One of the aspects of becoming a Self Directed Professional is the skill of managing your manager. This is something that was impressed upon me when I worked for BT and it becomes more important as you rise up the corporate ladder. I had a very successful career because I realised that you had to work with the system rather than against it. In my later years I had a 5 year plan to leave BT and start my own business and I used the system to help me get the right experience that would assist me in achieving my aim.
Some people fear that they will be seen to be ‘sucking up to management’. I certainly had that issue and was accused of being self-promoting. Funny that a couple of years later the person who accused me apologised and said that he had recently achieved promotion by following my example.
So why would you want to manage your manager?
1. You’ll make your life easier – if you make your manager look good and help them out in sticky situations they will cut you some slack when you make a mistake.
2. You are more likely to be mentioned in dispatches – if you help your manager achieve their objectives by doing the right thing you are more likely to get talked about in meetings with senior managers.
3. You are more likely to get promotion – your manager is going to be the individual that makes or breaks your career. They will be the one who puts your name forward when promotions are being discussed.
4. It gives you bargaining power when asking for a rise – the first question you will be asked is ‘What have you done to deserve this?’ A gentle reminder of how you have helped your manager will make your case stand out above anybody else’s.
5. You improve your visibility and credibility – your manager’s manager will notice your name being mentioned by your manager, your peers and your clients. I remember a famous occasion when two senior managers went to see one of my customers. They had a meeting with the managing director who said that the only reason they were doing business with BT was because of what I was doing on the account. He then added ‘and I hope you are giving Andy a big bonus this month’. Unsolicited and priceless praise which got me mentioned by our senior director, and my manager got the reflected glory of having a top performing executive on his team.
6. You’ll be given more development opportunities – either more interesting and challenging work or training that will add useful skills to your CV.
This has been my experience and I have found it has worked well for me. You build positive relationships with your clients and your peers but often forget to do the same with your manager. At work they can be your best friend.
