Working Together With Your Boss – First Understand Yourself

Working Together With Your Boss

Are you working in a happy company or law firm where employees are empowered to manage upward? Do the leaders in your organization remove any workplace obstacles so that employees can be effective and get things done? Does your company or law firm have boss-subordinate relationships that are open and honest?

One of the most powerful questions one can ask is “Does our organizational culture encourage direct two-way communication between the boss and managers?” Emotionally intelligent and socially intelligent leaders pay attention to building work relationships where there is no fear of speaking your mind to power and authority.

Are you a leader who models open communication by creating a workplace culture and climate where the workforce is fully engaged and happy? Are you able to create a high performance workplace where teams can achieve their goals aligned with the organizations’ vision? Does management encourage employees to manage upward?

Understanding Yourself

Developing a functional working relationship requires you to know your personal needs, strengths, weaknesses, and style or preferences.

You’re not going to change your (or your boss’s) basic personality, but you can learn which traits, habits or behaviors impede or facilitate working together. With awareness, you can take actions that make the relationship more valuable.

There are plenty of personality and work-style assessments available. By the time managers reach executive levels, they have more than likely participated in leadership development courses that include tests and surveys. Problems occur when the information gained in these training sessions is not used well. A coach or mentor can help leaders incorporate knowledge and increase performance.

A manager is typically more dependent on the boss than vice versa. This dependence inevitably leads to a degree of frustration and anger when one’s actions or options are constrained by the boss’s decisions. The way in which a manager handles these frustrations largely depends on predispositions toward those who hold authority positions.

Working with a seasoned executive coach trained in emotional intelligence and incorporating leadership assessments such as the Bar-On EQ-i and CPI 260 can help you become an inspiring leader who knows your own strengths and weaknesses and the needs of employees. You can become a leader who models emotional intelligence and social intelligence, and who inspires people to become happily engaged with the strategy and vision of your company or law firm.

I am currently accepting new executive coaching and career coaching clients. I work with both individuals and organizations. Call 415-546-1252 or send an inquiry e-mail to [email protected].