Learning to be a leader 10 rules of good leadership. Communication vertical: business communication with the manager

If a person is at the head of a company, this does not mean that he knows everything and is programmed to always act correctly. Leaders are human and make mistakes.

We offer you a list of tips for people working in the field of managerial management, for future stars of the ranking of the best top managers in the world.

Imagine that you are already a leader who has experienced specialists, projects, and customers.

Do you understand that you need to grow, develop the company, but do not know where to start, because all the processes are tied to you?

First rule: the leader should not be a man-orchestra. If you take on absolutely all the responsibilities: a project manager, a personnel manager, and a business representative, nothing good will come of it. You need to learn how to delegate responsibilities to other experts! To do this, they need to grow. And, this is your job and responsibility as a Leader.

Your main job is to analyze, develop and implement strategy, tactics and control. You don't have to take on everything.

Second rule: the leader should not save on specialists (if they are really good). Even for those who do not bring direct profit: do not think of them as losses - they are an investment in the future growth and stability of the company.

Third rule: a leader should not take on someone else's work if he thinks that he will do it better and faster. It is more effective to teach another once (even if it takes a lot of time and effort) than to perform your indirect duties again and again every time. Spend a few hours or days on detailed instruction and training, and you will get excellent results and a specialist working with you with full dedication.

Fourth rule: The leader must trust his team. Without this, it is impossible to create a cohesive team. Let people do what you pay them to do. It turns out that sometimes people lack creativity. Then, it is necessary to assign a certain area of activity to a person, set common goals and give him the freedom to realize himself in it. Realize that you can't do everything. Close your eyes and fall back - learn to trust your people!

Fifth rule: The leader must accept that all mistakes cannot be avoided. They can cost a company a lot of money, but these are not costs, but a contribution to the development of employees. If another failed, give the subordinate the opportunity to draw conclusions himself and, thus, learn something. Find out who relies on you the most and think about how you can help these people become more self-reliant. If you teach others, it will free up time for you to do something else that is equally important. In addition, it is worth understanding the cause of what happened and regarding the leadership! Perhaps the task was set incorrectly or a person not suitable for his position got into the team.

Sixth rule: the manager must organize a feedback system (feedback). Subordinates must receive feedback on their work in order to understand whether they are doing it right. The same is true in reverse: always give your ideas for feedback to other team members: what seems great in theory can fail in practice. Colleagues will help you understand this before you make a mistake. Listen to your people!

Seventh rule: a leader should never criticize a person, but only actions. It is worth pointing out mistakes in the past tense: this way you will make it clear that in the future this will not happen again, a person is able to improve. Remember, comments must be timely, relevant, and behaviorally specific, otherwise they lose their effectiveness. The manager himself should always perceive criticism sensibly, thank for it! And, do not rush to argue and make excuses. Refrain from it. Any feedback is valuable!

Eighth rule: the leader should not be afraid of his weaknesses, but he cannot give a reason to doubt his authority. You can’t say that you doubt your decisions, but you can consult with the team - this will make you a leader who will be trusted. Speak freely about problems, but never panic in public: you should always have a couple of solutions in your head. And even if they don't. You are always responsible for controlling your emotional state!

Ninth rule: the leader must listen and hear - to translate the ideas of the team into reality. Sometimes your Plan B can be worse than the Plan C suggested by someone on the team. Be attentive and open!

Tenth rule: in order for the company to always be successful, the manager must take care and think about whether the product or service being produced is of high quality. If problems arise, you need to ask yourself questions: “Am I doing this? is this how I do it? Did I choose the right target audience? Answering them, you need to take into account not only the current needs of the market, but also foresee what will happen in the future: is the niche crowded, is there really a need for this product / service, are you looking for a client there.

Eleventh rule: First, listen to the "story" in its entirety, and only then make a decision.

Rule 12: It is likely that there is a more efficient way to do the job than you do it. What is this method? Think about it on your way home from work.

Thirteenth rule: Do not say anything that is not directly related to the subject of discussion. Your voice is not so melodic as to sound just for the sake of sounding.

Fourteenth rule: Making the best decision is not as important as organizing the right processes to bring that decision to life.

When we are assigned to our first governing position, we, as a rule, are beside ourselves with happiness for some time. Most likely, this was a welcome promotion, but even if it is unexpected, it can only add to the degree of euphoria from the sudden promotion. But, of course, as soon as this first joy fades away, many begin to get lost, shy, gain self-doubt. It is the new bosses who are very often shackled by the so-called "perfectionist paralysis", when, out of fear of making mistakes from the very beginning, a person cannot begin to fulfill his new duties in any way and goes to work day after day, doing practically nothing, and only diligently imitating a stormy activity.

But sooner or later, and this will be noticed already more high authorities, and then it is quite possible that the question of the expediency of a new appointment will arise. To prevent this from happening, you need to act bolder. Knowledge of the main pits and potholes located on this path will help in this. Knowing the rules makes it much easier to get into the game, right?

1. The leader does not allow familiarity towards himself. Let's start with common truths, because it is their oblivion that leads to the most crushing defeats and failures in. If you suddenly decide that all this subordination is outdated philistinism, and during your glorious "reign" everyone will refer to each other as "you" and put a farting pillow on the boss's chair, for fun, then this is a sure way to lose all respect from the side of the team. Realize that most people need a chain of command in order to remember what role they play in the company, or, more simply, who is the boss here. So a status chair, a heavy table, keeping a distance is not just a show off, but the tools necessary to lead any team.

2. The boss is not a patch for every breach. Many have a desire to correct the mistake of a subordinate in order to show him "how it should be", strengthening his authority and demonstrating to everyone that the leader is the last line of defense of the company that cannot be broken. Sometimes such "actions" are really effective, but most often they turn the boss into a plug for any hole, and his subordinates into drooling infants who do not want to be responsible for anything.

3. A good leader is always result oriented.. Encouraging effort or striving for a result is a sure way to never see this result. Let's understand that it doesn't matter to you how effective an employee works, but only the results can be praised. Even if you want to praise someone who is clearly trying, after that you need to gently hint that the effort itself is only a means to achieve the main goal, the result.

4. It is impossible to give a person a decent salary. Trying to start your leadership by setting a good salary for everyone is just a waste of the company's budget. People do not know gratitude in such matters, very soon the new salary will again seem too small for them, and they will again be dissatisfied. A good boss is stingy with raises. It doesn't sound pretty, but it's true.

5. The leader does not participate in strife and does not encourage them. All office wars must be stopped by the boss in the bud, if they were noticed by him. But most often it is impossible to fight intrigues, they are an integral part of the production process. So, at the very least, one should avoid being entangled in one of them at all costs.

6. The boss always chooses the right path. His faith in him is unshakable. And those who wish to show off, mockingly doubting him publicly, must be strictly put in their place with an iron hand. Objections and comments can be expressed to the boss personally by coming to him with constructive proposals and a report. Bring it to the team at any opportunity. And the one who decided to show off in front of the secretaries, having loudly doubted your choice, earned himself a demonstrative spanking, not otherwise.

7. Admitting mistakes must be decisive, courageous, immediate. Only the last insignificance and weakling does not know how to admit his mistake when it is already obvious. Do it quickly, boldly. Recognize it as if it was not you who allowed it, but someone else, whom you roughly scold. Everyone makes mistakes, so there is nothing particularly terrible about it. In cases where your mistake is far from obvious, then you should avoid admitting it. In a couple of weeks, it will be just a vague story, so there is no need for you to constantly self-flagellate.

8. Personal affairs are diligently kept away from business. Because mixing them together is another cocktail that can knock down any team. State it in words, and confirm it in deeds. Personal and business should stand on opposite sides and never intersect. Even sex with a secretary (which is far from uncommon, which is already there), for a good boss is only part of an effective relaxation therapy, but not a love affair.

9. A bad manager always has an employee in the wrong place. And a good one asks himself every day: "Is each of my employees engaged in a business that works out best for him?" You must constantly ensure that not a single pieman in your team makes a boot, which is far from uncommon in most companies today.

10. No one ever fulfills all their duties. And there is no point in raising one's eyes to heaven and crying out for justice. Everyone naturally wants to get more by working less. So the usual salary system is very outdated. An effective method to keep employees in good shape today is the bonus system. Let the salary itself be small, but employees will have many bonuses: for the absence of errors in work, for the absence of delays, for meeting deadlines, for something else. What bonuses can be easily deprived of a "relaxed" employee. This will save the company money and get the gape in shape. It happens to everyone to relax, but this does not mean that you have to pay for it out of your own pocket. Or from the company's pocket, it doesn't matter.

In general, of course, this is only approximate rules that help you be a good boss. The real art of a leadership position has been studied for many years, honed and brought to perfection. In which we wish you the best of luck.

Finally got promoted? Congratulations! You have already proven your professionalism, now is the time to demonstrate your managerial and organizational skills. Because a new position means not only new responsibilities, but also a new role in the team. Are you ready for this?

I decided to collect recommendations for novice heads of departments, divisions, companies. After all, moving up the career ladder of one person can become a problem for other members of the team and even negatively affect the working atmosphere.

What leadership style to choose? How to motivate employees? What is a psychoclimate and how to understand that it is negative? With these questions, I turned to the psychologist-consultant of the Wezom agency Antonina Ulyannskaya. According to her, 80% of novice managers do not know or do not even think about the psychological aspects of team management. And there is something to think about if you don’t want to see a decrease in productivity and a bunch of applications for dismissal from disgruntled subordinates in a month or two.

What to do as a new leader

1. Choose a democratic management style

Of the three styles - authoritarian (decisions are made by the head alone), democratic (decisions are made collectively, the boss controls execution) and liberal (the team makes decisions on its own, the role of the leader is minimal) - it is democratic that can provide a comfortable working atmosphere and maximum performance. Because the boss is a Democrat:

does not give rigid orders, as in the army, he works in a team;
gives subordinates the authority to solve problems within their competence independently;
involves employees in solving organizational issues;
encourages creative ideas, initiatives;
builds trusting relationships with colleagues: informs about the current state of affairs in the company and about development plans;
sees and helps to reveal the potential of the employee.

Democratic style makes subordinates feel more like partners than just performers. For a novice leader, this style will be the key to the success of the team of which he has become the leader.

Nuance. If the manager came from outside (not from among the employees of the department or company), we recommend:

ask what was the predecessor in this position, what management style did he use;
get to know the team and organizational processes;
determine the priority goals of the work, discuss them with higher management, and then with subordinates.

Do not forget to listen to the proposals of the department entrusted to you.

2. Motivate not with orders, but with the help of involvement in solving problems

This method will help to increase self-discipline in the team. After all, the responsibility for the decisions taken is transferred to the employees. This implies a democratic style of management. Let your employees feel important. The feeling of a simple cog in a huge mechanism is unlikely to cause enthusiasm. And when subordinates become important participants in the overall process, they will take a more responsible approach to business.

If employees fail to cope, the Democrat boss does not use power methods and in no case scolds in public.

Remember the rule: praise in front of everyone, punish in private.

Subordinates should not be afraid of being called to the mat. To punish in a democratic style means to explain what is wrong, to find the reasons and ways to eliminate it.

3. Build a team

Remember that you are leading a team (department, department, or company), not each individual. Form a team that will implement the planned projects. To do this, develop management skills. Be ready to set goals for the team, define results, transform goals into clear tasks, motivate performers to solve them, monitor implementation, eliminate problems and conflicts that have arisen.

And also learn to select people adequately to the tasks. In other words, don't squeeze a lemon in the hope of getting tomato juice.

The mistake of novice managers is in pulling the blanket over themselves with the motivation "I will do it faster and better myself." With such an approach, it will not be possible to build a team.

4. Don't be arrogant

recognizes that promotion is not the crown of a career, and he is not the ruler of the world;
understands that a new position is a big responsibility;
takes into account personal experience before promotion;
continues to work on himself, improve personal and professional skills;
does not abuse his position, does not shout at every corner that he knows everything better.

Arrogance, like omniscience, will not help you gain respect in the eyes of your colleagues. The principle “I am the boss, you are a fool” is a sign of an authoritarian management style. You don't want to be quietly hated behind your back, do you?

5. Keep your social distance

Finding the perfect balance between friendship and service is not easy. Not every leader with experience succeeds, let alone a beginner. Some young bosses build friendships with one subordinate, thereby forming a negative attitude among other employees.

There should be no familiarity in the team. Adhere to the culture of business communication. Build relationships based on mutual respect.

If you are a supporter of the appeal to "you" between subordinates and the boss, make it clear to employees that this is not a reason to be frivolous about tasks.

Nuance. How to build communication if the subordinate is older than the boss? Stick to the partner line in communication. Use the pronoun "you". Don't be afraid to ask for advice. Such appeals as “I wanted to know your opinion”, “What do you think” will demonstrate respect for a senior employee, increase his sense of importance, help identify valuable experience and use it for the development of the company.

The main thing is not to hurt the ego of the subordinate, but to create comfortable business relationships. Set your distance gradually.

In many respects, the psychoclimate prevails in the team depends on the manager's management style.

What is psychoclimate and how to understand that it is negative

The psychoclimate is a comfortable emotional mood, the atmosphere in which employees work. Indicators of a negative climate in the team are:

staff turnover;
frequent sick leave;
low labor productivity;
tense relationships between colleagues;
general irritability and dissatisfaction;
unwillingness of employees to improve;
mistrust;
psychological incompatibility;
lack of desire to work in one office.

Signs of a positive climate include:

friendly relationships;
a high degree of trust among team members;
the desire to be in a team during working hours and spend leisure time together (corporate holidays, joint trainings, field trips, etc.);
lack of internal conflicts and "groupings";
cohesion of employees in force majeure situations, a high level of mutual assistance (not every man for himself);
free discussion of current issues (no one is afraid to express their own opinion);
healthy business criticism;
no pressure on subordinates.

In addition to internal factors, the atmosphere in the team is influenced by:

physical working conditions;
the current state of affairs in the company;
economic, political, social situation in the state.

Analyze how subordinates communicate and interact with each other, whether they often conflict or express dissatisfaction, how employees from other (related) departments are treated.

Psychologists recommend conducting an anonymous survey to find out what kind of psychoclimate prevails in the team. And if the head of the department is unable to influence the state of affairs in the country, then he can take care of working conditions, find out the reasons for discontent.

And finally

There are much more recommendations for novice managers than five. But we tried to choose basic tips, following which the young leader will smoothly enter the new role and will not become the object of negative discussions in the team.

Reading time 9 minutes

Given the democratization of society, understanding the value of each individual, new methods, principles and styles of team management were needed. A leader of a new type must not only be a good organizer, analyst and psychologist, but also have such personal qualities as to earn authority from his subordinates.

The boss and subordinates, how to manage a team and what qualities a leader should have, you will learn in this article. A modern leader must have a high moral culture in order to earn the recognition and respect of colleagues. Such qualities as honesty, justice, decency, ability to understand and listen are necessary. Equally important for the leader is knowledge of etiquette and rules of conduct.

Communication between the leader and subordinates should take place in a business style, but at the same time, mutual courtesy, attentiveness and goodwill must be observed. This is a guarantee of a healthy atmosphere in the team and a disposition for cooperation. Team management assumes that the leader needs to give orders, make requests, conduct interviews, fire, motivate and punish. How to do it right?

Boss and subordinates: Business communication of the head

When giving an order, the leader must rely on his own authority. In an orderly tone, it is possible to give an order only in emergency situations when it is necessary to solve the problem immediately. At the same time, the initiative of the performer is suppressed and he, in fact, is released from responsibility. He's just following orders.
Labor efficiency is reduced if an order is given with the threat of punishment.
An effective method of managing an employee is an order in the form of a request. Then the employee feels that they trust him, want to cooperate with him and believe in his abilities. Especially if the assignment concerns something that is not included in his duties. Effective management boils down to the fact that employees need to be stimulated, develop their activity and be given the opportunity to take the initiative. Only in this case, labor efficiency will be the highest.
The duties of the manager include both punishment and encouragement, and motivation of employees.
The legislation defines possible sanctions against employees, but the manager himself should not forget about etiquette. Even punishing, you need to try to maintain normal relations in the team.

How to punish?

In no case should you punish or criticize a person without evidence of a violation;
If the work was done poorly, you need to find out who assigned it to the employee, how the control was carried out and determine the degree of responsibility of the employee for poor-quality work. After all, there are often situations when a person simply did not have the necessary materials, knowledge or support to do the job;
The leader must be able to admit his mistakes;
It is necessary to talk with the employee and find out his motivation and the reasons for the violation;
Never criticize an employee in public;
Punishment should depend on the severity of the offense. Moreover, the requirements for all members of the team should be the same.

3. Psychological team management implies the ability of the leader to properly conduct a conversation with subordinates. Before you start talking about wrongdoing, you need to calm down and start the conversation with the achievements and successes of the employee. The conversation must be conducted in a private setting so as not to create an intra-group conflict in the team. It is desirable that the leader explain to the subordinate what he is dissatisfied with, cite the facts of the violation and listen carefully to the explanations of the subordinate. You need to end the conversation with the fact that the manager should emphasize the strengths of the employee and instill in him the belief that in the future he will succeed.

4. The system of employee motivation in the matter of how to manage a team is of great importance. But even encourage employees need to be able to properly. The material motivation of the staff should be expressed in encouragement for the successfully completed work immediately after its completion. The effectiveness of a specific immediate promotion is much higher than the expectation of a bonus by the end of the month. Non-material motivation of employees can carry more value than material. For example, if a manager publicly praises an employee in the presence of colleagues whose respect is important to him. Recognizing the success of a subordinate in time with the right words is a great motivation. Previously, presentation of certificates and honor boards were often practiced in organizations. Now in some state organizations such methods of team management have remained, but the new generation no longer takes them seriously.

5. The duties of the manager also include the dismissal of employees. This is a rather painful procedure. The leader should not apologize, so as not to give too much hope to the subordinate. Do not fire before weekends or holidays. The conversation should take no more than 20 minutes, since the employee, being in a stressful state, simply will not be able to hear detailed explanations and reasons for his dismissal.

The attitude of the leader towards subordinates must be respectful in any situation. It is best to address employees on "you". During a conversation with a subordinate, the leader should listen more than speak. Ask questions about what the employee thinks about the quality of his work, what he would improve, what he considers his strengths. In the process of dialogue with subordinates, a manager who knows how to listen can extract a lot of useful information. In particular, how to improve the management of the organization's personnel.

Until recently, the functions of personnel managers were performed by line managers. It was enough just to issue orders for dismissal, enrollment and promotion. Now this is not enough. HR managers should be engaged in the selection of personnel, development of employees, motivation and stimulation of work.

Personnel management helps to use all the potential capabilities of employees to achieve the goals of the organization. But at the same time, to ensure a normal psychologically healthy atmosphere in the team, to monitor working conditions.

The main tasks of the organization's personnel management:

Determine the needs of employees;
Help to adapt to the new team;
Select personnel;
Stimulate interest in career growth;
Develop the right system of motivation;
To promote development, both personal and professional;
Settle conflicts.

Principles of effective management

The leader must analyze the situation, predict the strategy and manage its implementation. The subordinate must implement the decision of the leader. Therefore, the main principles of effective management are certain qualities of a leader - professionalism, organization and decency. Since he has to solve problems from any area of the organization.

The subordinate, in turn, must be executive, enterprising, honest, decent and striving for promotion.

Team management styles: personnel management, which management style is better?

There are 6 main styles of personnel management, each of which has both its pros and cons:

Command style - immediate subordination of employees, mainly in an orderly tone. This style helps to keep employees under control, motivate them with discipline and sanctions. It is expedient in critical situations, when the risks are very high at the slightest mistake. But at the same time, employees do not develop, they do not learn anything, discontent reigns in the team, which will lead to frustration.
The authoritarian style involves building a development strategy and creating prospects for subordinates. The leader behaves strictly, but fairly and clearly directs employees in which direction to develop, showing by example what can be achieved. The disadvantage of this style is that if employees do not trust the leader, they simply will not follow him. In addition, subordinates work only according to step-by-step instructions, therefore they have low qualifications.
The partnership style of managing the work of employees implies the creation of harmonious relationships, the absence of conflicts and the motivation of a good mood. This style works great when combined with other styles. Since the partnership does not increase labor productivity. This style is only good when you need help or advice in resolving conflicts.
Democratic style is designed to involve employees in the work process and maintain mutual understanding in the team. This style is effective when employees work as a team, strive together towards the same goal, and have enough experience that everyone can be trusted with a specific task. The only disadvantage of such an organization of personnel management is that subordinates constantly need to be organized, directed, supervised and meetings are held quite often.
A style of leadership called "pacemaker" - doing the work as well as the leader himself does it. This style implies self-organization of employees and the desire to perform work at the highest level, following the example of the leader. Not effective when third party assistance or additional training and coordination is needed.
The "coach" style is the constant professional development of employees, inspiration, search and development of strengths. This motivates employees, but at the same time, this management style will be useless if subordinates are lazy. Not everyone has the desire and strength to work on themselves daily.

How to manage a team and what style to choose? Most likely, the effectiveness of personnel management depends not only on the style and methods of management, but also on the personal qualities of subordinates. Therefore, depending on different situations, you need to combine different management styles.
The employee management system includes not only styles, but also management methods.

Team management methods

Methods of personnel management - ways of influencing the team. They are administrative, economic and socio-psychological.

Administrative methods affect the awareness of the team, the understanding that it is necessary to observe discipline, have a sense of duty, strive to work in this organization, comply with the rules and norms established in the organization.
Economic methods - material incentives for employees. Socio-psychological - taking into account the social needs of employees, maintaining a healthy atmosphere in the team.

All methods are interconnected and their implementation in the management of the team is understandable. But there are also innovative methods of personnel management. For example, setting goals for an employee and manager for the next six months or a year. The employee sets a specific goal for the benefit of the organization. If it is achieved, the manager, for example, promotes him to the position or raises his salary.

The method of quarterly reports works effectively. So the employee himself sets goals, learns how to properly manage time. As a result, he works more fruitfully and shows initiative. In addition, the need to report to the boss every quarter motivates you to show your best side. None of the employees go unnoticed. Everyone gets rewarded for their work.
A wonderful method of personnel management is structured planning. Each department sets itself a specific goal that complements the goals of other departments for the benefit of the development of the organization. To organize work in departments, apply "team management". The groups unite those employees who have a similar view of achieving the goals of the organization.
The method of situational management is applied only as problems arise. Functional management - each head of his department is responsible for certain functions.
The method of comparison works excellently when the management system of a given organization is compared with a more advanced organization and the management system is recreated according to its example.
The expert-analytical method involves the involvement of personnel management specialists. The expert examines the problems of the organization and gives an opinion on what methods are best managed in this organization.
In practice, the method of functional cost analysis is often used. When experts determine which functions are not performed and why, unnecessary management functions are removed, the degree of centralization of personnel management.
An excellent result is given by the method of creative meetings. Specialists and managers express their suggestions on how to improve the personnel management system, which generates many creative ideas.

Every leader wonders how to effectively manage staff? To do this, it is necessary to apply all methods and styles of management in a complex manner. In addition, do not forget that you need to strictly follow the rules of ethics when communicating with employees. The right system of management, motivation, punishment and rewards will help create a prosperous company. The leader himself will not be able to achieve anything if his employees do not approach work creatively and with initiative. The main thing for a leader is to be able to interest, motivate and support employees.

By mastering the skills of "leading up", you will help the people working with you to realize your importance to the organization.

Tell me, have you noticed that your boss sometimes behaves like a complete idiot, that he sometimes, or even often, says and does things that seem completely illogical and meaningless to you? I have seen this in many of my bosses. And I'm not alone in this. According to a statistical study conducted by the Headhunter portal (www.hh.ru) in January 2010, 25% of those who want to change jobs say “inadequate management” is the reason for looking for a new job. This is the third most popular answer - there are even more such people than those who want to change jobs because of low wages! Agree, the problem of "inadequate leader" is quite common and serious. Let's look into it in more detail.

Let me give you an example from my business practice. One of my bosses out of the blue started demanding that I stop promoting a product that was 90% of my division's sales and growing all the time. The boss wanted me to forget about this product altogether and switch to the promotion of a secondary product with a controversial market prospects. I was sure that my boss had something wrong with his head. And six months later it turned out that the company was going to sell my promoted brand. The boss, it turns out, was looking for an opportunity to save jobs, mine and my employees, in case this happened. But he could not tell me about the management's plans.

Of course, there are idiot bosses. But in 99% of cases, the attitude of the subordinate to the boss as an "inadequate leader" is caused by mutual misunderstanding, a communicative gap. Why didn't my boss tell me the truth then? Because he didn't trust me. And who was to blame for this? Of course I am. I know that I wouldn't blab. But I could not create the necessary level of trust in me from my boss. As a result, many risked losing their jobs if the sale of the brand actually took place. Of course, his plan for solving the problem was unrealistic. But if we trusted each other, then together we could come up with a real plan to maintain sales volumes and jobs in six months.

But where does this mutual trust between the boss and the subordinate come from or how is it created? Sometimes it is formed by itself due to the coincidence of behavioral types, priorities in the life and work of the boss and subordinate. But what if you and your boss are completely different people, look at life and work tasks differently, if you are comfortable working in a completely different working atmosphere, and you usually achieve results in different ways? Looking for another job? Are you sure that the new boss will be better than the old one? Why should your differences harm rather than help the work? After all, the difference in views and approaches can allow you and your leader not to annoy, but to complement each other, achieving much greater results together than separately.

You know, there is such a wise corporate saying: take care of your boss, the next one may be worse. If you consider your boss to be a difficult person, then, believe me, he considers you an equally difficult subordinate. And you can not blame only one boss for the situation. Subordinates make a significant contribution to strengthening the "difficult" relationship with the boss. They can complicate the relationship with the manager in one of the following two ways.

□ First, this is a passive approach to the issue, unwillingness to make efforts to build relationships with the boss. It is customary for us to believe that the creation of an atmosphere and the establishment of relations in the work team are the official duties of the boss, and the subordinate is only required to conscientiously do his job. Let the boss organize corporate bowling trips and birthday parties, and we will criticize his success in this area. Those who think so doom themselves to difficult bosses and low salaries for life.

□ But the reluctance to build a relationship with the boss is just one of the possible problems. The second, no less common and serious problem is the inability to build such relationships even with a great desire. A subordinate who wants to improve relations with his boss very often slips into toadying and flattery, which are equally unpleasant for other employees and for the boss himself. Why is flattery rarely effective? Because most people want their own merits to be recognized, and not someone else's or unrealistic merits to be attributed.

Even among managers, people specially trained in management skills, there is a very common misconception in this area. Most managers believe that in order to improve the results of their work, first of all, it is necessary to make their subordinates work as efficiently as possible. And therefore, all their working time, such leaders try to understand the strengths and weaknesses of their subordinates and learn how to properly motivate them, spend a lot of time with them individually and at general meetings. Such managers are confident that in this way they will achieve the maximum possible results both for themselves and for the company. This is not the worst use of your time and energy, but it is far from the best way to achieve the best possible results.

The most successful leaders recognize that to maximize their performance, it is worth spending more time and energy helping their own boss. When your boss begins to treat you as an employee whose suggestions and actions you can always rely on, as a reliable and responsible assistant in all matters and undertakings, he begins to provide you with additional resources. Why? Because he wants to get more of "all this good stuff" from you. If by increasing the number of your subordinates or the budget, he can get more support and help from you in the implementation of plans, then why not do it? He may even do it unconsciously, simply helping someone who helps him. At the same time, you improve the results of the work of your unit, a higher unit, contribute to both your career growth and the career growth of your boss.

When I was studying for an MBA at Kingston University, our English teacher began his management course with the following tale:

“Did you know that in karate the level of skill is marked by assigning belts of different colors? The lowest level is a white belt. Then - colored belts. And the highest level of skill is a black belt. If we draw an analogy with the science or art of management, then the white belt corresponds to the ability to effectively manage your subordinates. Colored belt - the ability to manage parallel managers so that they are willing to help you and support your ideas. But the black belt of management is the ability to lead your leader.”

This skill is called in English managing up(literal translation "leading up"). In the West, many books and articles have been written on this subject. In Russia, this art, or science, is still little known. This book is devoted to the study of the skills of managing your leader, that is, the skills of "leading up."

A few words about the history of the term. The first publication on this topic appeared in the 60s of the last century. It was an article by Peter Drucker, but it didn't gain wide popularity at the time. Harvard professors John Gabarro and John Kotter published a 1980 article in the Harvard Business Review. The professors showed the mutual dependence of the boss and the subordinate. Their research proved the obvious need for “leading up” to achieve success at work.