The Relationship with Your Manager

Building a relationship with your manager can be tough sometimes, but remember these simple rules and the relationship you have with your superiors will certainly have the potential to be successful.

We all want to succeed

We like people who help us succeed.  You will build trust and credibility with your manager when you prove that your goal is to help them succeed.  This doesn’t mean you are a “yes sir” person, always agreeing (more on this below), but rather that your focus is on their success, which is ultimately your organizations success.  When they look good, you’ll look good and you’ll reach your departments objectives as well, developing a reputation of someone who delivers results.

Feed them the right information

I mentioned not being a “yes sir”.  You role is to be a subject matter expert.  It doesn’t matter what the subject is, only that in your role it’s your primary focus.  As such, you have an obligation to ensure that your manager understands what’s important in detail.   I’ve always worked with the understanding that I’ll make sure my manager has all the information, and I’ll fight for what I think is right.  Until they make a decision, I’ll work hard to defend my position as the subject matter expert.  But here’s the key; when your manager makes a decision, forget your opinion because it’s gone and over with.  Never tell people down the road that you thought it was a bad choice, or were fighting for another choice.  Remember, we’re going for trust and credibility, not undermining authority.  Show your manager that you have the guts to fight for what you think is right, and the fortitude to stand at his side even though he went a different direction.

Market them and your company

Never tell people that you don’t like working for them, their stupid or you hate working for them.  Remember, you’re trying to help them succeed, not run them into the ground.  If you talk about them in a negative light, or even bad mouth the company you work for, it’s time to leave and find something new because you’ve torn down the foundation to your career success.  Be an advocate for your organization, your boss and your situation.  If you can’t, update your resume and find somewhere you can.

You don’t need to be close friends with your employer (although that can be nice), but you definitely need to be on the same page, working towards the same goal and objectives.  If you’re fighting against them rather than with them,  you will do damage to your reputation, be worthless to your company and be your own biggest roadblock to success.

As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts on this.  Subscribe today, and connect with me on Twitter and let’s talk about your experiences.

[Via http://matthew-schmitt.com]