By Lisa Swan
Special to Online Career Tips
You have things you need to get done at work, and your boss is breathing down your neck over it. Not to mention that the company owner is also looking over your shoulder. What can you do? Instead of freaking out, think about coming up with ways to manage your managers. That means not just doing your work in a way that makes your bosses happy, but communicating with them in a way that makes things better, not worse.
This is not about manipulation, but about making sure to not just do a good job, and to handle things in a win-win way. Here are some tips on how you can manage your managers and have a less stressful work experience:
Be a trustworthy employee who gets things done
With many bosses, once you prove yourself a few times, they will back off a bit with the micromanaging. The key is to do what you say, conduct yourself in a professional manner, and finish things before the deadline. Sounds easy enough, but employers have had to deal with flakes who don’t do just that. Don’t be one of those flakes.
Think like your manager
Analyze your boss’ communication style, then act accordingly. If your manager hates in-person interruptions and prefers emails, then don’t be knocking on their door all the time. If your boss does not give you a lot of details on what they want done, ask them a few questions now, to make sure you know what is requested.
Keep your manager informed
Send your boss status reports about what you are doing, and always know exactly where you are in each project, in case your supervisor asks you in the hall what you are doing. You can send status reports weekly, unless he or she specifically requests it more often; if you send daily status reports, your manager will most likely tune them out.
Ask them questions on prioritization
If you want to do your job effectively, you need to know when things need to be done, and in what order: Let’s take one example. If you are working on three important different projects, and your boss comes to you with a hot new project, ask him not just when this new projects need to be done, but communicate to him that you are working on other projects, and ask him which one is most important. If your boss says he wants it done as soon as possible, then throw out a date when you think you could complete it and suggest that one.
Anticipate what else your manager might want
Some career coach experts say you should think about what else your boss may ask for. This may take time to know what your boss wants, but if you can anticipate what else they might be looking for, that is much of the battle with your job.
Toot your own horn – but don’t be unbearable
Some employees think that the way to keep their jobs during hard times is to stay under the radar. In fact, that could be an awful strategy, as bosses may actually find them easy to get rid of because they don’t know them. Instead, try to stand out for your work and get noticed. Just don’t be a braggart, though – nobody likes that.
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