It's Okay to Manage Your Boss: The Step-by-Step Program for Making the Best of Your Most Important Relationship at Work

Book description

Get what you need from your boss

In this follow-up to the bestselling It's Okay to Be the Boss, Bruce Tulgan argues that as managers demand more and more from their employees, they are also providing them with less guidance than ever before. Since the number one factor in employee success is the relationship between employees and their immediate managers, employees need to take greater responsibility for getting the most out of that relationship. Drawing on years of experience training managers and employees, Tulgan reveals the four essential things employees should get from their bosses to guarantee success at work.

  • Shows employees how to ask for what they need to succeed in their high-pressure jobs

  • Shatters previously held beliefs about how employees should manage up

  • Outlines what employees must get from their managers: clear expectations; the skills needed to perform their jobs; honest feedback, recognition or rewards

A novel approach to managing up, It's Okay to Manage Your Boss is an invaluable resource for employees who want to work more effectively with their managers.

Table of contents

  1. Copyright
  2. 1. Refuse to Be Undermanaged
    1. 1.1.
      1. 1.1.1. One: They are afraid of micromanaging
      2. 1.1.2. Two: They are afraid of being unfair by not treating all employees the same
      3. 1.1.3. Three: They are afraid of being perceived as a "jerk" and want to be seen as "nice"
      4. 1.1.4. Four: They are afraid of having difficult confrontations with employees
      5. 1.1.5. Five: They are afraid to break organizational rules and procedures and feel constrained by bureaucratic red tape
      6. 1.1.6. Six: They are natural leaders, but not very good at managing
      7. 1.1.7. Seven: They feel like they don't have enough time to spend managing you
    2. 1.2. WHEN THEY UNDERMANAGE, YOU PAY THE PRICE
    3. 1.3. BAD ADVICE FOR MANAGING YOUR BOSS
      1. 1.3.1. Myth 1: If you are a high-performer, then your boss shouldn't tell you how to do your job
      2. 1.3.2. Myth 2: In order to be creative at work, you need to be left alone to do things your own way
      3. 1.3.3. Myth 3: If someone else is getting special treatment, then you should too
      4. 1.3.4. Myth 4: The path to success is catering to your boss's style and preferences
      5. 1.3.5. Myth 5: "Making friends" with your boss is smart workplace politics
      6. 1.3.6. Myth 6: Hiding from mistakes and problems is a good way to avoid trouble
      7. 1.3.7. Myth 7: No news is good news, but being "coached" on your performance is bad news
      8. 1.3.8. Myth 8: If your boss doesn't like to read paperwork, you don't need to keep track of your performance in writing
      9. 1.3.9. Myth 9: If you are not a "people person," then you'll have a hard time getting ahead in the workplace
      10. 1.3.10. Myth 10: Some bosses are just too busy to meet with you
    4. 1.4. GETTING PAST THE MYTHS
    5. 1.5. GETTING THE MOST OUT OF YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR BOSS
  3. 2. The First Person You Have to Manage Every Day Is Yourself
    1. 2.1. FIGURE OUT WHERE YOU FIT IN YOUR ORGANIZATION
    2. 2.2. BRING YOUR BEST SELF TO WORK EVERY DAY
    3. 2.3. MAKE SURE YOU ARE NOT THE JERK AT WORK
    4. 2.4. BE A GREAT WORKPLACE CITIZEN
    5. 2.5. GET LOTS OF WORK DONE VERY WELL, VERY FAST, EVERY DAY
    6. 2.6. BE A PROBLEM-SOLVER, NOT A COMPLAINER
    7. 2.7. ANTICIPATE AND AVOID PROBLEMS
    8. 2.8. REGULARLY ASSESS YOUR PRODUCTIVITY, THE QUALITY OF YOUR WORK, AND YOUR BEHAVIOR
  4. 3. Get in the Habit of Managing Your Bosses Every Day
    1. 3.1. WHEN, HOW OFTEN, AND FOR HOW LONG?
    2. 3.2. WHAT SHOULD YOU TALK ABOUT IN ONE-ON-ONES?
    3. 3.3. TEAM MEETINGS ARE NO SUBSTITUTE FOR ONE-ON-ONES
    4. 3.4. WHEN YOUR BOSS DOESN'T HAVE ENOUGH TIME FOR ONE-ON-ONES
    5. 3.5. IF YOU OR YOUR BOSS WORK IN A REMOTE LOCATION
    6. 3.6. WHAT ABOUT THE BOSS WHO HAS TOO MUCH TIME FOR YOU?
  5. 4. Take It One Boss at a Time, One Day at a Time
    1. 4.1. ESTABLISH A REGULAR, WELL-FUNCTIONING DIALOGUE WITH EVERY BOSS
    2. 4.2. CUSTOMIZE YOUR APPROACH TO EVERY BOSS
      1. 4.2.1. 1. Who Is This Boss at Work?
      2. 4.2.2. 2. Why Do I Need to Manage This Boss?
      3. 4.2.3. 3. What Do I Need to Talk About with This Boss?
      4. 4.2.4. 4. How Should I Talk with This Boss?
      5. 4.2.5. 5. Where Should I Talk with This Boss?
      6. 4.2.6. 6. When Should I Talk with This Boss?
    3. 4.3. LEARN TO NEGOTIATE YOUR BOSSES' CONFLICTING PRIORITIES
  6. 5. Make Sure You Understand What Is Expected of You
    1. 5.1. THE THREE KEY EXPECTATIONS YOU NEED TO GET FROM YOUR BOSS
    2. 5.2. WHAT TO DO IF YOUR BOSS DOESN'T PROVIDE CLEAR EXPECTATIONS
    3. 5.3. MANAGING EXPECTATIONS IN THE MIDST OF CONSTANT CHANGE
    4. 5.4. RETAINING YOUR CREATIVITY WHILE CLARIFYING EXPECTATIONS AND DEFINING BOUNDARIES
    5. 5.5. WHEN YOUR BOSS IS NOT THE EXPERT
    6. 5.6. GET INTO THE RHYTHM OF YOUR WORK
  7. 6. Assess and Plan for the Resources You Need
    1. 6.1. WHAT IS RESOURCE PLANNING?
    2. 6.2. STEP ONE: INVENTORY THE PRIMARY RESOURCES YOU WILL NEED TO ACCOMPLISH YOUR TASK
    3. 6.3. STEP TWO: RESEARCH THE "SUPPLY CHAIN"
    4. 6.4. STEP THREE: IDENTIFY POSSIBLE WORKAROUNDS
    5. 6.5. THE IMPORTANCE OF KEEPING YOUR BOSS INVOLVED
  8. 7. Track Your Own Performance Every Step of the Way
    1. 7.1. THE POWER OF TRACKING YOUR PERFORMANCE IN WRITING
    2. 7.2. TRACK YOUR PERFORMANCE BY MONITORING YOUR OWN CONCRETE ACTIONS
    3. 7.3. WHAT GETS MEASURED AND WHAT SHOULD GET MEASURED?
    4. 7.4. DOCUMENT YOUR PERFORMANCE
    5. 7.5. CREATE A SIMPLE PROCESS YOU CAN STICK WITH
    6. 7.6. WHEN SHOULD YOU DOCUMENT YOUR PERFORMANCE?
  9. 8. Earn More Rewards by Doing More Work, Faster and Better
    1. 8.1. CURRENT TRENDS IN PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT
    2. 8.2. THE DULL BLUDGEON OF TREATING EVERYBODY THE SAME
    3. 8.3. REAL FAIRNESS
    4. 8.4. YOUR REPUTATION IS THE SECRET TO MORE LEVERAGE
    5. 8.5. YOU HAVE TO START SOMEWHERE
    6. 8.6. BE REALISTIC
    7. 8.7. EVERYTHING IS NEGOTIABLE, ALMOST
    8. 8.8. OFFER A PROPOSAL
  10. 9. What If Your Boss Really Is a Jerk?
    1. 9.1. IS IT THE BOSS, OR IS IT YOU?
    2. 9.2. IF THE BOSS REALLY IS A JERK
    3. 9.3. SEVEN SUBTLE TYPES OF JERK BOSS BEHAVIOR
      1. 9.3.1. Jerk-Boss Scenario 1
      2. 9.3.2. Jerk-Boss Scenario 2
      3. 9.3.3. Jerk-Boss Scenario 3
      4. 9.3.4. Jerk-Boss Scenario 4
      5. 9.3.5. Jerk-Boss Scenario 5
      6. 9.3.6. Jerk-Boss Scenario 6
      7. 9.3.7. Jerk-Boss Scenario 7
    4. 9.4. PREPARING FOR A TOUGH CONVERSATION WITH AN ABUSIVE BOSS
    5. 9.5. WHEN THE BOSS WON'T STOP ACTING LIKE A JERK
  11. 10. Start Here
    1. 10.1. THE DECISION TO CHANGE IS TOO IMPORTANT TO RUSH
    2. 10.2. CONSIDER THE CULTURE OF YOUR WORKPLACE
    3. 10.3. FOCUS FIRST ON YOUR OWN SELF-MANAGEMENT
    4. 10.4. TALK TO YOUR BOSS(ES)
    5. 10.5. TAKE IT ONE BOSS AT A TIME, ONE DAY AT A TIME
    6. 10.6. FINE-TUNE YOUR APPROACH FOR EACH BOSS
    7. 10.7. START MANAGING YOUR BOSSES
    8. 10.8. CLARIFY EXPECTATIONS AND TRACK YOUR PERFORMANCE
    9. 10.9. START INCLUDING RESOURCE PLANNING
    10. 10.10. STAY FLEXIBLE: REVISE AND ADJUST
    11. 10.11. LEARN TO EARN
    12. 10.12. WHAT ABOUT YOUR COWORKERS?
    13. 10.13. GET READY, GET SET ...
  12. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  13. ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Product information

  • Title: It's Okay to Manage Your Boss: The Step-by-Step Program for Making the Best of Your Most Important Relationship at Work
  • Author(s): Bruce Tulgan
  • Release date: September 2010
  • Publisher(s): Jossey-Bass
  • ISBN: 9780470605301