In any professional setting, the relationship between an employee and their manager is crucial. A positive rapport not only fosters a healthy work environment but also paves the way for career growth and success. Whether you’re aiming for a promotion or simply striving for better collaboration, here’s how you can build a solid relationship with your manager:
Understanding the Ground Rules:
- Decoding Expectations: Understand what your manager expects from you in terms of performance, goals, and behavior. Aligning your efforts with their expectations sets a strong foundation for a fruitful partnership.
- Adapting to management style: Observe your manager’s behavior, communication style, and feedback preferences to tailor your approach of communicating with them. E.g:
- An authoritative manager may expect to provide input on every small detail, whereas a hands-off manager may want to influence only key decisions.
- If your manager prefers concise emails, avoid lengthy messages and stick to bullet points or summaries.
- Remember:
- When in doubt, ask your manager about their preferred communication style.
- Request feedback on your communication style and adjust accordingly to ensure alignment.
- Pay attention to their verbal and nonverbal cues during interactions.
- Be flexible and willing to adapt your approach as needed.
Earning Their Trust: Demonstrate your reliability and competence
- Ownership: Take initiative, go beyond minimum requirements, and demonstrate commitment to your tasks. This showcases your reliability and dedication.
- Underpromise, Overdeliver: Exceeding expectations consistently builds trust and shows you aim for excellence.
- Transparency is Key: Keep your manager informed, regularly update them on progress, and anticipate potential roadblocks. Deliver bad news promptly, explaining the issue and presenting possible solutions. Honesty fosters trust and strengthens the team.
- Learning from Setbacks: Phrase mistakes as learning opportunities. Share your challenges, what you learned, and how you’ll prevent them in the future. This demonstrates growth and accountability.
Becoming a Partner, Not Just an Employee:
- Active Listening: Pay attention to your manager’s concerns and challenges. Offer well-thought-out suggestions and solutions whenever possible. Show you’re invested in their success and the team’s well-being.
- Regular Check-ins: Don’t wait for issues to arise. Initiate regular meetings to discuss progress, concerns, and ideas. This fosters proactive communication and builds rapport. Don’t limit your communication to just project updates. Take the opportunity to share successes, understand the roadmap, and seek guidance on career development. Check out my post on effective 1-1s with your manager.
- Problem Solver, Not Just a Problem Reporter: Managers are supposed to help you resolve certain challenges; but when possible, come prepared with potential solutions and recommendations. This showcases your initiative, problem-solving skills and leadership potential.
Conflicting Priorities: When faced with conflicting priorities between you and your manager, consider the following strategies:
- Alignment: Schedule regular check-ins with your manager to align on priorities and goals. Use these meetings to discuss any conflicting tasks and collaborate on finding solutions.
- Prioritization: Clearly communicate your workload and ask for guidance on prioritizing tasks. Be transparent about your bandwidth and offer suggestions for reallocating resources if necessary.
- Flexibility: Be open to adjusting your priorities based on shifting organizational needs or new information from your manager. Demonstrate your willingness to be adaptable and solution-oriented in managing conflicting priorities.
Maintaining a Positive Attitude:
- Positivity Pays Off: Maintain a positive and collaborative attitude in your interactions, even during challenges. Positivity is infectious and can help foster a supportive and encouraging work environment. It’s easier said than done, but worth a try.
- Seek and Implement Feedback: Be proactive in seeking feedback from your manager on your performance and areas for improvement. Actively listen to their feedback and demonstrate your commitment to growth by implementing suggested changes and showing tangible progress. Keep track of your achievements and milestones to provide concrete examples during performance discussions. Presenting tangible evidence of your contributions can help reinforce the value you bring to the team. Articulate your achievements in a professional manner and express your desire for acknowledgment and growth opportunities.
- Appreciation, Not Flattery: Express genuine appreciation for your manager’s guidance and support. A sincere “thank you” goes a long way, but avoid excessive flattery, which can come across as disingenuous.
Disclaimer: Not all managers are the same.
This is a little idealistic, and will work for managers who look at their team members as more than just resources. However, it is better to start with the assumption of good intent and tweak your approach as needed.
If you are facing challenges with your manager
- Try a direct conversation with the manager to express concerns and find a path forward.
- Keep a record of interactions (dates, topics, key points) in case it’s needed later.
- If you find yourself in a situation where these tips aren’t working, remember that HR is a valuable resource. Their role is to support employees and can offer guidance on how to navigate challenging situations or communication breakdowns with your manager.
Building a strong relationship with your manager takes time and effort, but the benefits are well worth it. Respect your manager’s time, be professional, and maintain clear boundaries. By understanding their expectations, earning trust through actions, maintaining open communication, and fostering a positive attitude, you’ll create a positive, productive, and mutually beneficial relationship that sets you up for success in your career journey.
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Image credit: Photo by Ketut Subiyanto: https://www.pexels.com/photo/close-up-of-business-people-shaking-hands-4963436/