Most managers want to know how to manage certain of those more problematic staff: the chronic dissenter; the demotivated clock-watcher; Job’s comforter; the neurotically fragile. A great deal of time and effort, energy and worry go into trying to understand and motivate direct reports to be productive.
But the really smart manager spends as much time managing upwards. By definition, your boss has greater power and status than you. Bosses may or may not have broader wisdom and more experience but (nearly) always they have more power and influence and certainly more command of resources. They certainly are likely to have a great influence on you promotability, bonus pay and, indeed, quality of life.
Really shrewd managers learn to handle their bosses. The success of this strategy depends entirely on an understanding of the individual concerned. And this is much trickier than understanding reporting staff because managers mostly have much more data on those below them than those above them. Often, managers chose their direct reports; they have access to their files; they may even have valuable psychometric test information on their personality and motives. They certainly have much more daily contact with them. The quality and quantity of data that managers have is often extensive, while a remote (physically or psychologically) boss may be very difficult to know. Managers probably have up to 50 times more contact with their staff than with the bosses who maybe in a different building, city, even country.
But what are individual bosses really like? What are their ambitions and values? Who do they most admire or loathe in the organization? How do they manage upwards? And what pressures are they under? What rewards do they most value – promotion, bonuses, education, time off? What gives them most stress? Are they themselves high flyers or ceiling reachers? Are they totally trustworthy? And, even, are they sane?
A simple but effective way to begin managing upwards is to understand the abilities and personality of one’s manager.
A. Ability
How bright is your boss? Ignore qualification, rank and reputation: in assessing bosses, the question to ask how quick are they on the uptake? How quickly and accurately can they comprehend a report? How good is their vocabulary, written skills and articulateness? Can they “tumble-numbers”, read a balance sheet? The real test is in the unfamiliar, not the familiar. It’s called fluid intelligence. Experience leads to crystallized knowledge, but is only really useful in a stable world.
Those with bright bosses (that’s IQ not EQ) may find them a little intolerant of those less quick and perhaps poor at explanation. Reminding them of this can be done in a flattering way and may help everybody. These bright sparks tend to be more accepting of change, more interested in data and, of course, more adaptable and flexible.
Below-par bosses may take particularly sensitive handling. They resist new ideas and are frightened of bright young things from university. The really dim ones don’t even know that they are dim. They need a lot of help and support. Give them “suggestions” and show them how to do things. But don’t make them too reliant on you… they may hold on to you too hard and prevent your progress if they need you too much.
B. Personality
There are essentially five personality traits that require close attention. The first is perhaps the most tricky and almost a taboo to talk about. It’s neuroticism or, if you prefer, "negative affectivity". The stable boss copes with stress well, but the neurotic boss can be anxious, moody, thin-skinned, touchy and brittle, always pessimistic and worrying. Neurotic bosses are often unpredictable and need constant help, reassurance and calming down. They can have self-defeating characteristics which need looking out for, lest they defeat you as well. Neurotics are supersensitive: to the environment and others’ feelings. In that sense, they can be very compassionate, but their sensitivity makes them prone to low self-esteem, guilt, hypochondriasis, even obsessiveness.
The best way to manage these bosses for you own mental health is frankly to leave them. The cost of being a part-time therapist may be simply too high a price to pay.
The second important characteristic is extraversion. Extraverts are active, expressive, impulsive and sociable. They can also be risk taking, showing a worrying lack of reflection and responsibility. They are prone to make mistakes; to trade off speed for accuracy; to have too many brainstorming groups and parties; and to search for the elusive break through. Extraverts need not have their enthusiasm dimmed, but they need watching. They need to have their impulsivity tempered by more considerate judgment. But they also need lots of stimulation and variety to keep them comfortable.
Introverts are not shy, inadequate: they just don’t have the need for excitement that extraverts show. They tend to be more difficult to read because they prefer not to go to parties or meetings or give talks. They think first, speak later (unlike extraverts, who do it the other way around), and may seem slow and ponderous. They may seem cold, but that is just their discomfort around others.
Introverts trade off speed for accuracy. They may be helped by having an extroverted spokesperson. They prefer listening to talking and have a preference for “cold” over “hot” media: they prefer letters to meetings; emails to brainstorming sessions. Understand their likes and dislikes and you become more trusted and liked yourself.
We all like our managers to be conscientious: to be efficient, organized, reliable, responsible, dependent, thorough and prudent. Often they make the same demands of us, which can be a little exacting. But they get things done. Conscientiousness is a predictor of business success. It comes from upbringing and values. It is related to the work ethic and one’s conscience.
Conscientious managers can be rather tight-fisted and intolerant and they can be risk-adverse. But beware imprudent managers. They are lax with time, money and their personal responsibilities to others. They don’t follow through. They don’t pay their bills and they can be wildly incautious about all monetary and security issues. They may take time off when it suits them and be both indulgent and impulsive. They may appear as if they feel that 'The problem with instant gratification is that it takes too long.'
An imprudent, unreliable manager needs watching. They need lots of backup… but ultimately they probably need managing out of the organization… for everyone’s benefit.
The fourth personality dimension of salience is agreeableness. Highly agreeable managers are lovely: they are appreciative, forgiving, generous, kind, trusting and sympathetic. Their staff experience them as altruistic, modest and straightforward. Needless to say, they are well liked and have a reputation for being a good manager.
Those low on agreeableness are much less likeable. They may be cynical and sarcastic, argumentative and challenging, inconsiderate, suspicious and unhelpful. They tend to want to be admired and to be “somebody”. Their vanity and habit of putting people down make them unloved, unrespected and quite simply disagreeable. If their disagreeability is matched by great abilities, they may be forgiven their unkindnesses. But it is more likely that disagreeable managers get where they are through lies, nepotism or exploitation. If any of the latter, the best strategy is to leave or get them out of the way.
The fifth personality dimension of importance is one clearly related to creativity and intellect. It’s called openness to experience. Managers who score high on this dimension tend to be artistic and curious, imaginative and insightful, original and creative. Typically, they have a wide range of interests and are quite “intellectual”. Often, they are thought of as unconventional and a bit “arty-farty”. They like variety and novelty, but can scatter resources. For some, they are impractical dreamers: optimistic, energetic but unfocused.
Open managers are not fuddy-duddy. They embrace changes and are sensitive to the teachings and ideas of others. They are also aesthetically sophisticated. Some jobs call for little imagination and in those they are a handicap. But the real pains are managers who score low on this dimension. They tend to express both discomfort and perplexity in reaction to novel experiences. Their rigidity and lack of curiosity can be misunderstood as resistance. To help the less open manager, one needs to provide practical suggestions and new ideas. He or she needs to be helped to be more attentive to what is going on around them. They have an impoverished fantasy life and very conventional ways of thinking and behaving. Those scoring very low on this dimension are very hostile to new ideas, but those mid-way may come really to appreciate the new ways of thinking that you feed them.
If you have a bright, stable, agreeable, conscientious and open boss, celebrate your good fortune. If not, start practising you upward management skills!
