Managing up: Helping your boss is the best way to help yourself
March 31, 2008
Copyright © 2008 PRSA. All rights reserved.
By Ken Jacobs
The following article appears in the April issue of Tactics.
Having the basic PR skills — such as writing powerfully, building client relationships, understanding the media, supervising well, giving persuasive presentations and managing time efficiently — simply isn’t enough these days to keep you on an accelerated career track. You must be able to “manage up.”
Managing is creating mutually beneficial relationships with your supervisors by communicating effectively, and it can play a critical role in getting you to the next level and beyond. The following five recommendations will help you start:
Understand the assignment
The first opportunity many have to effectively manage up is the assignment meeting.
We sense our supervisor is busy — who isn’t these days? — and in our desire to start the work and allow the supervisor to get on with hers or his, we leave the meeting without understanding what is expected.
Many supervisors, after cursory overview of the assignment, will ask, “Do you understand?” Most of us reply, “Yes.” But that interchange doesn’t test whether we truly comprehend the assignment; all we understand is our “takeaway,” which many not be what the supervisor meant.
The ideal supervisor says, “Tell me your understanding of this assignment and what you need to accomplish it.” If that isn’t asked, you act to ensure you and your supervisor are in sync.
Start by explaining what you understand the assignment to be. Encourage input by asking questions like “Is that right?” or “Is there anything else?” Then listen — carefully. Your supervisor’s response should elicit more questions from you. Now is the time to ask them.
Discuss deadlines. Indicate what you need to complete the assignment that hasn’t been provided. If it’s a writing assignment, establish a deadline by which you’ll share an outline for input from your supervisor before you start writing. Request a specific time and date for an interim check-in meeting so you can discuss progress to date and any particular hurdles you’re facing.
As the meeting ends, say, “I’d like to give this more thought. Can we discuss for five minutes tomorrow any additional needs or ideas I’ve considered, or any post-meeting thoughts you may have?”
While this approach might appear to take more time from already hectic schedules, in reality it saves you both time. The more information you glean from that first meeting, the less time you’ll spend in wasteful actions that delay successfully completing the assignment.
The more you probe what your supervisor truly wants, the more accurate your understanding will be before getting started. That always leads to a more satisfactory outcome for all.
Lead with their need
One of the most important — and oftentimes difficult — lessons we can learn is that when we make our supervisors’ priorities our own, we contribute to our success.
So temporarily set aside your current goals, and instead think about your supervisors’. What are they trying to achieve today, this week, this month? Contemplate which of your specific goals and assignments can help them achieve their goals, and make these your top priority. If your current goals or assignments don’t contribute, demote them.
Here’s a practical tip: As you create your daily goals, complete first those assignments that require your supervisor’s time and input, and get them to your supervisor. Only then move on to other assignments.
In our fast-paced business, despite our best efforts, we often face conflicting goals — too much to do in too little time. Break this logjam by consistently focusing first on those actions that will help your supervisors achieve their goals.