Binding: Digital
Format: Download: PDF
Label: Harvard Business Review
Languages: Array
Manufacturer: Harvard Business Review
Number Of Pages: 11
Publication Date: 2005-01-01
Publisher: Harvard Business Review
Release Date: 2008-10-25
Studio: Harvard Business Review

In this classic HBR article, first published in 1980, John J. Gabarro and John P. Kotter advise readers to devote time and energy to managing their relationships with their bosses. The authors aren't talking about showering supervisors with flattery; rather, they ask readers to understand that the manager-boss relationship is one of mutual dependence. Bosses need cooperation, reliability, and honesty from their direct reports. Managers, for their part, rely on bosses for making connections with the rest of the company, for setting priorities, and for obtaining critical resources. It only makes sense to work at making the relationship operate as smoothly as possible. Successfully managing your relationship with your boss requires that you have a good understanding of your supervisor and of yourself, particularly strengths, weaknesses, work styles, and needs. Once you are aware of what impedes or facilitates communication with your boss, you can take actions to improve your relationship. You can usually establish a way of working together that fits both of you, is characterized by unambiguous mutual expectations, and makes both of you more productive and effective. No doubt, some managers will resent that on top of all their other duties, they must also take responsibility for their relationships with their bosses. But these managers fail to realize that by doing so, they can actually simplify their jobs, eliminating potentially severe problems and improving productivity.

Customer Rating:
Summary: Developing a good working relationship with your superior
Comment: Both authors are Professors at the Harvard Business School. This article was originally published in January-February 1980, this On-Point version includes a retrospective commentary and was published in January-February 1993. Both authors have written several books on general management, leadership, and human resource management.

The term 'managing your boss' means "the process of consciously working with your superior to obtain the best possible results for you, your boss, and the company." It does not refer to political maneuvering or apple polishing. In this article the authors explain by using both successful and unsuccessful boss-manager relationship how to develop a productive relationship with your boss. First, you need to understand your boss and his/her context. It is necessary to appreciate their goals and pressures, their strengths and weaknesses. But this is only one-half of the relationship, you also need to know your own needs, strengths and weaknesses, and personal style. "With a clear understanding of both your boss and yourself, you can usually establish a way of working together that fits both of you ..." The authors provide a short checklist for 'managing your boss', which is supplemented with a discussion on compatible work styles, mutual expectations, the information flow, dependability and honesty, and use of time and resources. The article is complemented with a retrospective commentary by the editors of the Harvard Business Review.

Lots of traditional management books discussed the importance of top-down management, but this article was one of the first to discuss the upward relationship between manager and boss. The article provides great insights, excellent practical advice, and uses good examples. It is no surprise that it has become one of the best-selling Harvard Business Review articles. I highly recommend it to leaders, managers, and MBA-students. The authors use simple US-English.

---