Help your boss help you : convert conflict into opportunities / Ken Kousen.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Kousen, Kenneth A., author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Conflict management.

Interpersonal relations.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (154 pages)

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

[Raleigh, North Carolina] : The Pragmatic Programmers, LLC, [2021]

Summary:

Develop more productive habits in dealing with your manager. As a professional in the business world, you care about doing your job the right way. The quality of your work matters to you, both as a professional and as a person. The company you work for cares about making money and your boss is evaluated on that basis. Sometimes those goals overlap, but the different priorities mean conflict is inevitable. Take concrete steps to build a relationship with your manager that helps both sides succeed.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.

Contents:

Cover

Table of Contents

Foreword

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Who This Book Is For

Chapter Summaries

Acknowledging My Own Biases

Plural Convention

References to Popular Media

Online Resources

1. Making Inevitable Conflict Productive

Differing Agendas

Why We Go to Work

What Your Manager Wants

Why Managers Are So Bad So Often

Putting It All Together: Building a Relationship

2. Giving Good-Enough Answers

Winning the Game of School

Winning the Game of Business

Giving Good-Enough Answers

Putting It All Together: Good-Enough Answers

3. Creating Constructive Loyalty

Trust Goes Both Ways

The Critical Importance of Loyalty

Failing to Establish Loyalty

Your Manager Lives in Fear

Building Constructive Loyalty

Putting It All Together: Constructive Loyalty

4. Sending the Important Two Messages

I Got This: Taking Responsibility

I Got Your Back: We're a Team

Putting It All Together: The Two Messages

5. Winning the Prisoner's Dilemma

A Frustrating, but Typical, Situation

The Iterated Prisoner's Dilemma

The Tit-for-Tat Solution

Applying TFT to the Employee/Manager Relationship

Pushing Back Right Away

Managers Who Refuse to Learn

Evolutionary IPD

Putting It All Together: Building the Relationship

6. Communicating More Effectively

The Four Scales

The Keirsey Temperament Sorter

Putting It All Together: Communication Strategies

7. Managing the Chain of Command

The Worst of Both Worlds

How Not to Go Around Your Boss

Providing Cover for the Boss

Your Boss's Boss

Navigating the Matrix

Putting It All Together: Following the Chain

8. Your Boss Is Not Your Friend

The Dangers of Oversharing

Maintaining Emotional Distance

Offices in Popular Media

My Friend Got Promoted

Your Boss Is Not Your Enemy, Either.

Putting It All Together: Protecting Yourself

9. Dealing with Special Cases

The Flat Organization

Remote Work

The Micromanager

The Tragedy of Human Resources

Older Employees and Younger Managers

Truly Unethical Managers

Putting It All Together: Special Cases

10. Managing Your Manager

Push for Periodic Meetings

Telling Malice from Stupidity

Reflective Listening

Telling Your Boss They're Completely and Totally Wrong

Putting It All Together: The Real Win

Bibliography.

Notes:

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

Description based on print version record.

Description based on print record.

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN:

9781680508888

1680508881

9781680508895

168050889X

OCLC:

1264470698