Organisational Behaviour For Dummies

Chapter 22

Ten Tips for Managing Your Manager

In This Chapter

Knowing what makes your manager tick

Offering solutions, rather than complaints

Being a good listener

The boss–subordinate relationship is one of the most important workplace relationships in terms of your career, wellbeing, and performance. Building a good relationship with your manager makes sense. After all, if your manager knows you and your work, she’s more likely to notice how good you are and what you bring to the organisation. Building a good, honest, and trustworthy relationship with your manager is fundamental to achieving your objectives at work and to enjoying your job.

Managers are taught a great deal about how to manage people at work, particularly their subordinates, but little advice helps you manage your manager. In this chapter, we offer tips for working well with your boss.

Understand Your Boss

Different types of managers exist:

Bureaucratic: If your boss is a bureaucrat, she wants to do everything ‘by the book’, to follow organisational procedures and policies. If you want to influence this type of ...