How to Manage Your Boss

Have you read Part 1 of this article? -  What NOT do do when managing your boss

Even the most inspiring of leaders can, at times, cause you to feel stressed and discouraged. 

Can leave you feeling that not only is your boat not being floated - you are on the wrong boat!

Let's take a look at what you can do to make sure that manage both your own and your boss's emotional state.

Tip 1. Walk a mile in Your boss's shoes

How much do you know about the pressures your boss is facing?

Have you asked her what stresses/problems/challenges she is up against.  If you can help be part of the solution for her, ... then terrific go ahead.

She will love you for it.

If you can't help, at least you'll be more understanding of why they are behaving the way they are.

Certainly this step isn't about making excuses for someone who is just downright mean and ornery. However, even bad tempered bosses are human. And, as a client said to me some time ago, "Leadership can be lonely."

Your boss may be showing that bad-tempered side to hide all the fears and frustrations that are swirling around in his or her head like a beating drum.

Taking a few moments to show that you care about his or her feelings, might be the turning point in your relationship.

Think about it for a moment, how do you feel when someone has reached out to you and shown that they have a concern for you? Are you more inclined to think kindly toward someone who cares about you and your success?

As John Maxwell said, "People don't care how much you know, until they know how much you care."

Tip 2. Let your boss know about your success

This doesn't mean running into his/her office every time you do something. But do make sure that you accurately and regularly communicate with your boss hurdles you've overcome and solutions you've implemented.

I often recommend to my clients to remember that part of their success is making sure that they market 'their' brand. That is, just like companies spend millions of $ marketing their company, so you too need to be a bit more deliberate about marketing yourself (because you are a business!). If you haven't already done so, access the  My Career, My Choice program.

Tip 3. Set boundaries

Decide what you are willing to accept and not accept in terms of how your boss treats you. For example, you may decide, "I'm okay with my boss making sarcastic comments, but I will not tolerate her shouting at me" Then get clear what you will do if your boss crosses that boundary.

This can be challenging, but very freeing. You can do anything from saying, "Do you realize that you have (e.g. raised your voice?)" to "Please be advised that I will not tolerate (e.g. you raising your voice at me). I request that you stop right now".

Done well this is often a show-stopper and the person may never repeat that behavior with you again.

Be mindful though, that this could be a high-risk tip. It will depend upon your circumstances and the type of leader you are working with. If you aren't confident you've got the skills to pull this off, then contact me for one-to-one coaching, because done poorly you could end up in hotter water than when you began.

Having said that, doing nothing is not an option ... unless you are okay with feeling like a victim!

Tip 4. Understand your boss' preferred communication style

Use a tool such as DISC to identify your own style of communication and then use it to assess your boss' preferred style.

This one thing may be all you need to get your relationship humming. When you are prepared to flex your style so that you can communicate in a way that s/he can 'get' you will rapidly transform the relationship.

I've witnessed numerous leaders and their colleagues shift conflicted relationships in matters of weeks, just using the insights they've gained from their DISC profiles.

For example, say you are a details kind of person, and your boss is a "just give me the big picture". Can you see how that is going to make the relationship tumultuous for each of you. Using your DISC profile, you can have healthy and calm conversations that help you work out how to navigate your way through these style differences.

Tip 5. Take a good long hard look at yourself

In the Successful Feedback  training you'll discover how we often lay the entire blame for relationship problems at the feet of the other person. When in fact, there is nearly always something we are going that is contributing to the problem.

Even if it is something as simple (but not easy to do), as letting the other person know that they are out of line in the way they are treating you - you are part of the problem. To get awareness around how you might be a part of the problem (and the solution), here are a few questions you should answer:

To get access to the next six tips, you need to be a member. Members login to get access to all the tips.

The next 7 tips cover

1. How to stop your boss dumping too much work on your plate (and get out of overwhelm)

2. How to manage your emotional state

3. Why  you may need to change your behavior

4. How to get clear about what you want

5. Why knowing your boss' goals is crucial to you managing upward successful

6. Why and how to praise upwards

7. The importance of showering off negativity at the end of the day

The True Cost of A Bad Boss