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Many advisors with whom I work want their employees to work with them more effectively – what I call “managing up.” Advisors are often at a loss as to how to motivate staff and get them to jump on board with new initiatives – and those problems can be addressed by helping your charges improve their working relationship with you.
This problem is endemic – affecting not just advisors. A recent Gallup poll of more one million employed U.S. workers showed that the number one reason people quit their jobs is a bad boss or immediate supervisor. “People leave managers not companies…in the end, turnover is mostly a manager issue,” Gallup wrote in its survey findings. The effect of poor management is widely felt. Gallup also determined that poorly managed work groups are, on average, 50 percent less productive and 44 percent less profitable than well-managed groups.
If would like your staff to learn new skills about how to work with you as the leader, share this article. Or if you are a staff member on a team and you have a boss and would like to learn more about how to be effective with him or her, read on!
Try one or more of these eight ways to improve the communication and effectiveness between levels:
- Observe your boss’ behavioral and communication style. Are they fast-paced, and quick to make decisions? Are they slow to think about things and want time to process? The more you can match your style to your boss’ when communicating, the more she will really hear what you are saying. You may have great information to convey, but if you don’t convey it in a way that your boss can hear, it will fall on her deaf ears.
- Think about “what’s in it for me?” from your boss’ point-of-view each time you approach her. What does she care about? What do you know about the view from her seat? Can you frame comments in a way that makes her feel what you are proposing, or doing, is good for her? Many senior advisors have told me they wish their staff understood more about the complexities they deal with, and the issues coming down on them. Put yourself in your boss’ shoes a bit before you ask her to understand you!
- Be a proactive communicator. Find out your boss’ preferred method – email, in person drop-ins, or lengthy memos – and be sure to pass along information. Most bosses don’t like to be caught unaware. Even if your boss doesn’t ask it of you, tell her what’s going on; keep her updated. Most senior advisors like to know what’s going on – and if your boss is a micro-manager type, the more outgoing information you can convey, the less she will ask you about what’s happening.
- Help to overcome her weaknesses. If you know you have a boss who is disorganized, instead of grousing about it, help her to be on top of things. If you know your boss is often late to meetings, offer to kick off the next meeting for her. If you know your boss is slow to respond, continue to work on a project while you wait to hear back from her. Will you be covering for your boss and enabling bad behavior? Maybe, but you are also giving her much-needed support to succeed and she will appreciate you for it.
- Do the best job you can do. Too many times people will start to slack off, or lose interest or stop performing well because they feel entitled to do that with a bad boss. Don’t do it. Keep your mind focused on top performance. Most people do desire a good relationship with their boss, but if you don’t have one, invest the time and energy you have into doing the best job you can do. Don’t let the boss drag you down.
- Keep a good attitude. Go home and complain to your spouse or friends all you want, but when in the office or workplace, stay upbeat and engaged. You never know who is watching or listening. Don’t get caught bad-mouthing your boss. It never goes well.
- Remember that bullies get their power from those who are afraid. If your boss is a yeller, a criticizer or a judge – stand firm. If you are doing the best job you can do, hold your head high and don’t give in to the bullying. Ask questions, seek to understand and work to defuse a difficult situation, instead of cowering or responding in anger. It takes practice, but the results are well worth it.
- Know where your boss stands in the company. If your boss is well regarded and well liked, she probably does a very good job of managing up, too. As a result, you will be considered the “problem” if you complain about her. If you decide you want to take action against your boss, weigh your options carefully before you do.
While you or your staff member may be technically competent, strong interpersonal communication between a boss and her charges is the ultimate key to success.
Beverly Flaxington co-founded The Collaborative, a consulting firm devoted to business building for the financial services industry in 1995; in 2008 she co-founded Advisors Trusted Advisor to offer dedicated practice management resources to advisors, planners and wealth managers. She is currently an adjunct professor at Suffolk University teaching undergraduate students Leadership & Social Responsibility. Beverly is a Certified Professional Behavioral Analyst (CPBA) and Certified Professional Values Analyst (CPVA).
She has spent over 25 years in the investment industry and has been featured in Selling Power Magazine and quoted in hundreds of media outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, MSNBC.com, Investment News and Solutions Magazine for the FPA. She speaks frequently at investment industry conferences and is a speaker for the CFA Institute.
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