Subscribe
Ryan Healy is a recent college graduate. He is a founder of 
Email Ryan
Read more from Ryan
New here? Employee Evolution is a part of Brazen Careerist, Inc. Brazen Careerist is an online community and career center for Generation Y. We also consult and speak with organizations on best practices for recruiting and retaining Generation Y and how to effectively use social media to reach your target market. To contact us about consulting, speaking, or how your company can be a part of our Jobs section, please visit our contact page.
I have a problem with authority. I have since I was a kid. It’s probably the reason I wasn’t cut out for life in a large organization and it’s why I eventually became an entrepreneur. But as much as I don’t like to admit I’m working for anyone else, Penelope Trunk is our CEO and, well, she’s the boss. So over the past 8 months I’ve learned how to work with her so that I put myself on equal footing, most of the time. Here’s how I’ve done it.
Know what’s important to get approval for in advance, and keep the rest for yourself
If your boss is any good, he is busier than you are. That’s just how work works. As you move up the chain, you’re responsible for more things and you have less time for details. I’ve seen this first hand as Brazen Careerist has moved from a 3 person start-up to a larger team with six full time employees and a whole handful of part timers.
Penelope does not have the time to check off on everything. It’s been a big switch for me, but I’ve learned to be selective about what I present to her. In the past, I would call her to give me the green light to draft a proposal to send to our lawyer or the investors. Now I make the call on what is important enough to get the final go ahead. What I’ve found is there aren’t too many things that are truly necessary for her to give the go ahead on before I get started.
Going around the boss is a little risky, you need to know what things must absolutely be approved before going through with, but in the end, getting the right things done, even without permission in advance will make you and your boss look good. And it will begin to turn the boss-employee relationship into a peer-to-peer relationship.
Save the details
Tiny details do not need to be shared with your boss. When you’re explaining a new product, service or opportunity, talk about the big picture. If your boss is high up on the food chain the chances are that she is always thinking five steps down the road. As an entry level employee or new manager, it’s your job to do the day to day work to keep the company moving in the right direction and it’s your boss’s job to be thinking 3 months down the line. Sharing too many details will open a big can of worms that should be avoided.
Tell your boss about the presentation, talk about the benefits and the potential risks, but don’t bother going through the PowerPoint slide by slide and don’t tell him how nervous you are. Then follow through, and things will work out great. You may think you’re holding back information that your boss wants to know, but in reality not discussing the minutia will save time and allow your boss to concentrate on the important things.
Notice the little things that help you make good choices about communication
It’s important that you learn how your boss operates in different situations. Penelope often quickly says no when I bring up a new idea, without giving it much thought. I’ve realized that when she is thinking about something else, she often makes snap decisions. I used to argue. We would scream at each other for a few minutes, I would be pissed the rest of the day and nothing would get done. Now, I just say OK and I walk away.
I’ve realized over the past few months that often she doesn’t shoot my ideas down because they’re bad, she’s just busy with something else. So I’ll approach her the next day, usually in the middle of a conversation that’s going well, and I present the idea in a new way. I explain the benefits and possible risks, and almost without fail, we go ahead and give the new idea a shot.
If you want to gain some authority in your company, no matter what size, it’s important that you take ownership of your role, and sometimes, do things without asking. When you’re the boss, there won’t be anyone to ask, so you may as well get some experience doing it now.
Popularity: 6%
Leave your thoughts here. (18 responses)
- 1 Trackback on Jul 2nd, 2008 at 11:13 pm
- 2 Trackback on Jul 10th, 2008 at 7:53 am
- 3 Trackback on Jul 12th, 2008 at 12:53 am
- 4 Trackback on Jul 14th, 2008 at 1:11 pm
- 5 Trackback on Jul 17th, 2008 at 11:45 pm
- 6 Trackback on Aug 2nd, 2008 at 9:09 pm
Great post. I would also add that it can really help to talk explicitly to your boss about this stuff — ask what you do and don’t have authority for and talk over some examples, ask what kind of communication she prefers and how often, and so forth. I’ve noticed a lot of people, especially early in their careers, shy away from just talking this stuff over, maybe thinking they’re supposed to figure it out on their own. I love it when my employees proactively raise this sort of thing with me.
Excellent. You’re not in the situation to do the following that I do (because you’re at a startup), but your employees may be able to. I report directly to the CEO of my organization. However, there are two VPs between the directors (which I am one) and the CEO. I watched how the VPs dealt with, talked to, shared info, with our CEO and I mimic it. Works like a dream. Not only was I able to quickly learn his little quirks and not take them personally - I was able to get ideas passed pretty quickly into the job.
You said two things that struck a nerve.
1. “Penelope often quickly says no when I bring up a new idea, without giving it much thought. I’ve realized that when she is thinking about something else, she often makes snap decisions. I used to argue. We would scream at each other for a few minutes, I would be pissed the rest of the day and nothing would get done. Now, I just say OK and I walk away.”
Here’s my 2 cents. In my experience, the worst bosses say, “no”, to ideas. How can a company and its people stay on the cutting edge when the person on top is a killer of enthusiasm and creativity?
My best bosses always said, “yes, but…”, whenever I proposed something new. And then, they proceeded to walk me through the logic of what needed to happen to make my idea work. Sometimes I saw that it was doable; other times I realized it was more work than I was willing to expend. Either way, it didn’t kill the flame of motivation. It only made me more competent to evaluate an idea by myself the next time around.
If I were you, I wouldn’t consider it a good thing that you now just “say OK” and “walk away”. And neither should Penelope!
2. The other thing that doesn’t make sense to me — why is Penelope your boss? It seems to me that employeeevolution brought the most valuable asset to this venture. i.e. The blogging community. Also, I thought this was primarily a Gen Y targeted venture? It seems to me that the ownership should reflect that.
When you go to your boss for help, I think it’s important to already have some solutions in mind for the problem. Chances are it will fall back in your lap anyway. A typical response from the boss may be, “What do you suggest?” Therefore, it is helpful to think of at least 1 solution to the problem before taking it to the boss. Research, ask others for help, test out ideas, etc.
Ryan, these are all insightful tips–and the comments are terrific too, as usual–but your title is misleading. Maybe it’s just that GenY “I need to feel special” thing showing its slip, but I’m not sure the strategies you’re presenting here will make you “equals with your boss.” A better title might be, “How to take ownership of your job so your boss doesn’t have to.”
Everyone’s familiar with the old adage about seeking forgiveness rather than permission. There’s a reason it’s an old adage: it’s true and it works. As an employee, if I can make good choices and do the right thing without seeking permission or approval at every step, I become an asset.
In a recent management seminar I attended, we called those little answers and decisions “monkeys” (as in, “monkey on your back”). The whole point of the seminar was finding ways, as managers, to empower employees so that their monkeys don’t end up your monkeys and eat up your time. What you describe here are some good strategies for an employee to keep her or her own monkeys.
Good post.
Being fairly new in my position, I am the low person on the pole. However I have used many of your ideas and feel that they have greatly improved my relationship with my superiors.
The number one thing that has served me well is this. I never go to the boss with a problem unless I have brainstormed a way to solve it first.
My boss is a very busy woman who actually started out in my position so she knows exactly what it takes to climb the ladder to get to where she is. In the beginning I was a little unsure of myself and often approached her with things that were easily resolved without her needing to be involved.
Now, after six months I am learning quick what she needs to know about and what I can do on my own. As you stated, she isn’t there for the minutiae, that is my job.
As always thanks for the ongoing good career advice.
Thanks for the comments!
Talking about these things, (And everything else) is the very best thing you can do. I didn’t mention it in the post, but Penelope and I discuss everything and hold nothing back, it’s the main reason we work well together.
Sean - Being equals isn’t about feeling special, its about not feeling that you are in a “do it because I said so” environment. Personally, I work better with people who I can see eye to eye with. Some people may prefer the more traditional relationship and that is fine too.
Kristina - I love your point about going to the boss with potential solutions rather than just problems. I’ll add that one to the list!
-Ryan
@ Ryan: I don’t want to belabor and I certainly see your point, but seeing eye-to-eye and being a valued contributor is very different from being “equals” (or even “peers”) with your boss. These are still valuable and worthwhile tips, but I think the posturing is off.
Good job on this, Ryan. And, every boss/relationship is different, so, like you said, we have to read the situation and get to know whats important to the particular person and what isn’t. If you know your boss has a hangup on certain specific details, then its important to always address those.
Lots of higher-ups, even when they are “supposed” to be thinking 3 months ahead, still have emotional baggage about some aspect of the day-to-day process that they left behind years ago. Might be because they got burned by a supervisor of theirs, or a choice they made when they were young. Or might just be a remnant of an old culture. But, lots of people have those, so expect that, too. Its common.
Emails and phone messages are sometimes a good way to get new ideas across or at least warm them up to the idea by introducing it a little at a time, over a period of time.
Oh and one last thing, sometimes the only way to learn what a boss’s hot buttons are, or learn the best way to warm them to an idea, is to be yourself and be adventurous and just throw yourself into it and make mistakes. If they don’t throw you out the door, you’ll learn about how they work, and hopefully will turn any blowup into a not just a salvageable situation but a really good working relationship.
* John
You need and must have a boss who is comfortable with being equal. Many supervisors are not alright with being equal with anyone.
There are a lot of good ideas here.
You do need to manage your boss somewhat. Your boss is a person, with problems of his own, so you should try to make things easier. All the ideas presented here are good ones.
- Try not to go to your boss with a problem unless you have a solution.
- Don’t discuss details with your boss unless he asks for them.
- Learn to communicate with your boss by his preferred method.
- take the initiative to increase your responsibilities, both to move up the ladder and to help out your boss.
But the same thing applies to bosses. If you are the boss:
- Don’t solve problems for your employees that they can solve themselve. Part of your job is to coach them.
- Be specific about what information you want from your employees. DOn’t bitch about their lack of communication if you havent made this clear.
- Learn to communicate with your employees in the method they prefer. As the boss, you are supposed to be a better people-person than your employees. After all, a manager is more about people skills than your individual contribution. Don’t always expect them make the effort to accomodate you.
- Clearly outline your employees resonsibilites. DOn’t force responsibility on an employee who is unable to rise to the occasion. If they want to get promoted, give them the chance. If they don’t, let them grow in their own area.
Great advice. This is a great way to show your intelligence and responsibility. Also a great way to show your boss you’re on the same page as him/her and he/she can trust you.
I am about to go start a discussion about this on OfficeArrow.
Thanks Ryan!