HOW TO FLY LIKE AN EAGLE WHEN YOU'RE MANAGED BY TURKEYS

PREFACE

Why did we write this book?
Picture this ….
A young enthusiastic staff member, Brett
Working with a stable, medium sized, profitable company..
With some opportunities for advancement
Typing out his resignation letter with no other job prospects
It doesn't make any sense or does it?
What could have prompted such a drastic decision?
As Brett types the letter, he is filled with frustration and disappointment
Despite his best efforts, he cannot work with his manager.

If we had a dollar for every time we heard this story, we would be rich!!

Our experiences suggest that this is a common story for many workers, from grassroots to management. They are feeling increasingly frustrated by their working relationship with their manager. This frustration can result in job dissatisfaction, and cause high potential performers jumping ship from a company that could offer them real opportunities for advancement.

This book begins with a collection of stories about ineffective managers. Many people will be able to identify with the characteristics described in the stories. Each manager has been given an animal name which will enable the reader identify their own manager's "species".
The obvious challenge for the authors was to develop a user friendly, quick reference survival guide to help readers to deal more effectively with their managers.
For a number of years, we have trained, consulted and read up on all areas of people management - conflict, influence, negotiation, and effective leadership. What became obvious was the constantly unanswered question. "How do I work with a difficult manager?". The further we explored this question the more convinced we became about the need to give people tools to understand the nature of the beast. The beast has so many names, personalities, attributes, patterns outside the broad management descriptions and styles. Once you have established where the behaviours stem from, we can then respond to them in a more appropriate way.
We know that the quality of our life largely depends on the choices we make.
This book will allow you to make more informed choices in dealing with your manager.
"If we believe that we are controlled by outside forces we give up on the idea that we have choices and we embrace slavery." - author unknown

What can you expect from this book?

Have you ever tried peeling an onion? You'll go through layers before you get to the core. This is an analogy to depict the complexity of human nature. Each layer represents a set of behaviours, values, underlying assumptions and beliefs that influence the way we interact with others.
By the same token, when dealing with our manager, we must consider each layer before we can truly understand their needs and fears. A common mistake in the world of management is being too prescriptive when managing others. Unfortunately management is not as black and white. Not all strategies will be effective in all situations. However what this book is designed to do is to allow you to assess and reflect on the actions, behaviours and values of your manager with some degree of accuracy. At the end of this book you will be able to

• Understand the mindset and values that drive your manager
• Identify positive behaviours to influence them
• Recognise the types of behaviour that may aggravate your manager
• Understand the traits of a manager who will survive and prosper in the new millennium

In summary, you will learn about the 3 'A's of Managing Upwards

• Awareness of the nature of the beast
• Acceptance of what you can influence
• Avoidance of provocative behaviour

If we take the old saying, 'it's not what you know but who you know', then this means understanding your manager so that you can respond to them in a more positive way

Underlying Philosophy

People always remember and learn from very simple concepts. The philosophy in this book was the need to adapt to our managers and the environment in which we work. The acronym that we use to represent the 5 requirements to manage your boss more effectively is :
A djust to the needs of your manager
D etermine the values and hot buttons of your manager first
A cquire new skills and insights to effectively manage upwards
P roactively influence the behaviours of your managers to give you greater satisfaction
T ry out new strategies and assess the response, not everything will work!!!!