Being the Boss, with a New Preface: The 3 Imperatives for Becoming a Great Leader

by Linda A. Hill

If you find yourself in such a place, our advice is to look for work somewhere else.

Imagine you have no influence. That means you and your group are at the mercy of what others demand of you. Yes, power can corrupt, as Lord Acton said, but powerlessness corrupts too. Witness all those throughout history who have explained the harm they did by claiming, “I had no choice. I had to do what I was told.”

If you've ever worked for a boss without influence, recall how frustrating that was, even if you liked him personally. You couldn't get the resources or attention you needed. No one took you or your group seriously.

“Playing politics” and wielding influence in a political environment aren't the same.

You may wish organizations were entirely rational, but since they're composed of people, they're also social, emotional communities in which diverse groups with often conflicting needs must depend on each other. They function through dispassionate, analytical decision making combined with messy, murky processes of developing and applying influence.

In the long run, the work of all must combine to produce the work of the whole.

To eliminate the political nature of organizations, you would have to eliminate organizational conflict. To eliminate conflict, you would have to eliminate diversity, interdependence, and resource scarcity. This is unlikely to happen and unrealistic to hope for. It would also be undesirable because conflict among diverse groups can be healthy and productive. Indeed, diversity and conflict are essential drivers of creativity and innovation.5

Indeed, most organizations count on a degree of conflict for this purpose, no matter what they say publically about the virtues of harmony. That's why effective managers must be willing and able to engage in constructive conflict.

“They only tell customers what they want to hear.” Or, “They really don't know much, but they're great schmoozers.”7 But those young managers who saw the same senior people up close and actually worked with them came away with a different story. They recognized, instead of political skills, an important ability to communicate with clients in a way that didn't threaten or irritate them but made them feel important. They saw an ability to bring together people from feuding groups. They saw an ability to synthesize points of view in ways that moved people forward. They recognized the skill required to run a meeting well—what questions to pose, for example, or the sequence in which people are called on. Organizational skills matter.

You will need to make trade-offs, to do a smaller harm—such as refusing some colleague's legitimate request—to accomplish a greater good. But even in taking such difficult steps, you can do them with respect and integrity.

Your developmental network includes those who help you grow and provide personal, emotional support when you need it.2 It can overlap with the others to some extent, but it's also likely to have several unique members, given its personal nature and purpose.

We understand. Building a network certainly takes effort, but we don't agree that you must be an extrovert to do it. Why? Because you already have a preexisting reason—your mutual dependence—to approach all who will be in the networks you build. Everyone in them is already connected to you and you to them through your present or future work. You depend on them, and they on you. Create your relationships by identifying and building on those preexisting ties.

What you do must be driven primarily by the demands of the work, not by the personal relationships created along the way.

There are five major steps in building a productive organizational network. Know your business and organization. Know where your group is going. Map your web. Create your network. Sustain your network.

Nothing will make sense until you understand what the organization does, how it works, the challenges it faces, where it's trying to go, how it's planning to get there, and who does what.

Who has formal authority? Start with a person's or group's status in the hierarchy. Formal authority is far from the only source of influence, but it is a factor.

Who is listened to and why? In meetings and other settings, identify the individuals and groups whose voices command more attention. Whom do people in the organization talk about more? Whose opinions seem to carry more weight?

Whose work is important to organizational objectives? Some people or units play larger roles in relation to the organization's goals. If the company expects most of its growth to come from Asian markets, those connected to that effort will be more influential than tho...

Who's “plugged in”? Personal ties are important. A CFO may be only one of several senior managers, but his personal working relationship with the CEO may give him more influence than his peers. In the same way, being part of a key network imparts influence. The head of the West European division wields influence, in spite of flat sales in her market, because she sits on the company's management committee ...

Who has critical expertise? The vice president of information technology may be especially important to a CEO who considers...

For many managers, this is the hard part: initiating contact in the absence of an immediate problem or some other compelling reason. Be opportunistic. Attend functions or meetings where you're likely to find people on your list. Consider joining task forces because they're good ways to make connections. Invite contacts to join your network via social networking tools; ask to receive their blogs or RSS feeds, if they offer them. (RSS, or “really simple syndication,” refers to software that makes it easy to keep track of blogs that interest you.) Or offer yours to them.

In the beginning, you may find some individuals slow to reply to e-mails or phone messages. Keep at it in a professional way. Get on their calendars, even if the earliest available time is two months away. Above all, don't wait for a problem to arise. Remember, as you make these contacts, you're dealing with busy people. Provide as compelling a rationale for meeting as you can. Recognize that if you're not the solution to an immediate problem, you must provide the energy that gets the relationship started.

Don't Put Off Your Strategic Network Once you and your group have a plan, you can begin creating a network to achieve your longer-term goals. Building this network will require even more discipline because its real benefits may only come in the future. Start with those in your operational network who are also important to you strategically. Branch out from there to include those who are less important now but will become important in the future. Be proactive and opportunistic—use everyday activities, such as a meeting or presentation or an encounter in the cafeteria, to approach or reconnect with others. However you approach them, be clear about your plans and how you may be working together in the future.

Ask questions: “What's your goal and how are you planning to get there? What are your top three priorities? What's the biggest obstacle you face? How can we help?”

Share—don't hoard—information, point out threats and opportunities, send a heads-up about something of interest, volunteer to help with a problem, actively support others' causes when you can, contribute ideas, give honest and constructive feedback. If you know someone is interested in a subject and you find a good article or podcast that applies, forward it to them.

Take opportunities to make a human connection. Send e-mails saying, “Thanks,” “Congratulations,” “I'm sorry for you,” or whatever is appropriate and genuine. The test here isn't whether you normally do that sort of thing; instead, ask yourself, “What would I say if the person were standing in front of me?” Say it in a quick call or e-mail. Small, human touches are important.

Talk as candidly as possible about your relationship and how it's working for each of you. Be prepared to hear, without defensiveness, problems they have with you and your group. Be willing to admit errors and misjudgments. The words I'm sorry or I was wrong—I need to learn may seem trite by themselves. At the right moment, though, they can be transformational.

Too often, we fall into an “us versus them” attitude. Instead, find ways everyone can achieve their goals, at least in the long run.

Studies of senior managers who recently took over major business units clearly revealed that establishing a strong network was one of their most urgent priorities.5

Develop a networking style that you're comfortable using. If you're more introverted, then take advantage of work-related activities like conferences that expose you to a broad range of people in a setting with built-in opportunities to talk about business matters of mutual interest. If you're more extroverted, you may be able to strike up useful relationships in the gym or at social networking functions the company offers.

Competence. Your network colleagues' trust is built on their perceptions of your technical, operational, and political know-how, along with your track record of accomplishment. It's their belief that you know both what to do and how to get it done.

Character. Much the same standards apply here as with your direct reports. Your intentions—your values and standards—are as important as your capabilities. People assess you not just by what you do and say but by who you are and what you intend.

Working with colleagues isn't always easy. They're not always team players, and a few can even be bullies. It's important when you encounter someone like this that you step back and try to see the world from their point of view. Don't automatically jump to the conclusion that “they're jerks” and you cannot work with them. It will help if you can understand their priorities and, especially, the pressures on them. That insight can then guide the way you approach them and what you propose.

How you interact matters. Research shows that if people have a choice, they will elect not to work with a difficult person, even when the person is competent.7 Guess how much influence difficult people have on others?

Managing up is important because your boss plays a pivotal role in your success—or your failure. You can leverage your boss's influence in the organization on your behalf in several ways—for example, by obtaining valuable information, winning needed resources, and securing important support for your personal development and career.

The penalties of a poor relationship are many: less influence, little information or advice, fewer resources, and limited personal development and career support. Worst case, you can find yourself isolated, ignored, pushed out—your journey stalled, your career derailed.

Do you realize that your relationship is actually one of mutual dependence? Your boss depends on you and needs your commitment and support to succeed. Just as you may wrestle with your reliance on your people, he probably struggles with his dependence on you and his other direct reports.

By far, the key factor in a good relationship is your ability to perform as expected.

Unless you and your group produce the results expected, you're unlikely to enjoy much of a partnership. And it's not just the results you attain but how you attain them. If you hit your numbers but your boss hears complaints all day about how you railroad other groups, he probably won't consider you someone who “meets expectations.”

Do you keep your boss informed? Reach explicit agreement about how often and in what way you will report progress.

Support and loyalty. Your goal is to make the relationship work for both of you, and that requires some degree of support and loyalty. Just as you want your boss to care about you, and your people want you to care about them, your boss wants your care and concern too.

You cannot succeed in this relationship at the expense of your boss; you will rise or fall together. Your task is to make both of you effective. Help your boss build on her strengths, and overcome or bypass her limitations.

The essence of building trust is to negotiate what you both mean by “do the right thing.”

Do You See and Understand Your Boss as a Person? It's easy to forget that beneath your boss's mantle of authority there's a person just like you. He has hopes, aspirations, frustrations, strengths, weaknesses, and fears. He's the product of his background, training, and experience. He has a personal life—a family and family history, religious beliefs, social organizations, political views, and hobbies. Do you know enough that you're able to see the world through his eyes?

Can You Identify Your Boss's Strengths? This stumps many managers we know. They focus on their boss's weaknesses and can talk at length about them—and often do with their peers. But they seldom look for strengths. That's a shame because your boss's strengths are what you must leverage, and you cannot leverage what you don't recognize or appreciate. Whatever your boss's weaknesses, identify what she does well. There must be something. Don't fall back on something like “She knows how to play the organizational game.” There's something there. What is it, and how can you use it to learn and do your work more effectively?

Have You Discussed with Your Boss Your Own Growth, Development, and Aspirations? How can your boss help you grow and develop? She's not responsible for your career and personal development, but it's in her best interest for you to improve in ways that will help you (and her) succeed. From your boss you can get advice and guidance; feedback about your performance, strengths, and weaknesses; insight into what others think of you; developmental assignments; and access to training programs and other learning opportunities.

Besides, your boss probably has no more time and no less pressure than you, and many bosses, unfortunately, are uncomfortable in this role. The more specific the requests you make, the better—to attend a training course, for example, or advice about a specific problem.

For example, walk them through the logic behind decisions you have made that reflect those trade-offs. See whether they agree with your judgment calls. If possible, try to align their expectations of you so that you're not constantly faced with conflicting direction. If differences of substance exist between or among your bosses, bring them together in person or in videoconference and suggest ways to resolve the problems. Don't let such differences go unsettled. You must take responsibility for creating the conditions for your own success, and you're expected to do what is necessary for the good of the enterprise. They count on you to balance and manage the multiple relationships.

Though often well meaning, technically incompetent bosses present different challenges. They can be helped if they know they lack knowledge or understanding. But overconfidence and ignorance often go together. You may need to work with peers and colleagues to deal with problems here while continuing to inform and educate such a boss along the way.

For all other more or less typical bosses, work hard to build a productive relationship. Initiate the kinds of discussions we've suggested. It's difficult to succeed without his support, and impossible in the face of his opposition. Always remember that your reports face these same issues with you. Let your experience in each relationship—with your boss and with your people—guide you in the other. Don't make the mistake, as many managers do, of ignoring such a potentially powerful source of help and support. Take responsibility for, and play an active role in, making it a partnership that benefits both of you. Avoid seeing yourself as a passive, powerless subordinate. Don't assume it cannot be a positive, mutually helpful relationship until you've tested the possibilities on several occasions. It's too important—to your ability to exercise influence and thus to your journey—to merely let it be whatever it will be.