Managing Your Manager 

A thought-provoking idea for improving your work performance and career development!

Summary: I share a few thoughts for managing my manager like a coach, based on the idea that managers and employees can benefit from a coaching relationship that fosters mutual learning, feedback, and support. 

The Idea consists of four elements: 

1) Establishing trust and rapport, 

2) Setting goals and expectations, 

3) Providing and receiving feedback, and 

4) Developing skills and competencies. 

I will also share the benefits and challenges of managing my manager, as well as the implications for practice.

Background: Managers play a key role in influencing the work performance and career development of their employees. However, managers are often busy, stressed, and overwhelmed by their own responsibilities and challenges, which may limit their ability to provide effective guidance, support and feedback to their subordinates. Moreover, few managers may adopt a directive, authoritarian or micromanaging style that stifles the autonomy, creativity, and motivation of their employees. As a result, employees may feel dissatisfied, frustrated, or disengaged with their work and manager.

 One way to overcome these challenges is to manage your manager like a coach. Coaching is a process of facilitating learning and development through dialogue, inquiry, and feedback. Coaching can help individuals enhance their self-awareness, confidence, skills, and performance. Coaching can also foster positive relationships based on trust, respect, and collaboration. By managing your manager like a coach, you can create a more productive, supportive, and rewarding work environment for yourself and your managers.

 Again, the purpose here share an idea for managing your manager differently, based on my experience and interviews, one on ones with managers and employees who have experienced or practiced this approach. So let me try to help you explore the benefits and challenges of managing my manager like a coach, as well as the implications for practice.

What I learned: I learned from my experience that coaching is a complex, dynamic, and context-dependent process that requires mutual trust, openness, communication, and feedback between the coach and the coachee. Coaching can have positive outcomes for both managers and employees in terms of enhancing their performance, satisfaction, engagement, learning, and development. However, coaching also poses some challenges for both parties in terms of managing expectations, boundaries, roles, and emotions. Moreover, coaching effectiveness depends on various factors such as the coach’s skills, style, and personality; the coachee’s readiness, willingness, and receptivity; the quality of the relationship; the clarity of the goals; the frequency and duration of the sessions; and the organizational culture and support.

I also learned from my past experience that there are several models and frameworks of coaching that provide different perspectives, approaches, and techniques for facilitating learning and development. However, most of these models and frameworks are designed for external or internal coaches who have formal training or certification in coaching. There is a lack of literature on how employees can manage their managers like coaches without having formal authority or expertise in coaching. Therefore, I thought for managing your manager like a coach is applicable to any employee who wants to improve their work performance and career development.

How I did it: I tried following the four elements for managing your manager like a coach:

• Establishing trust and rapport: I Built a positive relationship with my manager based on mutual respect, understanding, and appreciation. I used various strategies for establishing trust and rapport with my manager, such as expressing interest in their personal and professional lives, showing gratitude and recognition for their support and guidance

• Setting goals and expectations: I was involved in aligning my goals and expectations with my manager’s goals and expectations. I asked my manager about their professional goals and how I can support them in achieving them. I also communicated my own goals and expectations to my manager and sought their feedback and guidance. I made sure that we agreed on the scope, timeline and quality of the work that I was expected to deliver.

• Providing and receiving feedback: Worked on giving and getting constructive feedback to and from my manager. I asked my manager for regular feedback on my work performance, strengths, and areas for improvement. I also provided my manager with feedback on their coaching style, support, and communication. I used the feedback to improve my work performance and relationship with my manager.

• Developing skills and competencies: Lastly I worked on enhancing my skills and competencies through learning and development opportunities I took many external training. I asked my manager for coaching, mentoring, training or other resources that could help me develop my skills and competencies. I also shared with my manager my long-term aspirations and career plans and asked for their advice and support. I applied what I learned to improve my work performance and career prospects.

What I gained: I gained from managing my manager like a coach in terms of improving my work performance, satisfaction, engagement, learning, and development. I also gained a positive relationship with my manager based on trust, respect, and collaboration. I helped my manager achieve their goals and overcome their challenges by providing few interesting resources for themselves to learn. I also helped myself achieve my goals and overcome my challenges.

What I faced: I faced some challenges in managing my manager like a coach in terms of managing expectations, boundaries, roles, and emotions. Sometimes, my manager had different expectations or preferences than me. Sometimes, I felt uncomfortable or awkward giving or receiving feedback to or from my manager. Sometimes, I was not sure about the role or authority of my manager as a coach. Sometimes, I had to deal with emotional reactions or conflicts with my manager (Sad but being honest here).

How I overcame: I overcame these challenges by communicating openly and honestly with my manager. I clarified the expectations, boundaries, roles, and emotions with my manager. I respected their authority and style as a coach. I also expressed my own needs and preferences as a coachee. I resolved any conflicts or misunderstandings with my manager in a respectful and constructive way.

What it means for everyone: Managing your manager like a coach is a valuable idea for enhancing your work performance and career development. It also requires trust, communication, feedback, and learning between the manager and the employee. And honestly it does have benefits and challenges for both parties.

What’s next: Next, I plan to continue managing my manager like a coach a unique idea that I have developed. I also plan to share this idea with my peers in my current organization who might be interested to learn. I also plan to conduct further research on this topic by collecting more data from random experts and in different domains. and you are one of the lucky reader here. I tried and explored the benefits and challenges here, as well as the implications for practice. 

Trust me managing your manager like a coach is a skill that can help everyone improve their work performance and career development. 

Good Luck!!