Influencing Up by Allan R Cohen & David L. Bradford

Author:Allan R Cohen & David L. Bradford
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Published: 2012-05-02T16:00:00+00:00

Knowing the Impact of Your Boss’s Behavior

Another currency you often hold is your view of some of the unintended consequences of your manager’s actions. After giving a talk on influence at a conference, an executive came up to David and confessed:

I blew it with my last boss. I was on a six-month assignment with the director of marketing and we quickly built a good working relationship—in spite of some things that he did. Though he wasn’t entirely dishonest, he had a tendency to tell people what they wanted to hear. I could read him rather well so it didn’t bother me as much as it bothered others.

He regularly came into my office to complain; “I don’t know why other areas don’t trust us—it really makes our work so much more difficult.” I knew exactly what he did that caused this mistrust, but rather than telling him, I just commiserated with him. I now see how I lost an opportunity to really be a partner.

Leaders often complain about what is going on: “Why are people going in different directions when I clearly laid out the strategic vision?” “Why did this misguided product plan happen when I have stressed that we need to be close to the customers?” “The economy is in the dumps; people should know that we have to cut costs.” When the problem is only technical, direct reports are more likely to speak up: “We need to change the way employees account for costs.” But they are more likely to hold back when the issue involves the leader’s behavior. Even though that might appear to be the prudent response, it limits both the boss and the organization’s success. But how can one raise issues that involve the manager’s behavior without stepping into a career-limiting move?

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