Sarah’s Top Ten Boss Coping Strategies

We’ve all had bosses that we’ve had a hard time dealing with.  And some of us have actually been bosses, and had employees that we’ve had a hard time dealing with too.  As a new manager, I took the time to read a lot of books on rewarding, encouraging, motivating, and disciplining employees.  I also read quite a few books about managing you boss, not only for my own benefit but so I would know what was up when people were trying to “manage” me.  Now, I can’t claim that any of the below are original, nor can I cite the sources for any of these.  I just know that these are the top ten ways to deal with your boss that stuck in my mind, after all that reading.  Take it for what it’s worth, from a long time employee with a tendency to manage her own bosses and a new manager still earning her stripes :)

Sarah’s Top Ten Boss Coping Strategies

1) Know Your Boss's Schedule
Know when  your boss has meetings with his or her own boss.  Know when those governing agency meetings are...when he or she likes to leave work early to get home...etc.  The more you know about what's going on and when, the more you can time your requests for those brief intervals of "oh yes of course" responses.  Watch carefully...they flash by in an instant sometimes.

 

2) Have Your Own Ideas (or) Don't be Bobble-head
Most managers appreciate staff members who have original ideas about what the library can do to improve service to its users.  The more ideas you can have that are original, that show you are keeping up in the profession, that show a devotion to the career--the more likely you are to be trusted with new initiatives or even promoted.  Apparently, other managers want someone who says “yes” to everything that he or she proposes.  If you don’t have your own ideas, though, you merely become a rubber stamp, a tool.  If you are in a position where being a bobble-head is a survival strategy, then that probably isn’t the best place for you to work…particularly if you have a hard time quashing your own opinions. Your boss isn’t manage-able if honest opinions are frowned upon.  If you find yourself already being a bobble-head, ask  yourself if you’re happy and if you are really still effectual in your position if you’re simply rubber-stamping everything. Maybe you need to seek a different job or reassess the way you respond to things.

3) Don't Assume Knowledge
Most managers have been away from the front-line for years and some of them have not kept up professionally, especially to the degree that you have specialized knowledge within your own field or department.  So be patient with them as you are trying to explain exactly how certain thing work.  The worst thing that you can do is make your manager feel like an idiot. If you are in a meeting with you boss and you are talking about something that they may not know about, slow down and take the time to explain the topic in plain English, but don’t direct the clarification at them. Say something like “So, just to sum up so we’re all on the same page….”  Don't be frustrated with them and try to take the time that you need to explain everything.  And don’t, please don’t, be condescending while explaining.  That will not be a pretty outcome.

4) Be Patient (or) Libraries Move Slower than Sludge
A lot of people including myself get very frustrated when projects or questions which seem simple are taking months to get a response or approval.  This can be particularly frustrating if the hold-up is your boss.  If you want something to go through faster, and your boss to approve it more quickly, do two things: 1) Provide all necessary information up-front, even to the point of over-inclusion so that information-gathering doesn’t delay the decision and 2) Be happily inquisitive about the status of the project/decision: “So, hi Sue!  How was your weekend?  Oh yeah?  Oh, mine was fabulous…but I was glad to get back here!  So…do you remember that question I asked you about X, yes…  that’s such an exciting project and I’m really looking forward to implementing it!  Any idea when a decision will be made?”  Happy snappy = a pleasantly motivated boss.

5) Do Your Research
Do not come to the manager with a project proposal without having done any research about the impact it will have on your institution and its users: what other institutions have done, what money it will take, what staff it will take, what the impact will be, and so on.  Your project won't be approved until that information is in place, so you might as well save time and appear intelligent at the same time.

6) The Ol’ Mission
Library mission and goals statements allow you to show your manager exactly how your work or the project you are proposing directly ties in to what the library is all about.  If you tie your project specifically, point by point, to the library’s mission, your project is much more likely to be approved. 

7) Save Time and Money
Bosses are short on two things: time and money.  If you cost them either, bosses are not well pleased.  If you save them either, they will love you.  Please be brief when talking or writing to your boss, no matter the subject.  And even if a project you are proposing costs money, see how it saves the library money too and don’t forget to highlight that!  The job of the head honcho is to look at the big picture.  They have to worry about money and time, so if you continually keep your focus on these two assets, you are in good position to have your project approved.

8) Talk About Problems Creatively
Criticizing and complaining in a constructive matter is an important skill.  If you see a problem with a procedure, policy, staff person, etc., you should come to your boss with three things: 1) a concise non-emotional assessment of the problem 2) a description of the impact of the problem and 3) more than one possible solution, a way to look forward that moves the library in a positive direction.

9) Do Your Own Job
I will guarantee you that your boss doesn't have time to do his or her own job as it is. Don't ask this person to do your job for you too. They don't want to know about every last decision you have to make, every last project you are working on, and every last report.  You need to hit them up for the big issues—and if you limit yourself to that, they'll be more likely to pay attention when you do come a’knocking.

10) Make it His/Her Idea
Much to your surprise, I’m sure, it is entirely possible that the boss you have is a total egomaniac.  Egomaniacs like to micromanage their employees, won’t support projects unless they think of them, and tend to push their own projects through in a forceful way without any regard for how they impact anyone else.  As such, sell your ideas so that they seem like your boss’s ideas.  How?  Talk about the problem you’re facing (and for which you already have a solution, but keep that to yourself).  When they arrive at the same conclusion you did, which they inevitably will as you nudge them along in the right direction with your own comments, then you can say "Wow! What a great idea!  Thank you!”  If you can manage to leave your ego with the door, you will get more of your projects done and approved which is the ultimate goal.   However, if you are someone who cannot stomach faking something like this (as I cannot), then you may want to find yourself another boss.