The Life-Changing Magic of Managing Up: Strategy # 5: Dedicate Yourself to Their Success

I can hardly believe it’s already time for the fifth and final strategy in the Life-Changing Magic of Managing Up. This one is the one that has been the biggest difference-maker for me personally, and it’s also something I’ve struggled to come to terms with on a personal level. I was raised by two investigative journalists- you know, the kind who hold elected leaders accountable and root out corruption and do anything and everything to stick it to the man. Thus, I was raised with a healthy dose of mistrusting authority… And while that was great for building my independence and strength as an individual, it didn’t make me the best team member.

I was the type of employee who would roll their eyes at new management initiatives, and focus on sharing ideas about why some big new initiative was stupid and wouldn’t work, but I was also pretty good at my job. Good enough that I got promoted to management eventually, and then all of a sudden my healthy distrust of authority started causing problems for me in my peer group, with my bosses, and frankly with how I viewed myself as a leader. I had to do a lot of soul-searching, and again, I was fortunate to be a member of a personal growth group where I got a ton of coaching about how to support my boss and be a better follower, which in turn made me a better leader.

Without a doubt, the most impactful piece of coaching I got was that if I wanted to improve my relationship with my boss, I had to dedicate myself to their success. That’s right, it was not about what my boss could do for me, but about what I could do for my boss.

That’s right, what I’ve come to learn is that everything they tell you when you are a new hire- that your boss is here to support YOUR career, and that YOUR success is the #1 priority of the company, all of that is well and good, but the magic secret is that if you dedicate yourself to your leaders’ success, that in turn will translate into your own success many times over. That’s why it’s strategy #5…

I know, I know, all of us Millennials and younger are thinking, “Wait just one second. You’re telling me that I am here to support and serve my boss? What about this servant leadership stuff? What about management being here to support ME?” Well, you’re not wrong. Management is certainly there to support you. However, what I’m arguing is that your career will blossom and grow much more quickly if you double-down and do everything you can to help your manager(s) succeed as well.

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

So, what does it mean to “dedicate yourself to their success,” you ask? Great question! I think dedicating to your leadership team’s success can and should look like just about anything. A lot will depend on your industry, organization and business environment. However, there are a few sure-fire tactics you can use to ensure you are doing everything you can to support your boss, your bosses’ boss, and their bosses’ boss in being successful.

1). Ask routinely if there is anything you can do to help. A few GREAT questions you can ask include, “How can I support you this week?” or, “Is there anything I can take off your plate?”

2). Volunteer! Is your boss looking for a party planner? Raise your hand! Is your boss looking for someone to take on a challenging project? Raise your hand! Leaders LOVE not having to convince people to do things, and the magic here is that the more you volunteer for things, the more likely your boss will remember you for opportunities… Think of it like this:

Just like being responsive (Strategy #1), you don’t have to volunteer for everything, 100% of the time. Just make a concerted effort to volunteer regularly, and you will set the right pattern for your boss to start thinking of you regularly for opportunities.

3). Share solutions whenever possible. Bringing your boss problems and issues is a great way to make sure you are helping your leader gather intel on what’s working and what’s not working on your team. However, bringing ideas for how to solve those problems is EVEN BETTER, as it shows you have initiative, creativity, and a desire to help.

4). Engage! One of the best ways you can support your boss in being successful is by fully engaging in the work that you are doing. By jumping in with both feet, you will demonstrate that you want to make a contribution and are passionate about what you do. If you do that often enough and for long enough, your boss will surely notice.

Strategy #5 Challenge:

Your challenge this week is to pick one of the methods above when interacting with your boss this week. Maybe it’s sharing a solution when you would normally have just brought a problem, or maybe it’s volunteering for something. Whatever it is, choose a method and let me know how it goes! Leave a comment below or on social media so I can hear how it goes!