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October 14 - December 12, 2020
Don’t approach your boss only with problems.
to give some thought to how to address the problem—even if it is only gathering more information—and to your role and the help you will need.
It can be dangerous to say, “Don’t bring me problems, bring me solutions.” Far better is, “Don’t just bring me problems, bring me plans for how we can begin to address them.”)
Don’t run down your c...
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You should assume she wants to focus on the most important things you’re trying to do and how she can help. Don’t go in without at most three things you really need to share or on which you need action.
Don’t expect your boss to change.
it’s your responsibility to adapt to your boss’s style; you need to adapt your approach to work with your boss’s preferences.
Clarify expectations early and often.
Focus on expectations during the interview process.
Take 100 percent responsibility for making the relationship work.
Negotiate time lines for diagnosis and action planning. Don’t let yourself get caught up immediately in firefighting or be pressured to make calls before you’re ready.
Aim for early wins in areas important to the boss.
figure out what your boss cares about most.
aim for early results in those areas. One good way is to focus on three things that are important to your boss and discuss what you’re do...
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Pursue good marks from those whose opinions your boss respects. Your new boss’s opinion of you will be based in part on direct interactions and in part on what she hears about you from trusted others.
curry favor
The situational diagnosis conversation.
Are there elements of start-up, turnaround, accelerated growth, realignment, and sustaining success? How did the organization reach this point? What factors—both soft and hard—make this situation a challenge? What resources within the organization can you draw on?
start-up, turnaround, accelerated growth, realignment, and sustaining success?
The expectations conversation.
What does your new boss need you to do in the short term and in the medium term? What will constitute success? Critically, how will your performance be measured? When?
keep in mind that it’s better to underpromise and overdeliver.
The resource conversation.
What do you need to be successful? What do you need...
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Key here is to focus your boss on the benefits and costs of what you can accomplish with different amounts of resources.
The style conversation.
What forms of communication does he prefer, and for what? Face-to-face? Voice, electronic? How often? What kinds of decisions does he want to be consulted on, and when can you make the call on your own? How do your styles differ, and what are the implications for the ways you should interact?
The personal development conversation.
Where are you doing well? In what areas do you need to improve or do things differently? Are there projects or special assignments you could undertake (without sacrificing focus)?
Your early conversations should focus on situational diagnosis, expectations, and style. As you learn more, you will be ready to negotiate for resources, revisiting your diagnosis of the situation and resetting expectations as necessary. When you feel the relationship is reasonably well established, you can introduce the personal development conversation.
Reaching a shared understanding of the business situation you face, and of its associated challenges and opportunities, is your goal in the situational diagnosis conversation.
Match Your Support to Your Situation
Help getting needed resources quickly Clear, measurable goals Guidance at strategic breakpoints Help staying focused
Support for making tough personnel calls
Help making the case for change, especially if you’re from outside
The point of the expectations conversation is for you and your boss to clarify and align your expectations about the future. You need to agree on short- and medium-term goals and on timing. Critically, you need to agree on how your boss will measure progress.
agree on short- and medium-term goals and on timing.
Match Expectations to the Situation
Aim for Early Wins in Areas Important to Your Boss
If you want to succeed, you need your boss’s help; in turn, you should help her succeed.
Identify the Untouchables
If there are parts of the organization—products, facilities, people—about which your new boss is proprietary, it is essential to identify them as soon as possible.
try to deduce what your boss is sensitive about.
Educate Your Boss
One of your immediate tasks is to shape your boss’s perceptions of what you can and should achieve.
Underpromise and Overdeliver
Whether you and your boss agree on expectations, try to bias yourself somewhat toward underpromising achievements and overdelivering results.
Consider how your organization’s capacity for change might affect your ability to deliver...
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Be conservative in what y...
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Clarify, Clarify, Clarify
