WORKING RELATIONS
How to manage
your boss
As a personal assistant, you are probably the closest colleague your boss has –
so how can you manage them without undermining them? BY VANESSA TRIPODI
You know the importance of getting along well with
your boss – to ensure you have a pleasant working envi-
ronment and to improve their productivity and meet their
responsibilities. As a personal assistant, you are also
expected to anticipate the needs of your boss to make their
job easier. To do all of this, you need to learn as much as
you can about your close colleague, to enable you to man-
age them and their responsibilities effectively. Managing
the boss can be a tricky art to master – after all on paper it
is them that is managing you – so you need to do it in such
a way that your manager barely notices. Make them think
that they are doing all the work, and you’ll both be happy.
To successfully manage your boss, you will need to
work well together as a team. While your boss is a capa-
ble manager, you will need to take responsibility for
managing your working relationship. Once you begin
actively taking responsibility for your relationship with
your manager, you will find you are both more produc-
tive. If you can build a strong working relationship you
will have earned the trust and respect of your boss,
allowing you to offer advice and criticism in a way that
will be accepted, giving your boss the help and support
they need from their personal assistant. It can take many
years to build up this kind of trusting relationship – but
once it’s in place your hard work will be worth it.
Of course, to ensure you are able to make your boss’
working life as easy as possible, you need to know what
they need and want, and to start with you need to find
out what method of communication the person you work
for prefers, be it email, notes, voice mail or a message
through the intercom. Your job is all about your superior,
ess
so do things their way, unless of course you have a way
that promises to save time and frustration. By communi- © photoXpr
cating well with the boss, you will not only be able to
ensure that the directives for your office or department an office makes for a calm working environment, it is
are met, but you will also be able to put forward your “
Up managing is
a growing trend in
also important for you to manage the person you work
own ideas for consideration and manage your relation- for to help you build your own career. Up managing is a
ship and office in a way which suits you both.
business, which sees
growing trend in business, which sees staff proactively
Getting to know your boss includes finding out their staff proactively managing their bosses to ensure they are noticed and in
values, strengths, weaknesses and priorities, both per-
managing their
turn receive a promotion. While you do not generally
sonally and professionally. It is also important to find out
bosses to ensure
work as a personal assistant so that you can one day take
about your boss’ likes and dislikes and how you can help the big cheese’s place, managing your manager can help
them to avoid frustrating situations and make sure they
they are noticed
you gain more respect, flexibility, freedom, responsibili-
have something to look forward to when coming to work. and in turn receive ty and, of course, more money, when your boss sees that
When you know all there is to know about your manager
a promotion
you are dedicated to the company and staff.
you will be able to predict when they want to be involved ” So while ‘managing your boss’ may sound a bit
in the news of their staff and when they simply want to manipulative, it is better for you and the boss if you are
find their file and get on with the job. able to learn about how to create a working environment
Once you know as much as possible about your boss in which you will both be productive, while at the same
as a person and as a manger, you can help their day, office time ensuring your relationship with your manager is
and business run smoothly. While the smooth running of friendly and based on respect and trust.
E
34 » www.executivepa.com » Feb/Mar 2010
Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44