For example, weekly 1-2-1 meetings can be spent learning from them or discussing future projects, rather than addressing problems and issues that are unresolved.
This positive communication with our boss allows us to expedite our learning and development. Specifically, we can see the business through their eyes, preparing us for promotion.
Additionally, managers are more likely to invest in training and development when they believe we can take responsibility for the learning we gain from it. It guarantees ROI on training investment.
Building Trust
The faster we build a trusting relationship with our managers, the quicker they choose to share their knowledge with us. What’s more, the sooner our boss trusts us to appreciate their perspective and deliver the needful, the more likely they are to develop and shape us for a more senior position.
Our managers feel confident to pass more of their responsibilities to us and include us in the planning of new and interesting projects. New projects mean broader experience. Whether we choose to remain in the company or spread our wings, more experience delivers better career prospects.
Taking ownership of your career path, learning and development and time can be achieved more easily when you accept these 3 reasons to invest time in managing managers.
Sometimes this involves setting our ego aside to get the best results. If you’d like some support in exploring further ways to empower yourself, get in touch to find out more.
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