July 7, 2019

Who is managing who?

Baby doll throwing toys in anger

I ran a workshop on learning transfer last week and got the inevitable comment, “I wish my boss was here, learning what he needs to know.”

At the time, we laughed it off, but later I thought about the whole concept of managing upwards and how we tend to do so little to understand our bosses.

What do they want from their job?
What does success look like to them?
How do they want to be seen by others?
What is their personal style compared to me?
What do they need to know to help our relationship?
What do I need to know about them to make working with them easier?

Ask good questions. You get the idea…

We also easily forget that they are not like us. They have a different style and approach to what we would have in their shoes.

Here are a couple of simple tools to help figure out the differences, and what to do about them.

Remember, you started managing your parents at a very young age. Think about it 🙂

My best wishes, Paul

Paul Matthews

CEO and Founder of People Alchemy

share this article:

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

related posts

Survival kit laid out on frosty ground

The ultimate management survival tip

I saw a blog which asked, “What is your ultimate management survival tip?” What would you say if asked that ...
Read More
Podcast cover image

Paul Matthews: From Sahara Guide to L&D Pioneer – A Story of Learning by Living

Paul started his career pulling weeds on a New Zealand farm. Today, he’s the founder of People Alchemy, a groundbreaking ...
Read More
Illustration of manager with 2 puppets on a string

Do you manage people? Does someone manage you?

Management is focused on getting better control over people and results. Indeed, the word manage means control. However, the best ...
Read More
Learning Horizons podcast cover

Driving Learning Impact Through Accountability

“Start with the end in mind. Lack of clarity of outcome is the root of all evil in L&D.” Paul ...
Read More

search blog

Get your free weekly tip

You agree that we can keep a record of your details, and send you other occasional offers. See our Privacy Policy