Leading Through Your Boss

Leadership Workshop (4 of 12) – Lead Through Others

Leading at Light Speed is an essential new leadership book by Eric Douglas synthesizing the best business practices into 10 Quantum Leaps that build trust, spark innovation, and create a high-performing organization.

In Chapter 3, Lead Through Others, Eric discusses Leading Through Your Boss.

During a seminar I was conducting for Apple Computers, a young manager raised his hand and asked: “This is all well and good. But how do I apply these ideas to managing my boss?”I thought for a moment, because this is tough to teach. I told him that if you want your boss to trust you, it is important to lead through your boss. You have to orient yourself to thinking in his shoes. You have to demonstrate you can see the world through her eyes. You have to communicate this understanding – not once but frequently. Talk to him and find out what he’s dealing with. Offer your help. Get her to believe you are part of the solution, not part of the problem.

John Gabarro and John Kotter reveal in Managing Your Boss that bosses “Don’t have unlimited time, encyclopedic knowledge or extra-sensory perception; nor are they evil enemies. They have their own pressures and concerns that are sometimes at odds with the wishes of the subordinate – and often for good reason.” Only you can determine the needs and concerns of your boss and decipher how best to support him.

It is critical to realize you are not going to change the personality of your boss anymore than you are going to change your own personality. At best, you might be able to suggest some small changes in behavior – but only if your boss is open to such feedback, and only if you can show that it would benefit the entire organization. Even small changes in behavior require considerable commitment. As the old joke goes: How many psychologists does it take to change a light bulb? Just one, but the light bulb must truly desire change.

The number one way to compel your boss is to have productive conversations. Once you’ve built up a reservoir of trust, express your view about what’s working well and what needs to change. Emphasize that you are trying to look after the company’s best interests. Listen, ask powerful questions, and think well before responding. Don’t form your conclusions too quickly. Your suggestions should always be presented as possible solutions.

If you still run up against a brick wall in managing up the chain of command, try to look at things from a systems perspective and identify the underlying pattern of forces at work. What behavior is occurring and what is its life cycle? Are you contributing to it, and if so, how? Can the cycle be interrupted?

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