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Managing Your Manager

By David Pego

October 28, 2003

Get your boss off your back!

Well, sort of... At least, get your boss off the back end of your work day.

That's a pretty important thing to do if you are looking for a job. And it's a nice thing to have happen anyway, especially if you have a wife (or husband) and kids to go home to at the end of a long day. Nothing can be more irritating than to hear your boss say," Let's talk over a few things later today. How about 5:15?" That especially holds true if your quitting time is 5:30.

Take control of your work life. You must start by taking charge early in the day. Actually, it's not a trick. You'll be in command and will get more done.

How to start?

First of all, let's get one thing straight, if you're going to take my advice. There are two kinds of gears built into your work day - defensive and offensive. Yes, that's right - just like sports.

If you are like me, you probably spent most of your life in the defensive gear. That is when the boss (gee, why do they call her or him the boss? ... maybe because they boss you around...) calls mid-afternoon and asks for some information that you just can't get. (Actually, no human could get it unless that person had been medically implanted with a robotic brain that won't exist until 2023.)

The boss wants immediate action, either to irritate your, or to tell a supervisor that she or he tried but the staff failed, or because it's a way to keep you late and irritate you.

Fire the first shot

Try this tactic. Become offensive.

Start your day by getting to work a few minutes early (no one can complain about that) to scan the new items on your agenda. Check incoming mail on your computer and on your real-world desktop. Prioritize things.

After that, send three emails related to business, with one of them going to your boss.

Yes, business! Forget those messages from your mom or Aunt Sally. You've heard those jokes before anyway, haven't you? Hasn't everyone? Only your mom and Aunt Sally have missed them and feel obligated to share with you.

OK, back to those emails... Give two people you work for or work with updates on your ongoing projects. And connect with one business client outside of your office. Keep messages that are not to your boss very short. Get to the point right away. And then get to the most important part of an "offensive" message: Ask an important question.

Remember, that's how teachers keep control of their audiences. Public speakers often use the same trick.

"Have you looked at that file I sent you yesterday? What do you think?"

Leave no wiggle room

Make sure the question is open-ended so you'll get more than a simple yes or no.

Now, to write the boss's email message... Be sure to start this one out when possible not only with an update of where you are on important projects but also a bit of good news if something developed yesterday. ALWAYS put good news in writing. Put the REALLY good news in its own message so the boss (hopefully) will forward it on to her or his supervisor to make you all look good.

Make the first message of the day to your boss more than a screenful. And be sure to put in an important question that must be answered for you to do your job better. Put that question at the END of the message. Put another question of significance midway through the message. That forces the boss to read all the way through to the end. And because it is more than a screenful, it also forces that person to take time to read through it carefully (we hope) and consider its significance.

If your boss asks you why you're just not giving this information in person, say that you don't want to forget anything of importance and like to keep copies for yourself.

The mid-morning break

After you have launched your messages, go and have that first cup of coffee or drop by the water cooler to see what's going on with co-workers. It will be some time later in the day until you get replies to your three messages. Most people don't start sorting through all of their messages and responding to them until late morning.

How does this relate to your job search?

Well, it should make your day more organized and could easily give you a less hectic time (that second or third hour of your workday) to take private phone calls from prospective employers. Just remember not to reply to job ads or send private messages on your work computer. There's still a use for paper and pens in the office and that is one of them. Write down information and make a call later with a prepaid phone call from another location if you must return a call to someone who wants to hire you.

This strategy also shows new respect for your boss's time. That person will be able to review your concerns on her or his own time schedule and you'll avoid those long lines of folks who are trying to get into the boss's office for one reason or another.

By the way, when you start giving your boss updates on your work projects, you might be surprised how much better your relationship will be. Maybe the improved communication will make you slow down your job search just a bit. But at the very least, it should get that boss off the back at the end of your day.