đȘ How to Manage Your Manager
Practical Advice on How to Manage Your Manager for Gen Z
By S.K. Lee
Hey there, future leaders! At Launch Coaching Lab, we know that your relationship with your manager can make or break your work experience especially with remote and hybrid roles. "People donât quit jobs; they quit bosses"? This quip is so very true! What can you actually do about this? The truth is that your manager cannot (does not) always prioritize your relationship, but you absolutely should. Taking charge of this dynamic with intention and deliberateness to skyrocket your career. Let's dive into some game-changing tips on how to do this.
1. Step into Their Shoes
Managing up can feel daunting, especially if your boss is a few levels up in a quickly growing startup environmwntâ this can get a bit tricky. The secret weapon? Empathy.
Managers are human too. They have their own dreams, worries, and lives outside of work. Most managers have not had formal leadership or management training either. Try to see things from their perspective. Like you, they are likely juggling a lot. Aglobal survey by Catalyst found 92% of workers are feeling burnt out? Statistically speaking, your manager might be one of them.
Empathy doesnât mean you have to agree with everything they do or donât do. However, understanding their challenges can help you build a stronger rapport. Start the conversation with a tone of co-creation of a playbook that shows you are tkaing the initiative. Something as simple as saying, âI see how that would be really frustratingâ work wonders⊠in many contexts! Once youâve built trust, advocating for yourself can feel more organic (more on that in #4).
Come from a place of curiosity to understand what makes your manager tick:
What are their top priorities this quarter/year? How can you play a role in helping them get there?
How is their performance evaluated? How does that align with your KPIs?
What keeps them up at night? Anything there that is also interesting to you or aligns with skills you want to develop?
How can you help them achieve their goals? As my high school debate coach used to say, âAre you helping or hurting?! If youâre not helping, thenâŠâ
2. Decode Their Style and Preferences
Knowing how your manager likes to work is a major hack. Do they prefer quick calls or detailed emails or texts at the start/end of the day? Morning meetings or afternoon catch-ups? Observing and asking about their preferences can make your interactions smoother and more productive. Asking colleagues, especially your manager, about their Professional Operating Manualâ os a fantastic way to reinforce transparency and trust.
Understand their leadership style within the larger organization. Are they all about the numbers or more focused on team dynamics? Do they micromanage or give a lot of freedom? Tools like the DiSCÂź assessment can help decode these styles, but simple observation and conversations can be just as effective. Simply putâ pay attention and adjust your playbooks accordingly.
Adjusting your style to theirs might seem like extra work, but trust me, it pays off big time and also expands your interpersonal toolkit. This will pay off big time for the rest of your career. Why not start now?
3. Master the Art of Communication
Effective and efficient communication is your best friend, especially in todayâs hybrid work world. As much as you want to understand your managerâs work styles, let your manager know how you work best. If you need more autonomy, suggest check-ins at specific milestones at a regular cadence instead of constant unstructured oversight. If you need more direction, ask for direction clearly and early. Group questions together that are relatedâ batch questions together. This shows that you have take a bit of time to think through the problem holistically and show what solutions you have already explored.
Align on expectations and boundaries pre-emptively. If your role or goals are not 100% clear, initiate a conversation and do what you need to get clarity. Burnout is real, and if youâre feeling it, let your manager know and work together to set achievable boundaries and set yourself up with a self-care routine to help manage your health.
Keep your leaders in the loop about team morale. If the teamâs burning out or feeling tense, let your manager know what you are seeing that they may not have full insight into. Bottom lineâ take initiave and take care of yourself.
4. Make Their Job Easier
Think of your relationship with your manager as a partnership. Help them succeed, and theyâll help you. It sounds transactional becuaseâ well, it is. This igve and take can be done with integrity. Bring solutions to the table, not just problems. Show that youâre thinking strategically, that you are using the resources you have with independence before escalating an inssue, and taking ownership of your work.
Make sure your manager knows about your achievements. We recommend putting together a Google Sheet of Quarterly WINS! Women often donât promote themselves as much as they should and so we must document every accomplishment to see how much progress is made. This is crucial for keeping yourself in the self-advocacy mindset and it also makes review time a breeze. Be clear about where youâre adding value. If youâre facing challenges, be honest and ask for the resources or support you need.
Share your career goals. There is no way they can help you get where you want to go if you donât communicate your destination. Ask for feedback and discuss how you can align your assignments with your aspirations as much as they can.
Level Up Your Career đ
Learning to manage your manager is a powerful skill. It shows emotional intelligence and initiativeâqualities that can fast-track your career. In fact, this is required for moving up. By empathizing, understanding preferences of your leaders/managers, communicating effectively, and making their job easier, you create a win-win partnership. And thatâs how you turn a good job into a great career.
Donât let your career happen to youâ Take charge and design your career. đȘ
