Become More Productive and Successful by Rough Guider (ebook reader computer .txt) 📖

your staff (see ‘Managing Staff’).  If they undermine you, you’re out of there whether you like it or not.

 

So how do you impress your boss?  Well I could go down the theoretical route of analyzing personality traits, determining where their personalities lie on the well-known scales and charts, but I did say that I wasn’t going to do that.

 

So here is the REAL practical advice:

 

Like them and be liked.   By this I don’t mean all that brown nose stuff or that you should try to become their friend (although becoming your boss’s friend can help a career) but try really hard to understand them, work out what they like and what they dislike.  “So what” I hear you say (email or text), let’s see the practical stuff that you’re talking about.  Well, here it is:

 

Find out what makes them laugh – write down what things they react positively to.  Was it an outright joke, an interesting anecdote or do they really prefer you to jump straight in there and ignore the niceties?   Sounds corny I know, but if you make them laugh they’ll think you’re a good guy.  By the way, if you tell a joke or anecdote or other humorist comment and they respond badly, move on and don’t dwell on it, and certainly don’t repeat it.  It could be a culture issue, language issue or simply a lack of GSOH on their behalf.  But, whatever you do, don’t see it as your fault or problem and don’t lose any sleep over it, but do try a different approach next time.  Finding out what makes them laugh doesn’t need to be done over night.  If you are a cautious person you can monitor their approach to humor over a few weeks before making your move.

 

Find out their pet dislikes.  In fact ask them outright. 

 

Do they dislike projects or tasks being delivered late, or do they dislike poor communication skills (which, in reality, may mean a lack of communication)?  If your boss has to chase you up on something, it probably means you should have updated them already!  So find out how often they chase up on tasks and make sure you get in there first.

 

Do they hate negativity?  No-one likes the person around the table that is negative and unconstructive.  How do you know if someone is a negative force?  Simple.  If after a conversation with someone you feel energized, they are a positive force.  If after a conversation with someone you feel tired and drawn, they are a negative force.  If you ask me, don’t let anyone get you down, and more importantly, don’t be the person that gets everyone else down.

 

Do they hate bad grammar?  See the ‘How to write’ chapter to avoid these pitfalls.

 

Ask intelligent questions.   This is a tough one, as sometimes you may be in a meeting where you don’t know very much about the topic under discussion.  My advice is to follow the rules below to maximize your input and chances of being recognized as an effective contributor:

 

Be confident.  If you have an idea, express it.  It’s rare that a group laughs or dismisses an idea outright, even if it isn’t really that good.  Your ideas will get better and better over time as will your confidence.  It’s a never ending cycle of improvement.

 

Chat beforehand. If it’s an important meeting try to speak to one or two people either inside or outside the meeting group, in advance, to help gain ideas.  I don’t mean steal their ideas by passing them off as your own, but if you agree with them, bring them into the conversation in a structured way.

 

Research.  It sounds boring I know, but when you research the topic beforehand, it’s amazing what good and highly relevant questions come to mind.

 

Ask the obvious.  It’s amazing how many times you have an “obvious” question in mind that you don’t ask it.  Eventually somebody else gets the plaudits for asking that question and you leave the meeting wondering why you did not have the confidence to ask it.

 

Remember you core skills.  If you’re the finance guy then it is fine for you to ask the pressing finance question.  If you’re the sales guy it’s fine to ask the sales question.  Playing to your strengths is a good idea.  It allows you to join the conversation and add value.  [Note:  if the topic has absolutely nothing to do with your area of work, revisit the points above.]

 

Help your boss be successful.  Sure, I hear you say.  I’ll come up with ideas for improving their department and they will take the credit.  Well, if that’s what your boss is like are you working for the right person or indeed company?  Look, if your boss’s life is made easier and they look more impressive because of your help, 9 times out of 10 (I didn’t have the confidence to say ninety-nine times out of a hundred) your boss will reward you.  This may be through verbal recognition, juicy project work (if that’s relevant) or letting others know how well you are performing through informal channels and the formal appraisal process.  So how can you help your boss look good?

 

Tell them what they are doing wrong (tactfully!) and make sure that you have some recommendations for them.  No-one likes negativity remember!

 

Find out what their goals are and make sure that your goals tie in to some of theirs.  If it is unclear to you how your goals fit in with theirs, speak to your boss about this and listen carefully to their guidance.

 

Come up with ideas for them on how to improve the performance of their department.  If you have time, offer to help them improve things, but be careful not to upset others in the department if the matters you identify lie outside your immediate area of responsibility.  I don’t mean tread on egg-shells but make sure that tact remains the order of the day.

 

Say good things about them to other senior management leaders, if such praise is honest.  Indeed there must be something good about them?  Are they good at communicating, listening, recognizing valuable contributions, developing career paths and/or being flexible over your working conditions?  Undoubtedly there is something good about them that you can share.  As a result, others will see you as a positive force within the department.  If I was a betting man I would put money on your boss hearing about this through their network and mentally logging that you’re a good person to have in their team.

 

Let them know when things are not getting done (again, avoid negativity).  They may have an important project or area of work that is not progressing as it should.  If you have clear and substantiated facts to support this, then alert your boss.  Avoid rumors and hearsay as this comes across as immature and may be considered as your attempt to discredit other people within their department.  At the end of the day your boss will thank you for your transparency and tactfulness in bringing this issue to their attention.

 

Tell them when they have done well.  If they have run a department-wide or group-wide meeting or perhaps smaller meeting for 2-3 people (if you work in a small team) don’t feel shy about telling them how good they were.  We’re not talking brown-nose stuff here but rather constructive comments about the time they have spent on something that has improved the quality of the department.  “Hey boss, it was really great that you took the time to speak to the team about the company’s strategy for the current year.  They really enjoyed the visibility.”  Your boss will certainly remember your support and will value it.

 

Is it too late to change?  One thing to remember is that it is never too late to change.  I remember a situation where a member of staff had lost their manager (a careless thing to do) and was eagerly awaiting the arrival of their new one.  The previous boss did not treat them in an adult fashion and did not view them as a mature and professional individual.  Their concern was that the new manager would immediately assume the same.  My advice was to see this as an opportunity and not a threat to their career.   I asked the individual in question to draw up a profile of how they would like to be viewed by the incoming boss.  This ended up being a simple exercise and the staff member (also a manager, albeit at a more junior level) put together a pretty cool document.  Once I saw the document I realized that they had a very clear view of how they would like to be perceived.  The key was for them not to simply act like that person but be the person on the document, from Day 1 (first impressions last and all that).  So, I sat down with the person in question and we came up with a plan on how to act, portray and in fact truly be that person, from here on in.  Given that the new manager had no pre-conceived ideas (I certainly wasn’t going to give them any) it was not that difficult to continue work with this new persona, gravitas and maturity.  Their boss had left and a new one had joined (remember that they hadn’t been promoted into their manager’s role) but the impression their new boss had of them was entirely different and far more favorable.  2 years later, the ‘new’ boss moved on and the individual was promoted into their role, which would not have happened had they not taken the steps to grow, mature and effectively show themselves to be a more polished and complete person (from a work point of view).  Remember, if you inherit a new boss (under any circumstances) it is your opportunity to reinvent yourself for the better.  Don’t miss that opportunity or doubt how significant a timely review of self can make to your career trajectory.

 

Toeing the party line.  Generally speaking, people admire those that defend the principles and support the objectives of their boss and department respectively.  You may disagree with your boss behind closed doors but it is important that you tow the party line in the public arena.  Slating your boss is not a wise idea and is likely to be destructive to your relationship with them.

Managing Staff

 

You see, by writing ‘managing staff’ I’m already sending you down the wrong track.  So between you and me I’d rather call this chapter ‘getting the most out of your staff but in a way that also means that they get the most out of their job’.  OK, ‘managing staff’ it is.

 

The thing is, I can’t believe how many of my friends and relatives tell me that they have a serious issue with their manager.  Don’t get me wrong, loads of people say that they are truly happy (yes, I admit that there are undoubtedly better managers out there than me), but too many still seem to go home very unhappy with the way they are “used and abused” by their boss.  So this chapter is for those who want to improve the way they work with their staff.

 

So how should you manage staff?  It’s bullet point time:

 

Treat them with respect.  They’re not children, they have pride and they have feelings.  So speak to them as you’d like to be treated.  If your boss does not treat you well don’t let this affect the relationships you have built up with your team.  It’s not fair to pass ‘bad culture’ down the line.  If your boss shouts at you that’s an issue for you and your boss to resolve but don’t let that affect your relationship with your staff (peers and so on).   In particular:

 

Don’t patronize

 

Ask for input from staff at meetings

 

Be clear to them when they don’t meet your expectations (seriously, they’ll respect you for it)

 

Recognize good performance (see below)

 

Give them time.  Everyone has their own values in life and one of those important