How to manage your boss and yes, its a thing

How to manage your boss and yes, its a thingHow to manage your boss and yes, its a thingIf youre a working adult (of any age), youre probably used to managing your own schedule, priorities, and workload. But have you ever thought about the need to manage your boss/manager? Because believe it or not, its a real thing and its referred to in business management as managing up.I know what you might be thinking isnt it my boss job to manage me? Why do I, then, have to think at all about managing them?Well, to put it simply, its because if you dont at least try, youre setting yourself up to fail slowly over time. Your boss is this other human being who is arguably one of the most important relationships youll ever have at work so the way you manage that relationship can drive your career and personal development forward fast OR lead to your demise.The best way to go about managing your boss is by taking ownership over your end of working relationship, specifically when it comes down to communication, expectations, and problem-solving. Here are some tips on how to go about doing thatBe clear about your career goalsA good manager strives to advance his or her employees into roles that are well-suited for their personalities, skill sets, and career goals. The more your manager knows about where you see yourself in five or ten years, or even in the next 6 months, the easier it is for them to empower you to achieve those goals and set you on the right path within the organization.When problems arise, think about solutionsA common mistake people make when interacting with their boss or manager is bringing up complaints and problems without any thought about how to solve them. Worse yet is giving your manager the impression that you expect them to fix everything for you. The better way to approach problems is to still bring them up to your manager, but when you do, also come prepared with ideas on how to solve them. This accomplished a few things 1) it demonstrates your own willingness and ability to solve tough problems 2) it increases your managers chances of successfully helping you resolve the issue, and 3) it builds trust and rapport between the two of you and decreases the likelihood of angst and frustration at the outcome.Give your manager honest feedbackAlthough you may not consider it often, your manager needs constructive feedback about his or her performance and leadership just as much as you need feedback about how youre doing. Sharing what you think is going well is one thing, but you should also remember to go straight to your manager when you dont agree with something theyve said or done. Nobodys perfect and they need your input to know what they could be improving on tooBe clear about whats missingAlthough almost every yearly performance evaluation (if you even have those) allows an opportunity for you to answer questions about what you need to perform your job successfully, a lot of people tend to just mumble a quick, I guess so r ather than share their honest feedback. Let your manager know what you need to perform your best at yearly evaluations AND on a regular basis a clearer job description, retraining on certain skills, or support in a certain challenging area are a few examples. Your managers goal is to provide you with everything you need to be successful, but they cant possibly know what you need unless you share that information with them.Ask questionsAny time your manager has delivered news you dont like, requested you complete a task you dont feel qualified to perform, or otherwise frustrated or confused you, ask questions rather than casting judgment and getting frustrated. Questions that might help you work through your concerns will vary based on the circumstances, but here are few great examples of respectful, fact-finding questionsIm feeling confused. Can you help me understand how completing this task first would help us meet our goal faster?I dont feel qualified, but I would love to. Can yo u help me get the training I need?Im sure that was a complex decision. Can you explain what led you to decide that so I can understand too?Asking questions can be a non-challenging way to get on the saatkorn page before allowing your emotions to take over.Managing your manager isnt a total cake-walk, but it doesnt have to be super hard either it just requires focused effort and an open mind on your part. The reward for doing it is high you may be able to stay with the same company for many years in a fulfilling career that you actually enjoy and want, rather than have to start all over at a new job and company where the same issues arise or your boss is even worseThis post was originally published on Kununu.com.