Managing your Manager

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Why Managing your Manager Training?
The idea of ‘managing your manager’ is a fairly recent concept. Traditionally, we are expected to pander to our manager’s every whim, waiting to be told what to do and how to do it. However, more recently managers and employees have begun to realise that this approach is not particularly rewarding or productive. Although the term “managing your manager” might imply the necessity to manipulate or control your manager, that isn't the case. Rather than being an underhand exercise, it is a way for employees to help their managers do their jobs better, and to have more control of their own work life.

Individuals wishing to lean how to 'manage' their manager are often interested in finding ways to:

Improve the overall quality of the communication between themselves and their manager

Identify and better understand the reasons for any difficulties/conflict in their relationship with their manager

Make better use of the positive aspects of the relationship they have with their manager

Do things differently, so that their relationship with their manager improves and develops

Develop useful techniques and strategies to deal with disagreements and differences in approach and style

'Managing your Manager' is ultimately about understanding that your manager is one of, if not the most, important customers you have. If there are disagreements or if there is a a lack of clarity, then it is about being proactive in trying to work things out in order to achieve a productive working partnership.

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"Don't blame the boss. He has enough problems."

Donald Rumsfeld

Click the 'play' button below to see Melissa Kirsch, author of The Girl's Guide to Absolutely Everything run through some useful pointers on how to talk to your boss:

How to spot a high quality relationship between a person and their manager
The person is able to...

1. Fulfil their responsibilities - they are genuinely committed/motivated to ensuing that they achieve their brief, including nurturing a positive relationship with their manager

2. Communicate their expectations and needs - they feel comfortable describing and asking for what they need as an individual, even if it seems inconvenient to their manager, or an unusual request

3. Deal effectively with differences - they acknowledge and openly discuss any differences in style or approach, and are able to agree on a way forward that is mutually acceptable

4. Utilise relative strengths and weaknesses - they are able to identify and acknowledge areas where they and their manager have different skills. They freely discuss with their manager how they can provide mutual support, and work collaboratively to benefit the team

5. Focus on mutual aims and objectives - they are clear about their joint objectives with their manager, and keep these at the heart of any decisions or actions

6. Work collaboratively - they understand that both they and their manager are dependent on the relationship for their own success. They therefore make every effort to create and maintain a positive partnership with their manager which is mutually beneficial.

Managing your Manager Training

Would you or others in your team benefit from training in ' Managing your Manager'?

As well as the information and advice availble from the internet and from reading books, there's huge additional benefit to be gained from the interaction, practical exercises and valuable feedback that face-to-face training and coaching gives. In relation to the topic of Managing your Manager H2 offers:

Communication and Relationship Management Training

Held in Central London in convenient locations on a regular basis - a place costs from just £270 +VAT per person for a 1-day course. We currently offer the following open course specifically on this topic:

Managing Your Manager (1-day course)

We can deliver any of our open course topics at your own premises or at a local venue of your choice, plus we offer a number of other off-the-shelf courses that can be delivered in-house, including:

Managing your Manager
Assertive Communication
Emotional Intelligence at Work
Dealing with Difficult Relationships at Work
Conflict Management

We charge a flat daily fee from £800 +VAT per day (from £700 +VAT for not-for profit organisations), for any number of attendees up to 12 people, dependent only on the location and the duration of the course. Click on the "In-house Courses" button above for more details.

Our bespoke service involves us designing and delivering a tailored course to meet your more individual requirements. Following a short but effective pre-course consultation, we put together a course programme that reflects your specified priorities, and that includes exercises based on real-life case studies/scenarios. This helps us to ensure that the course stays focussed on the issues that are most important to you and your delegates. Click on the "Bespoke Training" button above for more details.

We offer all of our open course and in-house topics as 1:1 training. The cost is dependent upon the topic, location and duration and we offer discounts for two or more sessions. For example, the fees for our standard 1:1 training in Central London covering an open course topic (such as "Managing your Manager" or "Assertive Communication for Women") are £550 +VAT. Click on the "One-to-One Training" button above for more details.