July 21, 2021
Help Your Boss Help You: Convert Conflict Into Opportunities
Guide your manager to treat you as a vital member of the team who should be kept as happy and productive as possible.
When your manager insists on a course of action you don't like, most employees feel they have only two options: you can swallow your objections, or you can leave. Neither option gets you what you want, which is for your manager to consider your interests when making decisions. Challenging your boss directly is risky, but if you understand what really matters to your manager, you can build a balanced relationship that works for both sides.
Provide timely "good enough" answers that satisfy the immediate need of the boss to move forward. Use a productive solution to the Iterated Prisoner's Dilemma to structure your interactions with management, going along when necessary and pushing back where appropriate, without threatening the loyalty relationship. Send the two most important messages to your boss—"I got this" and "I got your back"—to prove your value to the boss and the organization. Analyze your manager's communication preferences so you can express your arguments in a way most likely to be heard and understood. Avoid key traps, like thinking of the boss as your friend or violating the chain of command unnecessarily.
Now in print: Use Coupon Code "KKMANAGECOMPLETE" for 40% off the ebook at pragprog.com/titles/kkmanage. For the paperback edition, please support your local independent bookstore.
The Pragmatic Hero’s Journey Podcast: Karl Stolley
Herbert Wolverson, the founder of Bracket Productions, likes to take a holistic approach to development. As an experienced freelance consultant, he encourages solutions that encompass the entirety of a problem, and he provides tools at each level to automate essential business tasks.
On this episode, Herbert talks about his love of video games and how his parents fueled his desire to write a book. As a first-time author, Herbert didn't know what to expect, but he enjoyed the process so much that he's already writing another book with us.
Listen to the rest of Herbert's story on this episode of the Pragmatic Hero's Journey podcast.
You can stream the episode here: https://pragprog.libsyn.com/ or subscribe to the RSS feed at https://pragprog.libsyn.com/rss.
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Remember, the best way to tell the future is to create it.
Upcoming Author Appearances2021-07-22 Johanna Rothman,
Agile 2021
2021-07-27 Michael Fazio,
THAT Conference, Wisconsin Dells, WI
2021-07-29 Johanna Rothman,
Business Agility DC
2021-08-10 Johanna Rothman,
Hands-on Agile Berlin
2021-08-17 Johanna Rothman,
Mad City Agility Conference
2021-08-25 Johanna Rothman,
Product Management Today
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