RULE 87
Show you understand the viewpoint of underlings and overlings
Being an underling – as we all know because we’ve all done it, been there – is tough. You get to take a lot of orders from a lot of people delivered in a way that puts your back up and makes you angry.
But hey, being a manager is often no better. Now you are caught in the middle. You get all that flak from the staff, plus all the crazy directives from the chief executive. You are no longer an underling and not quite an overling. You are the middle of the sandwich. You’re going to get it from both directions, upwards and downwards.
One of the best ways to take the pressure off is to let them all know you understand their viewpoint. Don’t just smile and say, ‘Yeah, I know where ...
Get The Rules of Management, 3rd Edition now with the O’Reilly learning platform.
O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.
