Tips for Supporting Your Boss

During a high stress moment of frustration, a CEO harshly told one of my students: “I need you to be a thought partner, not another task manager!” She swallowed the lump in her throat as she exited the video call, but... she knew he had a point. 😕 She’d been burning herself out checking boxes, clearing tasks, reacting to requests. And, in doing so, she was unintentionally making herself smaller (and less effective). The difference between a support person (tactical/ a task manager) and a Chief of Staff (strategic/ a thought partner) is about 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗼. ➡️ So she made a shift, 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘊𝘩𝘪𝘦𝘧 𝘰𝘧 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘧𝘧 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦, and started operating like  a true thought partner. Here’s how that’s done: 1️⃣ 𝗦𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗮𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀. Instead of asking, “What do you need me to do?” she started showing up with recommendations (bringing solutions to the agenda, not just problems) 𝗛𝗢𝗪 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗖𝗔𝗡 𝗗𝗢 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗦 𝗧𝗢𝗗𝗔𝗬:  when you become aware of or identify a problem or issue that needs a decision, 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗼𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗲, 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝗼𝗳 𝟮-𝟯 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂’𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗼 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝘀𝗲. 2️⃣ 𝗦𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗮𝘀𝗸𝘀. When her CEO asked for updates, she didn’t just list what she’d done, she explained how it moved their org-wide goals forward. 𝗛𝗢𝗪 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗖𝗔𝗡 𝗗𝗢 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗦 𝗧𝗢𝗗𝗔𝗬:  Before every task or project you work on, ask yourself, “How is what I’m doing helping us win long-term?” Then document that so you have proof of your impact. 3️⃣ She built the habit of challenging upward. This one felt scary at first, but she learned to respectfully push back and ask her CEO tough questions like: 🤔 “What tradeoff are we making if we choose this option?” 🤔 “How will this decision impact the team next quarter?” 🤔 “Is this the best use of your time right now?” Her boss…? He loved it!! 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗦 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝘆𝗽𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗲𝗳 𝗼𝗳 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗳𝗳. It will work for you too. Start thinking like the person in the room who’s helping make the decisions, not just carry them out.

7 ways to make your boss win big And boost your value while you're at it When I was at JPMorgan, I watched a junior analyst transform her relationship with her VP through one simple shift: instead of just doing her job, she started making her boss shine. The result? Within 3 months, she was invited to executive meetings and given high-visibility projects. Here are 7 genius ways to make your boss look good: 1. Be The Early Warning System Spot potential issues before they become problems Keep your boss ahead of critical deadlines → Create a "Risk Register" each Monday with 3 potential issues and their solutions - share it in your 1:1s 2. Master The Executive Update Filter out noise, focus on what matters Structure updates to be "forward-ready" → Use the 3-part format: "Project status, Key wins, Needs attention (if any)" in all communications 3. Amplify Their Vision Reinforce their strategic priorities in meetings Connect team activities to their bigger goals → Write down your boss's top 3 priorities and link every major project update to one of these goals 4. Own The Prep Work Make their meetings more effective Ensure they never get blindsided → Create a 5-minute pre-brief document for every important meeting with: "Key players, Core issues, Potential questions" 5. Be The Solution Hub Turn complaints into action items Present options, not just problems → Present 3 solutions for every problem, plus 1 recommended course of action 6. Track & Showcase Wins Document team achievements Package success stories → Maintain a "Wins Database" with metrics, testimonials, and outcomes they can reference in their presentations 7. Build Their Network Connect them to useful information sources Help them stay relevant → Set up a 15-minute weekly "Industry Pulse" briefing with: "1 trend, 1 competitor move, 1 opportunity" ♻️ Repost to help professionals accelerate their careers ➕ Follow Kabir Sehgal to get a little better together

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗧𝗼 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗕𝗼𝘀𝘀 (𝗜𝗻 𝗮 𝗚𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗪𝗮𝘆) Does it sound strange to manage your boss? I had a manager who said, "You must learn to manage your boss." I was young and couldn't figure out what he meant. I must have had a strange look because he followed with an explanation. He said, "Understand what your manager needs from you and give it to them. Don't wait for them to ask. You must be proactive. If you watch and listen, you will see the patterns of how your manager works." The worst boss is the one who doesn't get along with you. This idea of managing the boss isn't about manipulating them. It is about getting them what they need when they need it and - this is important - making sure they know what you need from them. Here is what I mean. Does your boss know: 🔸 How to motivate you? 🔸 How to get the best out of you? 🔸 When they can lean on you? 🔸 What work do you like doing best? And it’s your job to tell them. On your next one-to-one with your manager, ask them, “Would it be helpful for you to know how to get the best possible out of me?” If your boss is decent at their job, they will say, "Absolutely." If your boss says, "No, not really," it's time to get a new boss. 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗼𝘀𝘀: 1. Here’s when I’m most productive and enjoying my work. 2. Here’s when you can lean on me. This is where I am most reliable and can help you because this is a strength of mine. 3. Here's where I am weak. This is where I am unsure and not confident. 4. Here are the things I would like you to steer me toward because I really like these kinds of things. 5. Here are the things I am not good at, and you probably want to keep these away from me if you can. 6. Here is how you can reward me. And here is how you can reprimand me. You will have a much better relationship when you have this kind of conversation with your boss. Your partner in success, Joe Murphy 📣Cool to repost 🔔Follow me for more success tips #TheLeadershipAcademy #LeadersatAllLevels #ManageYourBoss ⏰ Watch for my daily videos on leadership, management, and success. (5 PM ET Mon - Fri).

I have a confession to make. A while back, I posted a series on how to manage up and have a good relationship with your boss. My confession? My advice comes from all the times I got it wrong. Yes, I learned some of what I did by watching others do it well and following their lead. But a lot of it comes from what I got wrong. Sometimes very wrong. I didn’t have great relationships with all of my bosses. I wish I knew then what I know now. And I’m sorry for my part in those painful relationships. Here’s the list of my tips, with fabulous additions from Jason Gerling, Melanie Wasserman, Jill Goldenziel, and Ben Silver: 🔵  Ask what problems they want to hear about, and how they want to hear about them. 🔵  When they make a decision, ask them to walk you through the thought process that led them to that decision. 🔵  Ask what their priorities are. 🔵  Own the narrative: Make sure your boss hears about challenges and bad news FROM you before they hear it ABOUT you from someone else. 🔵  Ask for feedback - don’t wait until it’s annual review time, or until they have something to say. 🔵  If you have any influence over who will be your boss, pick a good one. Ask them about their leadership style and what makes a good work relationship from their perspective. Share your workstyle, what you need to be successful. Get to know your boss as a person. 🔵  We are stewards of each other. I will shield you as a leader when I need to and let you shine without me as much as you can. In exchange, treat me like you care about keeping me out of harm’s way, too. 🔵  Find out how they like to receive information - email, in person, slides, reports? Manage expectations. Make sure the person you’re reporting to has the whole picture of what’s on your plate and keep them informed of your progress and competing priorities. What would you add to this list? And how have you learned from your mistakes as your career has progressed?