Getting Along with the Boss

One of the most important actions you, as a middle manager, needs to do is develop a good working relationship with your immediate supervisor.  Our positions exist to support and assist those above us in the hierarchy.

In order to do that, we need to communicate with our supervisor.  Here is a short list of some key information we need:

• What are her primary goals? (Focus on the 1-2 that you can have the biggest impact on)

• What are her priorities right now? (Not just what is urgent, but what is important)

• How does she prefer to work? (Early or late arrival at work?, stay late, work weekends? in office, out on floor, at home, coffee shop?)

• How does she prefer to communicate? (Weekly or monthly reports?  Formal written, email, verbal, phone call, hallway report?)

Information such as this helps you to set priorities and provide your supervisor with what she needs to be successful.  With patience, it can even reduce or eliminate micromanagement by our supervisor.

One of the ways to communicate with your supervisor is to schedule a regular meeting.  In a that meeting, discuss three areas:

(a)  Report what has happened in the recent past.  Mostly this will be successes and progress you’ve achieved.  Sometimes it will be a heads up of negative issues that might be developing.

(b) Provide a brief description about areas or issues you intend to focus on in the near future.

(c)   Inquire about changes in your supervisors priorities.

The meeting should be short, maybe 15-30 minutes. Regularly scheduling this meeting will help you keep your supervisor informed and you on track supporting both your and your supervisors priorities.

Studies show that about 75% of all people who leave jobs, do so because of a poor relationship with their supervisor.  While a lot of the responsibility for relationships may be on the supervisor, each of us can improve the situation as we improve communication with our supervisors and managers.

What actions would you suggest to improve upward communication?

People Are Like Seeds

An experienced gardener recognizes that some seeds/seedlings grow better in certain climates and soils.  Instead of planting any seed in any climate or ground, she selects varieties that will thrive in the soil and climate where the garden is located.

As leaders in the workplace, the same principle applies.  The book Good to Great by Jim Collins tells us that the very best organizations ‘get the right people on the bus’.  They don’t get caught in the “he was the best  we could find” mentality (for proper effect, shrug your shoulders here with a resigned ‘sigh’) .  They search harder to find the right person for the job.  They carefully define the job so they know just exactly what qualities they need.  They structure the interview to gather the information that will tell them how well each candidate meets those criteria.  And if they don’t have someone in this round of interviews that will be a good fit, they continue the search.  Recently I became aware of a position that an organization finally filled after a year-long search.  They weren’t dragging their feet or just unable to make a decision.  They just had a clear picture of what was needed and were unwilling to settle for less.

People, like seeds, will prosper better if the situation and job fit their needs, temperament, personality, skill and/or knowledge level.

What steps would you suggest to better select the right people?

Communication & Weeds

Leadership is like growing a garden.  Tilling the soil represents our communication.  As we loosen the soil we remove weeds.  Weeds lead to wasted resources, wasted effort, and reduced productivity.  A leader that doesn’t eliminate the weeds in the workplace will have people that are doing the wrong things, in the wrong way, at the wrong time.

In the workplace, we eliminate weeds through effective communication.  And weeds crop up constantly in gardens and the workplace.  A few small weeds are a small problem, but if they are allowed to grow, they become large and numerous, and clearing them out takes substantially more effort.

To eradicate weeds in the workplace, I’d suggest leaders need to build multiple channels of communication with their subordinates.  A minimum of four channel types are needed – (a) informal one-to-one, (b) formal one-to-one, (c) informal team, and (d) formal team.

The informal one-to-one provides a setting to enable us to get to know people and build a positive relationship with team members. Also, it helps us pull small weeds as they come up.

The formal one-to-one gives us a forum to remove bigger weeds and provides a return/report function that builds accountability.

The informal team setting allows us to convey information that is important, but neither dramatic or traumatic.  This channel can stop weeds before they begin.

The formal team channel provides a setting for training, addressing broad issues and team problem-solving.  It is the place for the dramatic and traumatic that affects the entire team.

The leader that uses all four channels will have a well-weeded garden.

What are some of the methods of communication you’ve seen used effectively?

GPS & Middle Management

My wife and I decided to move to Texas to get closer to family.  My son came up to Utah to help me drive the truck with all our household goods.  As we travelled, I found myself comparing the way we travel today with how we used to travel a number of years ago.  Before technology, we would get a map or atlas that covered the area to be travelled and would mark the route with a yellow highlighter.  Particular attention was paid to transitions from one road to another, places where we could stop for gas, food, sleep, etc.

As we drove the road, if we got off the chosen route, it frequently involved stopping to refigure where we were and consider how we might get back on track.  It usually required extra time to make adjustments and get back on target.

On this move, we used a GPS.  It required no advance planning, maps, markers, or consideration for stops. We entered in the goal (an address in Texas), determined where we would sleep for the night, and let the GPS calculate the route.  We could have tried alternative routes, but chose to follow the GPS in this case.  The GPS told us about our next turn (a) two miles in advance, (b) a half mile in advance, and (c) as we needed to make it.   The one time we missed our turn (because we weren’t paying attention), it recalculated quickly what we needed to do to get back on course.

The GPS is a good analogy of the role middle management plays in an organization.  Upper management determines the goal and the basic course an organization should take.  The ability of an organization to adapt to changes in the workplace and market is greatly influenced by how well middle management recognizes challenges, communicates information up and down the structure, and adapts to changes required to stay on target.

What examples have you seen of how middle management helps keep upper management on track?

Leadership Basics ARE the Leadership Secrets

Over many years of training leadership and management skills, frequently someone will approach me looking for some different wording or new technique to help with a ‘difficult’ situation or issue. When I then share one of those ideas with the individual, sometimes I will get a response like, “Oh, I’ve tried that and it doesn’t work.” What many people fail to accept is the right words and techniques are only effective if leadership basics are in place.

A gardener knows from experience that when the roots are nurtured, the fruit, vegetable, or flower crop will be abundant, beautiful, and/or delicious. She also knows that when the roots aren’t cared for properly, the crop yield will be small and weak. Leading others can be compared to a gardener attempting to grow her garden.

So what are the basics that a leader needs to focus on in order to “nurture the roots”. I’d suggest the basics can be divided into 5 key areas:

• Trust & Respect – An effective leader will create an environment where followers trust leaders and leaders trust followers. They both show respect for others.
• Communication – A leader that truly understands the basics will foster broad communication, starting with listening. He will understand how to communicate clearly and positively. He will communicate one-to-one, in small groups, large groups, in-person, in-written or digital forms.
• Relationships – The truly effective leader knows team members and they know that she knows and care about them. They understand what motivates different team members, where they have been and where they want to go. The caring leader is concerned with their well-being, wishes and needs as much as their own.
• Direction – The dynamic leader not only understands where the organization is, where it needs to go, but also, how it will get there. He is able to communicate this so that his excitement and energy is absorbed by others.
• Accountability – A caring leader holds herself and others accountable for their commitments. She will discuss not only successes with team members, but mistakes and weaknesses. She cares enough to help individuals grow that she will not let an uncomfortable situation deter her.

To solve most of the problems in the workplace, leadership focuses on these areas first. Then the words or techniques become powerful and effective and people follow. The true secret of effective, powerful, caring, dynamic leadership is that focusing on the basics of leadership is the secret of every great leader!