Lead Your Boss

Overview

A guidebook for those who have the vision and drive to take the organization to the next level...and a boss.
Every manager on the move wants to have influence at the top in order to get his or her ideas heard and ultimately acted upon. In Lead Your Boss, recognized leadership guru John Baldoni gives managers new—as well as tried-and-true—methods for influencing both their bosses and their peers, and giving senior leaders reasons to follow their lead. Featuring instructive stories based on real-life experiences from leaders at all levels, Lead Your Boss reveals proven strategies for:

• Developing spheres of influence

• Handling tough issues

• Asserting oneself diplomatically

• Putting the team first

• Persuading up

• Establishing trust

• Using organizational politics to everyone's advantage

• Inspiring others through-out the organization

Lead Your Boss gives readers practical, tactical advice on becoming a key player in any organization, regardless of whether or not they have an office in the Csuite…YET.

About the Author

JOHN BALDONI (Ann Arbor, MI) is an internationally recognized leadership consultant, speaker, and author of many books, including Lead by Example and Great Communication Secrets of Great Leaders. He was named one of the "30 Most Influential Leadership Gurus? for 2007 by www.LeadershipGurus.net. His leadership writings have appeared in BusinessWeek.com and FastCompany.com, and he has been featured or quoted in publications including the New York Times, USA Today, and Investor's Business Daily.

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Tactical Tips on Influencing Your Boss (and your Peers)

HEADLINE:LEAD YOUR BOSS: The Subtle Art of Managing Up:HEADLINE

SUBHEAD:Tactical Tips on Influencing Your Boss (and your Peers):SUBHEAD:

Noted leadership guru and author, John Baldoni, gives practical advice on becoming a key player in your company, regardless of whether you have an office in the C-Suite - yet. He offers practical advice on leading from the middle, including how to develop spheres of influence, handle tough issues, asserting oneself diplomatically, and inspiring others throughout the company.

1. Leading up (a term that the author borrowed from Wharton professor, Michael Useem) is the process of leading your organization from the middle. That means you lead the organization from the perspective of a CEO but with the authority of a middle manager.

2. Those who lead their bosses are problem solvers. They see problems and they want to fix them or they seek to make positive change. While they are not in charge the way a CEO is, they are in charge of some things. That is, they manage their teams and their resources and as such they can achieve good results and get noticed. More importantly they can look for new ways of doing things and seek to change the way things are.

3. Managing up is the process of handling things for your boss when she gets too busy. Leading up is the process of initiating things to do.

4. Leading up and from the middle requires two things: influence and action. Influence is necessary to open doors so you can be heard. Action is necessary to implement your plan.

5. The recent financial meltdown was exacerbated by a failure of leadership at all levels, but chiefly by those at the top who abdicated responsibility. Now is the time for those in the middle, in concert with the aims of the organization, to use their initiative and skills to transform their organizations into ones that are responsive, nimble, and honest.

6. Those who lead from the middle are those who can think and act strategically. Thinking strategically means thinking about how your actions impact the entire organization. Acting strategically means working collaboratively with your boss and peers to overcome obstacles and affect positive change.

7. When you lead your boss, make certain that what you advocate - be it a new idea, initiative, process or product - meets the vision and mission of the organization.

8. Leading up is a process, an approach to affecting positive change. Some may they enjoy the status quo, because it feels safer, but standing still is an inorganic process. Just as organisms are changing so too must organizations.

9. Those who lead from the middle are those who are sensitive to the need to change and they lobby hard for it.

10. Leading from middle requires a manager to develop spheres of influence within which one is perceived as a person who is accomplished, capable, and trustworthy.

11. When you disagree with your boss, you find ways to assert your position through the strength of your ideas. You argue on issues, never personality.

12. Politics, it has been said, is the art of the possible. Never is this truer than within an organization. For one who leads up it is essential to determine who is with you as well as against you. But often those in the middle without a firm opinion may sway the balance so it is important to cultivate their interests.

13. Genuine inspiration comes from accomplished leaders who achieve sustainable results that benefit individuals, teams, and the organization. Those who lead from the middle know how to get employees engaged in the work so they feel they are making a positive contribution.

14. Those who lead from the middle are good at engaging the attention of others make a habit of asking others for assistance as well as giving it in return. When performed appropriately asking fosters five things all beginning with the letter "C?: courtesy, comity, cooperation, commitment, community.

15. Leading from the middle means learning how to deal with no! In every organization, there are always more people who can and will say no than those who can and will say yes. Leaders seeking positive change need to learn to cope with adversity so they can achieve goals for self and the team.

16. Those who lead from the middle today are those that will lead from the top tomorrow. However, they will not act as top down leaders; they will challenge their direct reports to lead up, too.

17. In times of crisis, leaders must do three things. One, be heard; communicate clearly and consistently. Two, be seen; spend time with employees so they know you are engaged. Three, be there; let people know you are willing to go the extra mile to help them and the team succeed.

18. Senior leaders need to encourage leadership from the middle. Their legacy depends upon developing the next generation of leaders. Good leaders encourage their up and coming leaders to assume more responsibility and to act on their own initiatives, as long as those initiatives are in synch with the mission and goals of the organization.

Adapted from LEAD YOUR BOSS: The Subtle Art of Managing Up by John Baldoni published by AMACOM (October 2009).

John Baldoni, is included in Top Leadership Guru list of the World Top 25 Leadership Gurus for 2009. (http://www.topleadershipgurus.com/list.php). Visit him at his website http://www.johnbaldoni.com/.

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Review Quotes

"..useful advice…offers encouragement and inspiration. The book breaks its lessons down into simple steps." -- Harvard Business Review

"...concrete advice for those who find themselves working in the middle…whether that means honing your diplomacy skills, eliciting great ideas, or taking that essential leap of faith." -- Washingtonpost.com

"…down-to-earth, nuts-and-bolts, and easy to connect with…? -- leadershipnow.com

Selected as on the best books of 2009 by CEO Refresher.com

Selected by Leadershipnow.com as one of the Best Leadership Books of 2009

?… strategies for getting your ideas heard, establishing trust at the top and throughout your team, generating honest feedback, becoming a leader in your own right…? -- T+D magazine

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Cover Copy

Brimming with examples and insights, Lead Your Boss guides you through the subtle yet highly effective leadership style of managing up. It's a powerful new approach that relies on initiative, resilience, empathy, courage, and other positive traits to bring people together—your boss, your peers, and your team—for the benefit of all.

ADVANCE Praise for LEAD YOUR BOSS:

"John Baldoni is one of the organizational thinkers that I respect the most . . . . [This book] should be required reading for all middle managers!? — Marshall Goldsmith, New York Times and Wall Street Journal #1 best-selling author of What Got You Here Won't Get You There and author or editor of 23 other books

"John Baldoni's accessible style and uncommon insights bring a fresh perspective to this urgent topic in particular and to management writing at large.?— Eric Hellweg, Editorial Managing Director, HarvardBusiness.org

"By focusing on tactical and practical steps managers can take to effect positive change, Lead Your Boss provides guidance for all those frustrated by bosses who are holding their teams back from achieving great results.? — Eric Harvey, Founder and President, Walk the Talk Co.; author of 26 leadership books including the best-sellers Walk the Talk…and Get the Results You Want and Leadership Secrets of Santa Claus

"Lead Your Boss explores the power of influence in ways that make developing it and implementing it doable. . . . Great insights!? — John Bourbeau, CEO, Right Management/Great Lakes Region

"Lead Your Boss does a terrific job of helping people understand the difficult task of managing upward. Pragmatic tips help provide the tools to get the job done, and real-life stories help provide context for some of the ideas that John Baldoni presents.? — Jon V. Peters, President, The Institute for Management Studies

"Baldoni understands what it takes to be a leader and someone who can 'influence without authority,' and he puts it within reach in Lead Your Boss. His ideas are simple, clear, and easy to grasp—yet profound!? — Don Vandergriff, Major, U.S. Army (retired); President, Maverick Leadership; and author, Manning the Legions of the United States

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Jacket Copy

Are you ready to take the jump from your current role—technical expert or quality producer or people person—to that of highly effective leader who gets noticed and rewarded?

Lead Your Boss will show you how. This invaluable guide helps you cultivate the balanced, cohesive, and passionate leadership style called "managing up.? It's a style that works from the middle ranks, where leadership often entails influencing your boss, your peers, and those who report to you—all of whom are favorably affected by your commitment and contributions. Managing up, then, is about building those traits that are most admired and appreciated, such as integrity, energy, empathy, resilience, and big-picture thinking—classic leadership traits that propel people from any organizational rank on a fast track upward.

Filled with inspiring stories of people who accomplished great things by employing their skills, energy, and influence for the greater good—Eleanor Roosevelt, Barack Obama, Sir Edmund Hillary, Paul Newman, and others—and packed with practical strategies and useful advice, Lead Your Boss shows you how to:

• Think strategically, challenging yourself and your team to be more innovative

• Cultivate criticism and honest feedback as important components of growth and improvement

• Coach your team in the 3Cs (coordinate, cooperate, and collaborate) of working together in a mutually beneficial way

• Persuade others to listen to your ideas, overcoming obstacles and turning influence into leadership

• Challenge assumptions without challenging the individual above you, and break down often daunting resistance to change

• Exhibit resiliency in the face of adversity, turning setbacks into comebacks

• Put people into positions where they can succeed—then stand aside and let them

As confidence in America's CEOs continues to slide, it's time for middle managers and valued teammates to step into positions of leadership. This inspiring book is packed with insights and strategies for rallying everyone around common goals that bring positive results for yourself, your teammates, and your boss—an all-around win!

John Baldoni is an internationally recognized leadership consultant, speaker, and author of many books, including Lead by Example and Great Communication Secrets of Great Leaders. He was named one of the "30 Most Influential Leadership Gurus? for 2007 by www.LeadershipGurus.net. John writes the "Leadership at Work? column for Harvard Business Publishing, which is syndicated by Bloomberg.com. His leadership writings have appeared in BusinessWeek.com and FastCompany.com, and he has been featured or quoted in numerous publications, including the New York Times, USA Today, and Investor's Business Daily. His leadership resource website is www.johnbaldoni.com.

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Excerpt

PROLOGUE

"Leaders are almost by definition people who change

minds."

--Howard Gardner, Leading Minds

Your organization needs a strategic resource allocation plan.With

budgets being squeezed and headcount being trimmed, you need

direction on what projects you should pursue and within what

timeframes. You have discussed this many times with your boss,

but for some reason that you do not understand, she has not acted.

So what do you do?

You take action. You take the lead for your boss. You develop

the plan on your own and submit it to her for approval.And if she

approves it, you ask for permission to move it forward. In doing

so, you are filling the leadership void through prompt and decisive

action. You are demonstrating what it takes to lead your boss.

But, as you will discover in this book,"leading your boss? is really

a metaphor for leading from the middle. Those who lead from

the middle are those who think big picture and can do what it

takes to get things done so their bosses and their teams succeed.

Very often such individuals lead their bosses, but they may also be

leading their boss's boss as well as their own colleagues and direct

reports. Those who succeed at leading from the middle also are

artful and adept managers; they utilize their management skills to

establish goals, plan projects, organize people, and execute projects

on time and on budget.

Not so easy to do, but it is possible when you rethink and reframe

what you want to accomplish and how you want to do it.

That is, you are not acting for yourself, but you are acting for the

good of the organization. This requires initiative, persuasion, influence,

and persistence and no small amount of passion. Taken

together this is what experts call "leading up.?

* * *

"Leading up requires great courage and determination,? writes

Michael Useem, a professor at the Wharton School at the University

of Pennsylvania and author of an eponymously named book

that popularized the concept. "We might fear how our superior

will respond, we might doubt our right to lead up, but we all carry

a responsibility to do what we can when it will make a difference.?

Individuals who lead up are those who demonstrate that they

are aware of the bigger picture and are ready, willing, and able to

do what needs to be done for the good of the team. Such individuals

prove their mettle when times are tough. When leading up

from the middle, here are three questions to consider:

1. What does the leader need? The boss is responsible for her

people as well as getting things done right. As a directreport,

ask yourself, what does the boss need to do her job

better? It may require you to think more strategically as well

as act more tactically.

2. What does the team need? Ideally, the team pulls together; it

doesn't always happen because ego gets involved. The boss

often then spends time smoothing over bruised egos.However,

if a team member were to step forward and help in the

"smoothing over,? it would free the boss to focus on the big

picture.

3. What can I do to help the leader and the team succeed? The

answer may involve taking on more responsibility to do a

job, or it may mean stepping back to let others do theirs. For

example, if the team is struggling over direction or resources,

you may wish to pass (for the moment) on your

personal needs. Give one up for the team so that the leader

can push forward.

Turning those questions into a plan of action will provide a

roadmap for how to lead your boss in ways that make the boss

look good, the team succeed, and you emerge as a team player who

is adept at making good things happen.

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Table of Contents

CONTENTS

Acknowledgments xi

Prologue 1

PART I : WHAT DOES THE LEADER NEED? 9

STEP 1: Leading Up 11

STEP 2: Thinking and Acting Strategically 24

STEP 3: Pushing Back the Right Way 54

PART II : WHAT DOES THE TEAM NEED? 79

STEP 4: Letting Others Create the How 81

STEP 5: Breaking Down the Doors 109

STEP 6: Working the System 135

PART III : WHAT CAN I DO TO HELP THE LEADER AND THE TEAM SUCCEED? 151

STEP 7: Bending but Not Breaking 153

STEP 8: Preparing Others to Lead 171

STEP 9: Leading with Presence 194

The Smart Guide to Positive Push-Back 207

Notes 211

Index 219

About the Author 226

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