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!!!!
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