Working With Your Manager
Learn how to work effectively with your manager.
In this chapter, we’ve looked at the skills you’ll need to work with individuals, namely strong communication and the ability to delegate. However, there’s one important individual that you probably didn’t have in your mind while reading. That individual is your manager.
For many, their manager is the person that tells them what to do and judges their performance. However, the relationship can be so much more if you focus on developing it using the techniques that you’ll learn in this section. You can make your time with your manager a part of the week you value and look forward to.
Let’s take a look at some of the techniques that you can use.
Pull, don’t push
The most important piece of advice is that you should pull on your manager, not wait for them to push you. What this means is that it’s up to you to get the best out of the relationship that you have with your manager. Be proactive and don’t wait for them. Book that meeting, have that conversation with them, ask for that help. You’re not a marionette dangling from the strings that your manager holds with them dictating exactly what you should do. Instead, you need to reframe the relationship that you have in your mind to one that encourages two-way empowerment through coaching, sharing responsibilities, and support.
The techniques that follow all embody this principle. ...