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How to work with people you don’t like? Try these 3 steps individually or in combination. Engage How to work with people you don’t like? Engage them is one way. To engage in this case means to communicate with them . Step out of your own ego no matter how difficult it is to get yourself to sincerely talk to them. You may be pleasantly surprised that the other person wants to talk. To engage also means not to hold any grudges against the other person. Face the issue with the other party and discuss whatever challenges you may have candidly. Say what you mean and mean what you say politely. You can be stern but do not be rude. Be there to want to solve the challenges you are facing with the person. The important thing about how to work with people you don’t like is to be sincere about it. When you are sincere , you are seeking a win-win situation. You are manipulative when you are seeking a win-lose situation. Think about this when you engage this person. Being sincere is also a transfer of feelings. Which means you want the other person to know that you genuinely want to settle any animosity you have with each other. Build a reputation for yourself as someone who tries to work things out with others when things seem rough. That way it helps you in the long run too. How do you work with people you don’t like? Try to engage them. Communicate sincerely. Transfer your genuine feelings, after all you did think of wanting to solve the challenge and make things easier for both. You may be surprised the other party wants to engage you too. How to work with people you don’t like? Try to enlighten yourself about them and let them enlighten you too. Enlighten To let people we don’t like, whom we work with to enlighten us is tough. For us to enlighten them takes a lot of effort. That is needless to say. But if you sincerely seek a solution to the challenge then the way you approach how to work with people you don’t like will be significantly different. Seek to allow them to get to know you personally. The information and new knowledge about you may enlighten them about you. It gives them insight into who you are, why you do the things you do and the way you do it. When people understand you more, there is a better chance they will begin to like you. Of course, there is no guarantee it will work. At the very least there is a chance. Get to know them on a more personal level too. As much as we allow people to know us, we must learn about them. Enlighten yourself about them. What

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How to work with people you dont like? Try these 3 steps individually or in combination. EngageHow to work with people you dont like? Engage them is one way. To engage in this case means to communicate with them. Step out of your own ego no matter how difficult it is to get yourself to sincerely talk to them. You may be pleasantly surprised that the other person wants to talk.To engage also means not to hold any grudges against the other person. Face the issue with the other party and discuss whatever challenges you may have candidly. Say what you mean and mean what you say politely. You can be stern but do not be rude. Be there to want to solve the challenges you are facing with the person. The important thing about how to work with people you dont like is to be sincere about it.When you are sincere, you are seeking a win-win situation. You are manipulative when you are seeking a win-lose situation. Think about this when you engage this person. Being sincere is also a transfer of feelings. Which means you want the other person to know that you genuinely want to settle any animosity you have with each other. Build a reputation for yourself as someone who tries to work things out with others when things seem rough. That way it helps you in the long run too.How do you work with people you dont like? Try to engage them. Communicate sincerely. Transfer your genuine feelings, after all you did think of wanting to solve the challenge and make things easier for both. You may be surprised the other party wants to engage you too.How to work with people you dont like? Try to enlighten yourself about them and let them enlighten you too.EnlightenTo let people we dont like, whom we work with to enlighten us is tough. For us to enlighten them takes a lot of effort. That is needless to say. But if you sincerely seek a solution to the challenge then the way you approach how to work with people you dont like will be significantly different.Seek to allow them to get to know you personally. The information and new knowledge about you may enlighten them about you. It gives them insight into who you are, why you do the things you do and the way you do it. When people understand you more, there is a better chance they will begin to like you. Of course, there is no guarantee it will work. At the very least there is a chance.Get to know them on a more personal level too. As much as we allow people to know us, we must learn about them. Enlighten yourself about them. What makes them tick, what is it that you do that disturbs them or even irritates them. Perhaps with this piece of information you may start to know how to work with people you dont like.To enlighten yourself, one way is to look for the positive. If it is difficult, what I normally tell myself is that many times there is more than one way to do things. So others maybe right too. That way, it makes it easier for you to look at the positives. To enlighten them, be patient in explaining your stance or why you do certain things. They may at least seek to understand your angle of things.How to work with people you dont like? One way is to enlighten yourself about the other party. Then take it a step further by making an effort to enlighten the other party about you. When understanding begins, liking can too.Project Shrink When Projects Drive You Nuts.

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Bottom of Form23 Powerful Tips for Working in Multi-Cultural TeamsSeptember 28, 2008 12 Comments Planning and implementing organizational systems and practices to manage people so that the potential advantages of diversity are maximized while its potential disadvantages are minimized (Cultural Diversity in Organization by Taylor H. Cox)Our communities are like rainbows, every color is unique, every color is pretty when used right but it can appear quite ugly when misused. A diverse, multicultural work environment is the same; it needs to be handled well to be effective just as the rainbow looks pretty in the order it is, but if you put colors together without considering their individuality or their role in the whole, the end product would be signify chaos instead of perfect beauty.

Here are 23 tips for working in a multicultural team:1. Flexibility is the key to working in a multicultural environment; the work environment always demands flexibility on your part, but in a multicultural environment the adaptation becomes all the more important. The flexibility that is so important in dealing with anything that does not confirm to our own beliefs ensures your coworkers feel you are not judging them by religion or race, in a work environment, and as humans, their personal qualities and the value of their work matters, never the color of their skin.

Essential reading: 25 Ways Project People Can Train Their Mental Flexibility2. Develop understanding for different cultures and values and respect those differences. Americans enjoy the A-OK sign but a Brazilian would be highly offended by the same. There are religious practices too, some people do not eat a certain type of meat based on religious beliefs, some do not eat meat at all and some try everything. As a team member you have to learn to not look down on anyone who does not confirm to your beliefs and it never hurts to go out of the way to accommodate others at times, if its Devali festival for your Hindu colleague, or Eid celebrations for a Muslim colleague, you can win them over by covering for them while they join their families for the day and you can convey your sincerity that way too.3. Work culture differs across the globe; Western office environments might appreciate candid views from employees but you will likely come across co-workers from other continents who have more respect for authority, sometimes irrespective of how insane the order sounds to them, or how they can themselves propose something far better. Build working relationships across the board so your coworkers are not afraid to come out with views. If there is something wrong with a project that someone in your team picked out, the team should know about it to ensure it does not harm the project later. For instance, if you are working on setting up a call center in another country and the local lead you have in that country does not tell you the whole planning is going to go to waste because of a local Government policy or the countrys work ethics, you are wasting a lot of time and money that would have been saved if the communication was not so faulty.4. Do not overkill with sweeping generalizations. Quite often when you are dealing with people, you come to know that the stereotypes are very fallible. Look around you in the same culture as you have and you will not find everyone confirming to your views so do not expect all Asians or all European co-workers to be similar. Use the stereotypes but only to get a vague idea of what a person might be like, the rest you still have to get to know through observation and interaction.Essential reading: Project managers cannot rely on generalizations5. Regardless of the religion, ethnic or cultural background of a person, everyone has to be treated fairly. People should always be chosen for specific tasks and in lead roles for their capabilities alone. If, for instance, an Asian, or an African is the suitable choice for the team lead over a predominantly European workforce, fairness demands that the person gets the task he deserves. It is the task of the management and the individuals in the team to make sure they do not treat their new team lead with less respect than they would give to another European. The easier way in terms of maintaining the status quo is thought to be giving the lead to the next best person for the job when a minority representative qualifies for a team lead; this however means your work environment is already racially charged.6. Make sure you convey your desire to be sensitive to anothers culture early enough. The first impression actually can be the last impression so it is very important that you convey your sensitivity and respect for the cultural difference before the other person makes up their mind about you.7. Often enough, people like to speak and not listen but how often have you seen that the best of friends is described as one who listen? Develop the quality to listen to what others think. Of course what you have to say matters too, but by listening first you can actually avoid a number of diplomatic blunders that ruin relationships before they even begin to form.8. Do not impose your own set of values on others; it is the easiest way to lose respect in a multicultural environment because values usually are what you grow up with and every individual has the intrinsic need to defend them. Be ready to take constructive feedback instead.9. Remember that differences of culture or values should not be reason for communication gaps. This point relates to the preceding one as well, since it means you have to make an effort to find ways to set others at ease around you. If you have someone on the team who has ideas but can not communicate them it is up to you to make sure the team does not suffer because of it. Learn to listen well and give others the confidence to be able to communicate with you by showing respect.

10. Arguing gets you nowhere but being able to convince others does. A fistfight may result in one clear winner, but it never gets you respect, only fear. So remember to keep your communication friendly because the moment it feels like the discussion is turning into an argument, the defensiveness that creeps naturally into the responses makes sure you can neither convince nor be convinced yourself. Develop your interpersonal skills so you can communicate with your team members from others cultures more effectively.11. Give people the chance to communicate their views, share your own, and as with any discussion, it is important to let the other person know you are listening and thinking over their views too. Be open minded in accepting logic never-ever tell people their views are wrong. There are many more diplomatic words in use that can save face for the other person as well as let logic rule the discussion. If you can be that courteous and can show respect you are building bridges without losing anything.12. Win friends. Whatever culture you belong to, the idea is to be sincere towards your fellow workers. If you win their trust, you usually win friends too who will usually in turn try to accommodate you as much as possible. Remember, friendship and respect are common to all cultures.13. Many think it important to treat others as they want to be treated. Its a good rule to go by if you are sure the other person wants the same thing as you do. In a diverse workplace though, that is rarely the case between two different cultures. I may want you to look me in the eye when we are talking, your looking away might be a sign of your disinterest or avoidance to me, and my looking into your eyes might be rudeness and bossiness to you. The golden rule is to treat others as they want to be treated. But of course you have to be interested enough to find out exactly how.14. We already discussed how gestures have different meanings in different cultures, you have to observe, be interested in other cultures to know about what is considered positive and what is negative in another culture. To take this a step further, especially when dealing with people from another culture in person, make it a point to read body the language.15. As odd as it may sound, time differences are not just about the time zones. Different cultures and the work ethics of different work cultures also affect how people view time. Let us take another stereotype then: an American would take a 2 PM meeting to mean the other person should available at 2 PM sharp. In 5-10 minutes from that time, the American will leave thinking you did not live up to your commitment. But in some Asian countries, setting a time for a meeting is quite often taken as a vague landmark so the Asian counterpart might be 20-30 minutes late for the meeting because it is not a big deal to him at all. For you this can appear as a waste of time. You can either put up with the situation or you can go back to team culture that needs to be built for a diverse team to function. 16. The idea is to find out what motivates the individuals in your team and you can solve half the problems in your workplace through intelligent use of that knowledge while raising them above the normal day to day though processes. If I am motivated towards a goal, and if I think it is achievable, I will feel I have stakes in the whole project, its then that things really start to fall in place.17. You might not get along with your neighbor much but if the wife is averse to your watching the ball game this weekend, something bigger than the difference, the passion for the game, may bring out your desire to put all differences aside and watch the game together. Thats just an everyday example, when teams have something bigger than the differences they have amongst them, they will put everything aside to concentrate on their goals. Inspiration is vital in such situations, if the common goal clicks, if the team is dedicated to achieving the goal, they will find the thing common amongst them, like deadlines and project related troubles, instead of things that divide.Essential reading: Dear Project Manager: Why Should Anyone Want To Work For You?18. Create a sense of awareness in your workplace about the diversity of your team and about the workplace problems such as racism, etc. You and your colleagues should know about the signs of things starting to go wrong. Unless you educate yourself about a problem, there is a huge chance that you will not have thought on the matter before you make a mistake, or come into contact with anyone who commits racist acts, or passes racist comments which go unchecked.

19. Never think ethnic jokes or insults to be trivial; what may look like an insignificant little comment to you can be detrimental to another persons peace of mind. A bad joke can make or break the cohesion of your team so be sure that your work environment is free or racial or religious or even sexual bias, if someone violates the policies on those matters, its is a very serious offense and it should be dealt as such so the message goes out to the offender as well as the person targeted.20. Some people do need special attention. Treating everyone the same way does not always constitute a fair behavior. The clichs do not hold once you get to the crux of the matter; humans are diverse, so are our cultures and our capabilities. If you are talking to a person with minimal English skills, which do not negatively affect his work, the same way you would talk to someone whose native language is English, you are being unfair to the non native speaker. Give those who need space, more room to maneuver, give them special attention and use their capabilities by making sure they understand the goals completely instead of falling to prey to a false sense of fairness. And of course, always-always, back your oral communication about the project with written communication that can be looked at if someone does not understand perfectly or forgets a point. That holds for all teams.21. Mere words are not enough; you may say a lot about how you understand different cultures or how you respect them, but your deeds and your decision making is your best spokesperson. What you do and how you behave shows your actual views. If you say everyone in the team is equal in your eyes and yet you end up ridiculing anothers culture you are practically showing your words meant nothing. Very few people can judge the intentions behind your comment so even if you did not mean to insult a culture the point remains; make it a habit to weigh your words before you speak in a multicultural environment, very little is needed to spark corrosive hatred amongst people when it comes to racial comments or disrespectful statements about anothers religion or values.22. Periodical work environment reviews can be helpful in finding out what problems, if any, people are facing in your office regarding how they are treated because of their race, religion or culture. These candid reviews or questionnaires can help the management gauge where they stand in forming a positive and diverse work environment. Based on the views of different people in the office, you can then implement ways to solve the problems faced. And lets face it, some people will be troublemakers all the way but the management will at least have the chance to find out how they can tackle that person and when held in the balance, if the team should try to integrate him or should he be sent packing to raise the team again. A real team will always be bigger than the individual because there is so much more potential to excel.23. Dont let personality or cultural clashes ruin your work environment. Multinational companies, or those hiring multicultural teams, often have problems with one cultural group at loggerheads with another cultural group or even an individual. The idea is to instill the spirit in your team to stick together irrespective and above considerations of cultural differences. Cohesion comes from association, mutual respect plus the sharing of good and bad times together, so make sure you are a part of a cohesive whole. If you are a project manager, your team needs you to lift it and share time together, if you are just a member of a diverse and multicultural team, be sure to still try and develop a relationship with your fellow workers. Remember that not all cultures enjoy the same type of food. There will be members who are prohibited in their religion to drink alcohol, make sure they have a drink they would rather have instead when you toast success, just showing your desire to accommodate the other members in the team does a lot to break the ice. After that, it is up to you to make sure it never gets that cold in your workplace again.. . . . . . . . . .Other people who liked this article liked these too Starting A Discussion About Team Diversity If you are looking for a great starter to discuss cultural diversity within teams or diversity in ge... Did I Find My Unifying Idea? Last week it dawned on me. With the concept of "mindful communication" I have found my unifying idea... Cultural Dimensions Comparing Countries The management topic that keeps my brain busy this year is "dealing with different cultures in proje...Share

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About Bas de BaarBas de Baar is making complex people stuff less complex. Yes. A Project Shrink. He lives with his wife in The Netherlands. View all posts by Bas de Baar Proud Postings: Crossderry by Paul RitchieTop Project Management Postings: September 200812 Responses to 23 Powerful Tips for Working in Multi-Cultural Teams1. Aditya Gholap Reply September 29, 2008 at 5:54 pm I agree that Project Management is all about humans and i think youve given a fairly good perspective of the human fallacies of most people when the work across cultural groups. Interesting choice of topic as well. I actually havent studied Project Management i learnt it via Deskaway its fantastically well built and takes into account project management basics that really backward integrate and teach it to you. On another note here in India i could write an entire post on tips while working with caste specific teams. Caste is a big thing in India ive often noticed how touchy people are about it. Then again dont you think, software seals these problems and boundaries?2. Kusal Reply October 1, 2008 at 5:54 am Yes, Its very useful article.3. Joelle Godfrey Reply June 12, 2009 at 10:57 am Great article. Good tips on how to get outside of our own box and think from someone elses perspective. A lot of articles talk about this, but dont give you the how.4. Bas de Baar Reply June 12, 2009 at 8:43 pm Wow thanks Joelle! and remember there is no box . hehehehe5. Alvin Wong Reply August 19, 2009 at 7:07 am Great tips! Can I please reproduce some of these in an internal staff newsletter, fully acknowledging this website?6. Bas de Baar Reply August 19, 2009 at 3:31 pm @Alvin: dropped you a mail.7. ankita loyal Reply May 29, 2010 at 5:49 am its really very good. the information provided above is very important for the peoples who works in any multi-religious company or organisation.8. Bas de Baar Reply May 29, 2010 at 8:33 am Hi Ankita, thanks for the kind words.9. hassan Reply September 23, 2010 at 12:24 am i need to know 2 examples of respect for diversity if any one can help me with it will be great i have some but need to know morethnxTrackbacks/Pingbacks1. Managing Remote Teams - Lessons LearnedLinkfest - October 22, 2008 [...] 23 Powerful Tips for Working in Multi-Cultural Teams by Bas de Baar in Project Shrink. TheNetherlands. [...]2. The Best Communication Tool < Project Shrink Blog - January 27, 2010 [...] problems which affect our work. We eagerly try new tools like Twitter in projects. We think about communication in multi-culture teams. We chew communication over and over [...]3. TeachingKristi Zombies n Catholics n Greeks, oh my! - April 30, 2010 [...] project, I would like to have them review collaboration skills. This blog offers strategies for collaborating with people of different backgrounds, and could be [...]Leave a ReplyClick here to cancel reply. Top of Form

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Bas de Baar - Making complex people stuff less complex. Yes. A Project Shrink.

Using metaphors, language and visualization Bas helps people to get insights in difficult problems surrounding projects and online collaboration. He combines powerful ideas from a wide range of disciplines to provide a different perspective on people stuff. More. Get New Posts By EmailTop of Form

Bottom of FormStuff We Talk AboutTemporary tribe A group pursuing the fulfillment of a certain outcome. And after they reach their goal, they stop being a group. An important element of a temporary tribe is the communication infrastructure they work on. Its digital, its mobile and it is global. More.

Big Adventure A temporary endeavor to fulfill a certain goal. Some say project. Think about your project as a Big Adventure. You are trying to find a treasure. You are going to retrieve a stolen secret document. You are going to set the princess free. Its a journey. More.

Bootstrapping revealing a group culture. Creating a culture can be creepy. Having to be committed to the corporate manifesto, having a shared enemy, awkward rituals. Culture is an expression of a shared identity. Everybody has an identity. If you want to have a shared one, you just have to let people reveal their identity and determine what is in common. More.

Read the Glossary. Useful Postings What Leaders Can Learn From Handsome Rob. New Trends In The Project Ecosystem. Stakeholder Adventure Maps. Drawing Smileys And Walls. The Yellow Brick Road. What Do Your Stakeholders Expect? No More Dharmas. Or How Identities Shape Projects. Running On Autopilot Or Being Mindful. The Stress-Energy Paradox. How Do You Set Boundaries? Popular Latest Comments Tags 2009: What Do You Want To Do? January 1, 2009 What Is The Best Way To Motivate Team Members? April 6, 2008 25 Sure-fire Ways To Motivate Your Team Members May 12, 2008 Running On Autopilot Or Being Mindful. The Stress-Energy Paradox. October 29, 2010 How To Supervise Offshore Development? June 23, 2008 Shrinkonian Exercises. June 28, 2011 A New Version Of Three Blind Men And The Elephant. June 27, 2011 The Tent. Exercise For Creating Your Temporary Comfort Zone. June 23, 2011 Mapping Projectistan: United Agilists. PMBoktoe. And Shrinkonia. June 21, 2011 Tribal Leadership: Interview With This Weeks #1 New York Times Best Seller. June 19, 2011 Bas de Baar: Glad you are well and back Ali! Yes, this exercise... ali anani: Bas, this is a challenging exercise.Who would I ac... Bas de Baar: Hmmm. And I used to feel special :D... ali anani: Lori Kane, first forgive me for responding too lat... Andrew Meyer: Yea, he's an interesting guy. I met him through c... agile Backstory blogging Books bootstrapping Collaboration community complexity culture dave prior diversity essentials feedback Fish Pond Freestyling gantthead goals human-behavior identity information-flow interactions interview Leadership management mental-models metaphor metaphores Models Network personal branding personal development pmi project-management project-management-software project potion psychology Resilience scrum shrinkonia Sites Social Media sociology teams video virtual-teams 2011 Project Shrink. All Rights Reserved.Powered by WordPress. Designed by 5. Show Your AppreciationThis is when I am really down and my day just sucks. I remind myself of old colleagues, old bosses or friends who have impacted me positively and I drop them a note. I thank them for doing this and this. Besides surprising them, you will realize there are many good people in this world.Recently, I was reminded that I have been in the working world for exactly 17 years. I dropped my first boss an sms that said, Thank you for employing me and bringing me into the world of advertising. The sms came back, Wow, it was that long. Seems like yesterday and you were this young chap ready to take the world in one breath.6. Expect ItHow to make today the best day at work? Expect it. Call it the secret; call it the law of attraction. Just expect to have a good day. We live up to our own expectations. Say you will have a good day and stay with the thought and its almost always you will have a good day.7.Start With A Positive AttitudeRead something positive, something motivating. Imbibe yourself with positive thoughts. It becomes fuel for your mind. If you are the religious kind, pick up the holy book of your religion and read it. You like motivational books? Read a few pages, start early, get on the net and read a few inspirational quotes. Things like these works even though some find it too corny.Again, not all of these techniques work for everyone. Some of you will do better or perhaps have even done it. Others may struggle a little. Apply these techniques and ideas which best suits you and see how it goes, your day may just get better. The frequency of your best days at work will increase.

5. Motivate OthersYou cant help but feel motivated yourself when you motivate others. When you motivate others your problems at work will inevitably become less. Our minds cannot hold two opposing thoughts at the same time.How do you motivate others? To begin with, set an example of yourself. Be motivated at work. You will feel motivated when you put problems in their context, do things now, know that there is hope at work or in life and put energy in everything that you do. When you stay motivated and help others stay motivated, you are handling problems at the workplace.Motivate others by giving them hope. Tell them they can and will achieve their dreams and that you have the confidence in them that they can. They just have to believe it and act upon those hopes and dreams. Be a positive person. We are here to make this world a better place than when we came into it.Of course, there are many other ways of handling workplace problems. While these arent technical in nature, they are a set that can guide you when faced with problems.

Harmony in the Workplace: Your Role as a Newbie in Fostering a Good Working EnvironmentWanting harmony in the workplace is a common wish of many executives. At some point in your career you may end up in a company with politics and bickering. What can you do then as a newbie in the workplace? There are a few things you can do. Of course, I am cautious a lot of these steps go against habits and changing is tough. There are also internal office dynamics to consider. I believe if you are sincere and take small steps at a time, you can do it. You can help create harmony in the workplace.

GIVENot many people think about giving when it comes to office harmony. It is the easiest word to say but it is also the hardest to practice. We have habituated to being selfish and to always take care of our own interests. So much so that we forget about the others who work with us. When the balance is tilt, it gives rise to disharmony.To have harmony in the workplace, give willingly. Know that it doesnt always mean someone has to lose in order for us to win. So, how do you give in order to create harmony? Very simply remember these give in, give up, give out.Give in do you always take a hard stance on certain issues? Learn to give in on some of these. Does it really matter one year down the road some of the stance you have taken? Yes, you need to hold on to strong work guiding principles like working with pride, passion and belief. Search yourself to see if you have any stance that is based on opinions and not principles. Learn to give in. When you learn to give in, you put in motion harmony in the workplace.Give up pick a personal bad habit that creates tension in the workplace. Is there something you can give up in order to create harmony? Work on it now. Today. It takes small steps in order to achieve the greater good for everybody.Give out heres a practice that can get you in the swing of things. You need not be rich to do this. Generously give out smiles. Smile when you meet someone in the lift.

Practice with a total stranger. A simple Good morning, a How are you? or a Which floor do you need to go? are all practice for the simple act of giving out. Do this with colleagues too. When you do this often enough with colleagues you naturally feel good and this is contagious. Give out a nod, a smile and a simple How are you? Giving does not make us any poorer; it makes us richer in our hearts. A rich heart that is giving out is a hand that is reaching out. No one can blame us for not trying.Does creating harmony in the workplace stop here? No. Take it a step further. Be supportive of those who give too. When you see people giving, encourage them. Giving builds affinity amongst colleagues. When people can feel your generosity, they will reciprocate. Granted there will be those who will be exploitative and pounce on this opportunity. The advice is this - let them be. Only beggars take and not give. You are rich and can afford to give. To give is your contribution to harmony in the workplace.Here are 10 tips to help you build strong and positive relationships with your employees: 1. Preach trust, and be worthy of their trust. Again and again, studies have shown that business environments with high levels of trust foster significantly more creative and more productive employees; this in turn drives business profits. Therefore, make trustworthiness a top priority in your company. Preach trust to your employees, and then conduct yourself so as to be worthy of their trust. When employees rely on and have confidence in their superior(s) and their colleagues, they will feel more comfortable sharing their ideas and concerns. The result is an increased focus on common goals and teamwork. 2. Treat your employees with respect. Treat each employee with respect and consideration, regardless of their status within the business. Listen to what they think and feel, then show them that you've listened by taking action based on their input. Even if you don't agree with them, never announce so in a team setting. Honest and open communication encourages respect; a clear, mutual respect will engender trust. 3. Periodically admit your weaknesses. Employees will respect you more if you're candid about your strengths and weaknesses. Your employees are looking for a leader and a mentor, not a superhero or a robot. Admitting to an employee when they are stronger at a task than you will encourage them to do their best. 4. Keep your promises. If you promised to give someone a day off in exchange for overtime, it is your responsibility and obligation to give it to them when they ask for it. Breaking your word is one of the surest ways to erode trust. Conversely, staying true to your word is one of the best ways to build it. 5. Support your team. When employees know they can depend on management's integrity, their trust and faith in the company as a whole grows. Employees want to have confidence and faith in their employer and the company, andthey will work harder when they do. As a business owner, it's your job to stand behind your employees. Be sure to check out Ten Team-Building Tips for Managers for additional advice on this topic. 6. Lead with your heart. When your employees understand that you care about their well-being, a bond will form. Do your best to exhibit goodwill and patience. Strive to be a good teacher and communicator. Show tolerance. By leading with your heart and supporting your employees throughout the workday and beyond, chances are good that your business and you will profit. 7. Create growth opportunities. Consider it your obligation to provide an interesting work environment and professional growth opportunities for your employees. Encouraging them to continue their education or professional development and paying for it also shows your support. Your employees will work harder and more effectively with this level of support.1. Don't just act interested, be interested. Take a sincere interest in your employees, their professional goals, their families, their personal hobbies, and their passions. When employees feel that you're truly interested in them, they'll be far more dedicated to their work and to the companys success. Read Following Up Builds the Best Relationships for some sound advice on this idea. 2. Say thank you. You can never express too much appreciation for the work your employees do. One of the biggest motivators is a simple "thank you." Be specific in your praise, zeroing in on something they did with a particular client or job assignment. 3. Be an open communicator. Strive to keep the lines of communication open between you and your staff. Many successful managers make it a regular point to solicit their employees' concerns and ideas. Invite them to lunch or out for a drink after work, just to listen. You never know what you may learn, what novel idea someone may have, or how this simple gesture may benefit your business. Ads By Google

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Top of FormFree Human Resources Newsletter!Sign UpBottom of FormDiscuss in my forumHow to Get Along With YourBossTen Tips to Manage Up for an Effective Boss RelationshipBySusan M. Heathfield,About.com GuideSee More About: effective interpersonal relationships managing up positive boss relationships bad bossesSponsored LinksCorporate English Class cfcoaching.inPositive Thinking TipsExplore Sudarshan Kriya With Sri Sri Ravi ShankarSpeakingTree.in/ArtofLivingIT Goals and ComplianceSimplify & organize IT regulations. Align IT with company strategies.www.unifiedcompliance.comHuman Resources Ads Hugo Boss Fired Boss Bully Boss Revenge Your Boss Boss Gift BasketSponsored LinksLeadership Quick ScanStrengths & weaknesses as a leader and how to grow.www.leadershipquickscan.comPost Graduate Diploma HRDevelop your career as HR Manager MITSDE Online courses. Join nowwww.mitsde.comAt one point or another in your career, you will report to a manager, the person you fondly - or not - call boss. The relationships that you create and manage, with both your immediate boss, and other company employees, are critical for your work success and career progress.And, face it, whether you like it or not, you're in charge of your relationship with your boss. No one will ever share as much concern as you do that the quality of the relationship helps you achieve your goals. At the same time, your boss has information that you need to succeed. He can't do his job or accomplish his goals without your help.So, your manager shares a critical interdependence with you. If you don't accomplish your work, your manager will never shine for his or her overall responsibilities. You won't progress without the information, perspective, experience, and support of your manager.Despite knowing this, managers do come in every size and with all possible levels of skill and effectiveness. Some managers are just plain bad bosses; others are unaware of what you need from them. Managing up is challenging, but ultimately, worth your time. How to Develop an Effective Relationship With Your BossThese steps will help you develop a positive, ongoing, supportive relationship with your boss - a relationship that serves you well, your manager well, and, as a consequence, your organization well. The first step in managing up is to develop a positive relationship with your boss. Relationships are based on trust. Do what you say you'll do. Keep timeline commitments. Never blind side your manager with surprises that you could have predicted or prevented. Keep her informed about your projects and interactions with the rest of the organization.

Tell the boss when you've made an error or one of your reporting staff has made a mistake. Cover-ups don't contribute to an effective relationship. Lies or efforts to mislead always result in further stress for you as you worry about getting "caught" or somehow slipping up in the consistency of your story. Communicate daily or weekly to build the relationship.

Get to know your manager as a person - she is one, after all. She shares the human experience, just as you do, with all of its joys and sorrows. Recognize that success at work is not all about you; put your boss's needs at the center of your universe. Identify your boss's areas of weakness or greatest challenges and ask what you can do to help. What are your boss's biggest worries; how can your contribution mitigate these concerns? Understand your boss's goals and priorities. Place emphasis in your work to match her priorities. Think in terms of the overall success of your department and company, not just about your more narrow world at work. Look for and focus on the "best" parts of your boss; just about every boss has both good points and bad. When you're negative about your boss, the tendency is to focus on his worst traits and failings. This is neither positive for your work happiness nor your prospects for success in your organization. Instead, compliment your boss on something he does well. Provide positive recognition for contributions to your success. Make your boss feel valued. Isn't this what you want from him for you? Your boss is unlikely to change; she can choose to change, but the person who shows up to work every day has taken years and years of effort on her part to create. And, who your boss is has worked for her in the past and reinforced her actions and beliefs. Instead of trying to change your boss, focus instead, on trying to understand your boss's work style.

Identify what she values in an employee. Does she like frequent communication, autonomous employees, requests in writing in advance of meeting, or informal conversation as you pass in the hallway. Your boss's preferences are important and the better you understand them, the better you will work with her. Learning how to read your boss's moods and reactions is also a helpful approach to communicate more effectively with him. There are times when you don't want to introduce new ideas; if he is preoccupied with making this month's numbers, your idea for a six month improvement may not be timely. Problems at home or a relative in failing health affect each of your workplace behaviors and openness to an improvement discussion. Additionally, if your boss regularly reacts in the same way to similar ideas, explore what he fundamentally likes or dislikes about your proposals. Learn from your boss. Although some days it may not feel like it, your boss has much to teach you. Appreciate that she was promoted because your organization found aspects of her work, actions, and/or management style worthwhile. Promotions are usually the result of effective work and successful contributions. So, ask questions to learn and listen more than you speak to develop an effective relationship with your boss. Ask your boss for feedback. Let the boss play the role of coach and mentor. Remember that your boss can't read your mind. Enable him to offer you recognition for your excellent performance. Make sure he knows what you have accomplished. Create a space in your conversation for him to praise and thank you. Value your boss's time. Try to schedule, at least, a weekly meeting during which you are prepared with a list of what you need and your questions. This allows him to accomplish work without regular interruption. Tie your work, your requests, and your project direction to your boss's and the company's overarching goals. When making proposals to your boss, try to see the larger picture. There are many reasons why your suggestion may not be adopted: resources, time, goals, and vision. Maintain strict confidentiality. In your relationship with your boss you will sometimes disagree and occasionally experience an emotional reaction. Don't hold grudges. Don't make threats about leaving. Disagreement is fine; discord is not. Get over it. You need to come to terms with the fact that your boss has more authority and power than you do. You are unlikely to always get your way.Use these tips to build a powerfully effective relationship with your boss. Have tips to share? Post the tip in "comments" or on the Forum. More About Building an Effective Relationship With Your Boss Bad to the Bone: Dealing With a Bad Boss How to Make Your Current Job Work Stop Being Miserable at WorkMore About Building Effective Work Relationships Play Well With Others: Develop Effective Work Relationships Why You Need Allies at Work Dealing With Difficult People at WorkNew posts to the Human Resources forums: Bored at work Threatened by boss HR... at the coreRelated Articles Interview Answers: Describe Your Worst Boss Make Sure Your Manager Likes You - Develop a Positive Boss Relationship A Good Boss Understands the Work of his Employees - Reader Stories: Readers... Getting along with your Boss Bad Bosses - What Makes a Bad Boss - Bad?

Susan M. HeathfieldHuman Resources Guide Sign up for My Newsletter Headlines ForumAdvertisementSponsored LinksImprove Employee MoraleIndia's Finest Office Intranet 2.0 Sign-up for Freewww.remindo.comOption TipsEarn 1000-1500% Returns Per Month 99% Accuracy.Option Bumper Jackpot.www.trade4target.comCourse in Share-MarketKnow Share Market Step-by-Step. Join NSE Certification Program Now!ifbi.com/NSE_Certified_ProgramLeadership DevelopmentJoin our executive program to develop the leader in you.executive-education.nus.eduRelated Searches critical interdependence supportive relationship bad bosses work success career progress blind sideExplore Human ResourcesMust Reads Human Resources Basics, Careers, Jobs Free Human Resources Policies, Samples Human Resources: Job Interview Tips Human Resources Job Descriptions Top 10 Human Resources Tough QuestionsMost Popular Human Resource Management Work Dress Code Candidate Rejection Letter HR Job Descriptions Twelve Tips for Team BuildingSee More About: effective interpersonal relationships managing up positive boss relationships bad bossesBy Category HR Management: FAQs/Basics Human Resources Jobs / Careers Change Management / Culture Improve Workplace Communication Job Descriptions / HR Samples Free Policies / Law / Labor Management / Leadership Motivation / Recognition / Retention Performance Management Recruitment and Staffing Compensation / Market Focus Bad Boss / Difficult People Team Building / Work Teams Training / Icebreakers Work / Organizations / On the Job

Human Resources1. Home2. Business & Finance3. Human Resources4. Bad Boss / Difficult People5. Interpersonal Relationships at Work6. How to Get Along With Your Boss - Ten Tips to Manage Up for an Effective Boss Relationship Most Popular Latest Articles RSS Advertise on About.com Our Story News & Events Work at About SiteMap All Topics Reprints Help Write for About User Agreement Ethics Policy Patent Info. Privacy Policy Your Ad Choices2011 About.com. All rights reserved.A part ofThe New York Times Company.http://www.career-success-for-newbies.com/http://www.allbusiness.com/http://humanresources.about.com/Good advice. It's not worth it to mess around at work. I ran into a shit storm when I hooked up with a co-worker. She didn't file a sexual harrasement law suit but it was really hard to keep working with her. And word spreads fast around the workplace. If something happens she'll bad mouth you to everyone that will listen. Especially all the other HB's. IF THE RELATIONSHIP FAILS THEN THE SHE CATEGORY GETS AN UPPER HAND/ADVANTAGE FROM BOSSES/SUPERIORSSHE CAN SCREW YOUR JOBSO NEVER DATE A CO-WORKERMAKE RELATIONSHIPS OUTSIDE THE OFFICEI've done this twice, and both times it ended badly. I ended up bad mouthing her trying to get people to hate her, and vice versa. The outcome? Almost all of the senior employees who started with me dont like me, and it sucks being the odd man out, not being liked.The newer guys like me though, so its fine. For work you can do some light kino and just keep on talking and flirting I suppose. I number closed twice and ended up going out with both girls, but due to AFC tendancies I was dumped. Also, I overheard I am on strike 2 of 3 with the management because her and her HB friends told on me, if anything else happens I am fired. I suggest you stay clear of this, I have learned that now.How to deal with hot women at work?Don't.Don't even talk to them unless you have too. It's starts out innocent, and it's ends up in one (or more) of these scenarios:-You start dating, everyone at work finds out, and people start treating you differently-You get fired-Sexual harrassment lawsuit-One-itisTake it from someone who knows. Sarge other girlsHow to Deal with Mean Girls at WorkOk long story short I am 19 years old and this lady is 45 years old I am her supervisor.She is spreading lies about me and trying to get me fired by havinmg the corporate office have all eyes on me! I dropped a female employee off or picked them up from home plenty of times, because they didn't have any money to get home and I lived close to her. Ok so one morning I drop her off and the lady that gossips about me is there and she told my General manager that she seen me dropping her off at work! The managers and employees aren't suppose to fratenize, but we don't hang out I just try to be a nice person and give her a ride home, cause I know her personal situations! my genenral manager tells me that the relationship between the employee i give rides to has to stop, because the gossiping lady reported me to my District Manager(Boss). He never had a problem with it before, until she started telling lies saying we were hanging out, she wouldn't know all this cause she works morning and I work nights every week!!

So how can I tell her to stay out of my business in a proffesional way! Cause I want to say "Look u fat Bish I don't effin work with u in the mornings so why the eff r u always in my effin business, u need to keep my effin name out of ur effin mouth cause u don't effin kno me! If u have a problem with me bish tell me don't go slandering my effin name or i'll fire ya fat a**"

I mean can I do this in a proffesional way as I am 19 and she is 45 years old and keep my job! I am absolutely fed up with this drama every week! 3 months ago (Tiebreaker) Report Abuse Additional DetailsAlthough she is a associate and I am her supervisor she travels with the people in the corporate off and I am not trying to get fired. She was once a mananger and then demoted to a regular crew.I want to report her, but I don't want to report her cause I just reported my General manager abour unfair treatment! I don't want to seem like I complain, but working around women creates alot of effin drama, i'm looking for another job! 3 months agoSign in to Vote for the Best AnswerAnswers (1) Answerer 1you don't have any authority to control any conversation she has with other managers.

The real issue is: Why do the other managers believe what she says? THAT's the situation to manage.

Your credibility IS in your control.How to Handle Backstabbers at WorkWe have all encountered Backstabbers at work. They are gossipsmean spirited and hurtful! The incidence of Backstabbers in high-performing business situations is several times higher than in the general population. Are you surprised? These people have little conscience or ability to develop one. Their only goals seem to be power and personal gain.Taking credit for others work and finding reasons to place blame whenever anything goes wrong are typical behaviors for Backstabbers.Choose Your Survival TacticThe good news is that survival tactics are learned. One approach is to build a positive relationship with the Backstabber and anyone she or he has enlisted. The more your coworkers like you, the less they will side against you. Never say anything negative about a Backstabber. If they find out, they will label you a troublemaker.If a Backstabber tells you that someone else in the office doesnt like you or has it in for you, go to the person directly and ask if its true. The Backstabber has probably told the other person a similar story about you. These lies can be exposed if there is good communication in the workplace. And yes, it is your job to start the process of clarification. Dont wait for it to improve on its own.When seeking clarification, Ive found the following statements to work effectively: You did sound like you were serious. Do the rest of you feel that way? Is this becoming a problem? or, I understand that youre unhappy with the plan. Your feedback is important. I want to hear what you think.Keep careful records if you truly believe the Backstabber is trying to ruin your career. You need dates, times, a summary of each interaction, and other data. Use a daily planner or calendar. Substantiate what has actually happened in a log. When you can, indicate witnesses and obtain their approval.If you are going to talk directly to the Backstabber, write down precisely what you will say and practice the conversation. Focus on maintaining ownership and personal accountability by emphasizing what you need. Remember to use I messages. Use phrases such as, I need your help in clarifying a situation, vs. You have created a problem for me. You messages can be interpreted as threats and will only make the Backstabber more aggressive. Be ready for the Backstabber to try to frustrate and confuse you.I seriously have no clue as to wat is she upto, on top of that she has been working with my only counterpart (who is a male) for quite some time which leads to her being bias most of the times. My initiatives and ideas are dropped outrightly, no motivation to carry on .......................... i really dont want to leave the job, but the journey is getting difficult by the minute. Kindly suggest .................. 5 years ago Report Abuse Victoria Best Answer - Chosen by AskerTreat her with the same professionalism and respect as you would a male boss, for starters, and she may be more receptive to your ideas.

Ask her what it is she would like you to change about your job performance and what you can improve on in her opinion. If you show that you respect her judgement and value her opinion, she will probably give you some good pointers, treat you better, and your workplace will be much more comfortable

If she is a good boss, ask to sit down with her and share your concerns. Ask her if she is unhappy with your work and why if that is your suspicion. Any good boss does not show favoritism, regardless of their sex. Always approach respectfully as you would a male boss.You do not give enough information as to what her bias is-toward the other male worker? Again, ask why your input is not valued.Instructions1. 1 Learn her likes, dislikes and preferences. If you know what she prefers; then you're likely to do a good job. For instance, does she prefer that you print your job reports or that you email them to her? Is that important to her or is she indifferent? 2 Ask questions often. Be proactive about your work and don't wait until she comes to you. Female managers are detailed oriented and like when work is done completely and thoroughly. 3 Show your female boss that you are a team builder. Embrace her ideas and suggestions. Help create a friendly atmosphere and motivate employees by being an example to others. 4 Tell your female boss that you appreciate her supervisory and management skills. This goes a long way. Female managers are challenged in a male dominated workforce and knowing they make a difference in your work life can help make a difference for all of those under her leadership. 5 Prove to your female boss that you are trustworthy and reliable. Make yourself a go-to person for her. Create an alliance. Since females are challenged in the male dominated work-force, trusting is something that female bosses avoid, but can be re-instilled with the right employee.

Read more: How to Work for a Female Boss | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_2046958_work-female-boss.html#ixzz1VUCkEXaxFudzail Dubai VersionWednesday, July 20, 2011Tips on How to handle a female boss What is it about female bosses that makes them trickier to handle than their male counterparts? Read the worst types and dishes out some potentially career-saving advice

At the outset let's get one thing clear: top women managers are hard done by. There is no sisterhood of women in the corporate workplace -those at the top won't stand for someone younger, smarter or better qualified inching upwards.

Add to that insecurity the fact that every successful top female manager would have had to work twice as hard and sacrifice far more than a male colleague to prove herself worthy of her position. Top this with copious amounts of guilt and self-loathing over missed PTA meetings and kids who love the nanny more. Oh, and let's not forget the pressure of always being judged by her appearance - it takes a person of extraordinary mental calibre to keep up with the nail and hair appointments while the dark clouds of recession hover over the business. The hormonal shifts don't help either.

Why should it be a surprise then that the vast majority of women at the top can be neurotic, manipulative or prima donnas, loathed equally by both genders?Experts tell us this is a sad phenomenon that will ease off in years to come, when more women will be better represented in the top echelons, and the scarce few who are at the top will not feel so threatened, misunderstood, or persecuted on account of their gender. Until that happy time, here's our guide to the worst types of female bosses to work for and how you can emerge unscathed from the experience.

The MeredithNo this one isn't named after adorable Dr Grey from the TV series Grey's Anatomy, but the vixen played by Demi Moore in Disclosure - someone who uses her power to sexually harass her subordinates.

Now this can be a sticky situation, especially if your boss looks like Demi Moore - after all, what man can resist a woman who comes on to him and can give him a salary rise as well? But with a supreme act of will power, this must be rebuffed. History teaches us that no good ever comes from flings at the workplace, not only could you be in breach of corporate ethics but also the law of the land (you could be jailed even if it's consensual and whether you are married or single).

Disarming comments like she reminds you of your younger sister can help douse the flames in a non-threatening way. Pointing her attention to other eligibles in the workplace can even make her your new BFF. She may suspect you're a little odd, but that's OK.

The Smother-in-law

Poster child for the nurturing female boss, the smother-in-law cooks for her brood, always has a box of tissues at hand and is scarily au fait with everyone's troubled life stories - from Ali's credit card debts to Suzy's boyfriend woes.

At first the warm fuzzy feeling of being part of a matriarch's posse can feel quite nice actually. (There is that niggle about the constant micro-managing, but nothing you can't handle.)

Very quickly you learn why five-year-olds want to grow up as fast as possible. Being told what to do, how to do it and "don't ask me why, but do tell me what you were up to after work" can get pretty tiresome.

When you are dealing with the smother-in-law, armed resistance is futile. You have to let her down gently, with lots of tea, sympathy and emotional communication.

The Wastafarian

More likely to sport a nice head of smooth coiffed hair than dreadlocks, the Wastafarian is usually pretty. Pretty clueless that is.

You may have often wondered how a person without the requisite experience or qualifications has reached where she has. The answer will usually lie in the little pink book that sits within the latest It bag dangling from her arm.

Well connected, with friends in high places and a significant other in a powerful role, the Wastafarian has been able to shimmy into a wholly undeserved position of influence, from where she proceeds to either rise to her own level of inefficiency or lands another dream gig where she will get paid for doing nothing.

The Wastafarian is easily manipulated, easily impressed and may actually be the easiest of the lot to manage, once you get over your self-righteous indignation.

Let's face it, life isn't fair.

The Nutcracker

She does what it says on the tin. Anecdotal evidence shows that most people's first female boss is the dreaded Nutcracker. (Or it could be that workplace newbies bring out their boss's inner Nutcracker.)

Much like Bertie Wooster's Aunt Agatha, this is the female in whom the milk of human kindness has permanently curdled. With this type of female boss, what you see is what you get, and if you don't like it, hard luck. Underneath the tough-as-nails surface is the wizened careerist who won't let anything or anyone stand in her way.

The Nutcracker will teach you about being competent, always being on your toes and only speaking when spoken to. You just have to up your game to survive.

How to keep a female boss happy

Compliment her kids: Describing them as the sweetest kids you ever saw isn't insincere hyperbole, it's called investing in your career. However smart a woman may be, she will actually believe you.

Be detail-oriented: Most women managers think details are everything. Embellish ideas and proposals accordingly.

Don't try to change the person, change your reaction: Sometimes the only thing we can control about a curved ball is our response to it. Anger is self-destructive, and angry emails are most certainly corporate hara-kiri.

Play to your boss's weakness: If she is vain, pile on the compliments, if she's egoistic, make your ideas sound like hers, if she needs to be needed, pull on the puppy face and ask for advice on home decoration issues.

Show her you can juggle those balls: It's a given that at any point a woman manager will have several balls in the air. Hence she naturally sympathises with, and will even like, someone in the same predicament. Tell her you cook, clean and babysit and you'll have earned several brownie points.

Be communicative: The No 1 gripe that widens the distance between Mars and Venus is men's refusal to talk about their feelings. Choose an appropriate time, rehearse what you want to say, then say it - you will find women bosses care far more about their subordinates' emotional well-being than male bosses. Posted by fudzail at 7:10 PM Labels: female bosses 1 comments:

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Watermark template. Powered by Blogger. i dont think this quest is gud....u can face same prob wid male boss also......this is the prob of humanbeing......so u should kno ..how to handle humanbeing ......see Bosses and supervisors aren't from another planet, but sometimes they seem to be.

i wiil tell u smething dont sacred while discussing wid ur boss...be frank

try to kno mood of your boss.....and wrk accordingly.....dont oppose any time.but try to motivate .....When your boss criticizes you, dont react out of emotion ...If they criticize your work, then that means that they hv their own idea on how that work should be done, so ask them for their advice on how ur work can be improved.suppose ur boss is giving u sme task -There are many ways of completing a task and having a discussion about them at the very beginning will allow you to see things from their perspective as well as sharing your own with them.... try to know their likes and dislikes inside and out so tht u can avoid future criticisms.

more at http://www.citehr.com/156557-working-under-female-boss.html#ixzz1VUDVJwHKDear Guna

Greetings!

Article published in RediffNews - 10 rules to manage your boss-Jacques Horovitz

The relationship with your boss is probably the most important relationship you have at work. Boss management can stimulate better performance, improve your working life, job satisfaction, and workload. Give your boss a hand and reap the rewards.

When we think of managing someone, we usually think of managing our team members or subordinates. The above title appeared for the first time a few years ago in a Harvard Business Review article written by two well known socio-psychologists. Their argument was that in modern companies, subordinates are not solely dependent on their bosses, but that today's complexity requires interdependence: the boss needs her team as well. I have the vantage point of being an adviser to top management, a CEO, and now as Co-Director of the PED program at IMD. In addition, I have been involved in the restructuring of a major international company, which involves some 12,000 people and 12 hierarchical levels. In order to unleash the energies and get closer to customers, we divided the group into 250 'small companies' of some 50 people each and of three hierarchical levels. To change the mindset, we organised a 20-day management seminar, during which we discussed the challenge of how to deal with bosses, who in the old structure, tended to hamper change. The whole process forced me to crystallize my observations and previous experience and test them with the 250 managers. I have grouped the results into ten rules that try to answer some common questions asked by managers with respect to managing their bosses, with the aim of helping the relationship become more effective, foster faster decisions, better decisions and more trust. 1. Decisions: If you do not want a 'no' or procrastination, give him/her a hand

Your boss has other subordinates, other decisions to make. Thus, her (for simplicity, we use 'her' from now on in this article) best bet, if she is pressed for a decision, will be to say no. No, it is too risky; no, we do not have enough evidence; no, it is the wrong timing; no, it is off strategy, et cetera. To avoid the 'no' that will ruin your and your team's enthusiasm, give her a hand.

Remind her of where you left it last time you met; Remind her of the objective rather than rushing to the 'what' and 'how'; Remind her of past problems encountered because a decision was not made; Quickly summarize the options considered, your criteria for selecting one option -- the one you are presenting; Tell her what you expect from her: simply to inform, to decide jointly, to share the risk, to add one criterion, to re-examine the option; Focus on the points where you need her help; Be prepared with facts/data for potential disagreements. Help her out with graphics and visuals so that the situation is grasped faster; After your meeting, summarize for her the decision in writing to make sure of the understanding; And finally, once a decision has been made, your way, her way or no way, do not criticize it externally. You have become the best defender; the best ambassador of what was decided.2. Manage her time: You may represent only 1% of her problems, don't make it as if it is 100%.

Yes, you have preoccupations, problems to solve and issues to tackle. However, while your time is entirely devoted to them, do not expect your boss's time to be also. The more simple the problem or issue at hand is, the less time you should have her spend on it: prepare, summarize, and synthesize information and options. Do not confuse your more frequent problems with the most important ones. Book her for several meetings in advance. Nothing is more frustrating than to have to wait days, weeks or months for that extra new meeting needed in order to finalize a decision or a project.3. An opinion: If you ask for her opinion, she will always have one. Rare are the bosses who, when asked for their advice or their decision, will use the psychological ping-pong approach of retuning the question to the person who asked.

And their opinion may not always be that of a genius or a visionary. However, once given, the opinion becomes a constraint: was it an order? So, if you don't want your boss's opinion to thwart your achievements, to slow the speed of decision-making, or cloud the viewpoint, then don't ask for it. Best of all, don't ask if you don't need her opinion. Choose the right moment to avoid procrastination: not only save her time by focusing on big issues, but choose the right moment to do so. If you present an issue at the wrong moment, the chances are she will procrastinate. Prepare for your meeting: first because the advantage is to the one who is prepared, second because the preparation helps you reduce the time taken to come to the central issue. Show the forest before the trees in a discussion: if you want to avoid spending a lot of time on going back to basics before she is at full speed with you, start with the basics yourself. Remind her of the objective, where you stand today, and what you want her opinion on.4. Information: It is not data.

Turn grapes into wine: you are supposed to analyze the results of a market survey, and not be the mailman who passes the thick document full of statistics to your boss. So be selective; be visual; group the data; bring out what is essential. Data overload creates stress, which in turn can create denial, rejection, and numbness. As a manager, you are paid to collect the grapes (data), and turn them into wine, i.e. useful information. Don't give her only the bad news: give her also the good news. If you keep bringing only bad news, little by little you become the bad news yourself. Don't minimize good news, because you want to focus on the problems. By doing that you contribute to creating a bad atmosphere. Make sure she does not get the information from others too often: sometimes by being shy about what we should give or because we think it is not relevant, we don't feed our boss with key elements. However, other people could do it before you. And then the hassle starts. "I heard that", "Why didn't you tell me that" And then you need to justify yourself; you may need to modify incorrect information. The trade off is between too little information leading to starvation, frustration, and/or restlessness vs too much information leading to overload. Round off: what helps more to give sense to an amount or a size: 886,262.11 or 890K? What makes the decision-making process faster: 79.27% vs 21.73% or simply 80% vs 20%. Look back at all the tables you sent to your boss in the last twelve months. Participate in and contribute to her informal network: every manager, hopefully, does not rely solely for managing on formal information given in internal documents and reports. Some people use internal informal networks. Some others also have an informal outside network of experts, friends, business connections that help them shape their vision of the world and how to act. You have yours; your boss has too. Why not volunteer part of yours, so that you do not always have to react and be defensive about information fed by people you do not necessarily think are the best sources?5. Problems: Don't just come with problems, come also with solutions. Good bosses hate two kinds of behavior. The courtesan who always comes to tell you how great you are and the pyromaniac/fireman who comes to tell you "There is a huge problem" and then says "but don't worry, I will solve it!" There is also a third kind, the monkey transferor. She has a problem and she puts it on your shoulders, rather than bringing a solution or at least some options. Problems usually have several aspects. It is usually a gap between an objective and the result; there are options to close the gap; there is a choice of one option to be made; key tasks, dates, people and resources needed must be defined. On which of those steps in problem solving do you want your boss's input? Just be clear on what input you want rather than come with the stressful -- "I have a problem" and throw the monkey. 6. Assumptions: Do not assume she knows as much as you do, but assume she can understand; so educate her. Please help, you are the expert. You spend all of your time and that of your team on the issue. You live with data, pressure points and levers; your boss does not. She does not know more than you do. Most senior executives are even dangerous when they get involved in making micro-decisions, as their point of reference is often not the current one but rather the situation they knew when they were junior managers.

If you need her perspective, it is because it is broader; she has a better sense for inter-relationships with other parts of the organisation. You have two options. You inundate her with technical stuff she does not understand, hoping that the amount of technical jargon will knock her down and force her to agree with you. It may work, but it may become a barrier in communication leading to lack of trust. You educate him by simplifying, using easy to understand language, feeding him with articles, examples, best practices, summaries that help him see a perspective. By creating understanding, you relieve tensions; create trust that can lead to better decision-making.7. Delegations: Constantly test the waters. It is not always easy to define ex ante what is delegated to a person. Some companies prefer to use the principle of subsidiary rather than the principle of delegation: the principle of subsidiary stipulates that you can do everything except the following list, whereas in the principle of delegation you stipulate, "you cannot do anything except" Whichever is used, there will always be some doubt whether you have or do not have the delegation. You have two options: either you play it safe by always asking your boss's opinion. This can lead to paralysis, bottlenecks and your own demise, as your boss will think you are unable to take responsibility. Or you assume too much, take decisions and learn after the fact that it was not yours to decide. In between, there is the 'test the waters' strategy especially for things or areas, domains or steps that are unprecedented. 8. Promises: Do not promise what you cannot deliver, and avoid surprises, trust is at stake. Trust does not develop overnight and depends a lot on the predictability of the other person: what she says and does, how often she is living up to or not living up to her statements. In the same way, you will not fully trust your boss if she changes her mind too often or says things contrary to what you were told the last time. You also want to avoid being seen as unreliable by not delivering on what you promise or surprising her with bad news without forewarning. Do not promise dates for finishing projects you cannot handle. If you see that too much is asked of you, sit down and re-discuss priorities before proceeding, rather than becoming yourself a bottleneck. Involve your boss in the process, so it becomes a common priority. Avoid bad surprises. If your job is to be in charge of a particular area, then it is also to be in charge of bad results and improving them. Involve your boss in discussing and evaluating the risks, agreeing on key lead indicators that you will both share, so that neither you nor he will be surprised. For instance, whereas sales are not a good lead indicator, future orders or bookings can be. Cash in the bank is not, whereas good cash flow three months in advance is. 9. Differences: Manage differences in culture. Sometimes at IMD we use a questionnaire called the Power Map to help participants identify their own culture (i.e. values they cherish, leading to certain behaviors), to identify other executives' profiles and discuss consequences on communication and leadership in a team.

To simplify, the four main types of profiles that our survey identified are: People who like to 'control things' and introduce processes, develop more the 'now'; People who are more concerned with people, develop more the impact on people; People who are more concerned with getting things done, start with key actions; People who are more concerned with ideas, frame proposals in concepts.Of course, in managing your boss you should know her personal inclination, as well as your personal bias. If you are process oriented, you will tend to present issues in a systematic and orderly fashion, with pros and cons, chronology of tasks, etc. If your boss is the action type, she could be bored. So in that case an executive summary, emphasizing the key actions and results would be a handy starting point. 10. Trust: Don't be sloppy in your documentation. It undermines trust. By making the assumption that she will check what we write or say anyway, and that she will make changes, we sometimes tend to be sloppy in our writing. Tables are not finished, text is not re-read, places we are going to are not visited beforehand, spelling is not checked, and information is missing... By not finalizing your facts, arguments, memos, spelling, supporting documents, etc., you can be sure some things will get changed, mistakes corrected. And soon you will be asked to show more facts and figures, and you will see more changes, more amendments. Soon all the delegation you had will be gone. Conclusion Better work between a boss and his subordinate is not just a matter of leadership. It also has to do with boss 'management', which can stimulate better performance, faster decision making and accomplishment of more by both parties. Jacques Horovitz is Professor of Service Strategy, Service Marketing & Service Management at IMD, one of the world's leading business schools.

more at http://www.citehr.com/156557-working-under-female-boss.html#ixzz1VUDinlEDHere are the steps you must take, to deal with a bad boss.1: Assume no bad intentions.While some of the things your boss does may make you unhappy at work, it is probably not why they do it. Until proven otherwise, assume that they mean well and are simply unaware of the effects of their actions.2: Classify your bossWhich of these three categories does your bad boss fall into?1. Doesnt know hes bad.2. Knows hes bad and wants to improve.3. Doesnt want to know hes bad or doesnt care.Most managers who make their employees unhappy are simply unaware of this factnobody has ever told them that what they do isnt working. Some managers know that what theyre doing is wrong and are trying to improvethese people need our support and good advice in order to do better.Pauls new boss was constantly critical and never showed any appreciation for a job well done. In weekly status meetings, he would only comment on deviations from the budgets and demand explanations and actions plans. Well, Paul doesnt stand for that kind of thing. He kindly but firmly let his new boss know that in order to be motivated he also needed positive recognition for the things he did well. The result: Over the course of three months, the boss has come around and now freely and happily comments on the great results Paul is getting. At their last status meeting before Christmas, the boss even spent five minutes praising Pauls department for the work theyve done and the results theyve achieved.But this may not always work.I used to be the Public Relations Coordinator and Editor for a local non-profit organization. A couple of months before I threw in the towel my grandmother became very ill. After a phone call from a family member I was told to come to her bedside, as death was imminent. I told my boss that I needed to leave for a family emergency and explained the situation and how close I was to my grandmother. My boss replied, Well, shes not dead yet, so I dont have to grant your leave.? And, I was told to complete my workday. Suffice to say I did not finish my workday. (source)Theres also the third category of boss: Those who steadfastly refuse to acknowledge that theyre bad leaders, or who revel in the fact that they make people unhappy at work. These managers are usually beyond helping and may never learn and improve. Get away from them as fast as you can.3: Let your boss know what they could do betterPresuming your boss is in category 1 or 2, you must let them know what they can improve. This can be scary because of the power imbalance between managers and employees, but it needs to be done. Managers arent mind readers, and they need honest, constructive feedback.4: Do it sooner rather than later.If you have a bad relationship with your boss its vitally important that you do something about it as soon as possible. It can be tempting to wait, thinking that it might get better on its own, or that your boss might be promoted, transferred or leave. Dont wait sooner is better.5: Choose the right time to talk.In the middle of a meeting or as a casual hallway chat are not the best ways to approach the subject. Make sure youre in a quiet undisturbed place and have time to talk about it fully.6: Explain the effects on you and the effects on your work.Be specific and tell your manager, When you do X it makes me do Y, which results in Z.? If you can show how his actions reduce motivation, hurt business, or increase expenses, youre more likely to convince him that this is a serious issue.7: Suggest alternatives.If you can, explain what they could do instead and why that would be better. Suggesting specific alternatives makes it easier to make positive changes.8: Make a plan and follow up.Agree to follow up at a later date, to evaluate the new situation.9: Praise your manager when he gets it right.When your boss gets it right, remember to praise them. Many managers never receive praise because people mistakenly believe that praise should only flow from managers to employees.You may be nervous about approaching your manager and giving them advice, but good managers are truly grateful for constructive, useful feedback, and will appreciate any opportunity they get to learn how to do a better job.10: If all else fails: Get out of DodgeIf youve tried to make it work and cant, its time to get away. You can go for another job inside the company (with someone you know to be a great boss), or in another organization.Instructions1. 1 Learn her likes, dislikes and preferences. If you know what she prefers; then you're likely to do a good job. For instance, does she prefer that you print your job reports or that you email them to her? Is that important to her or is she indifferent? 2 Ask questions often. Be proactive about your work and don't wait until she comes to you. Female managers are detailed oriented and like when work is done completely and thoroughly. 3 Show your female boss that you are a team builder. Embrace her ideas and suggestions. Help create a friendly atmosphere and motivate employees by being an example to others. 4 Tell your female boss that you appreciate her supervisory and management skills. This goes a long way. Female managers are challenged in a male dominated workforce and knowing they make a difference in your work life can help make a difference for all of those under her leadership. 5 Prove to your female boss that you are trustworthy and reliable. Make yourself a go-to person for her. Create an alliance. Since females are challenged in the male dominated work-force, trusting is something that female bosses avoid, but can be re-instilled with the right employee.

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Positive Work Environment How to Create One Where People Enjoy Coming To WorkIs there such a thing as a positive work environment? I have served in companies where there is a positive environment. I have also worked in offices where there is negative environment, and I have worked in companies where the positive work environment becomes a negative work environment due to the fact that bosses bring in staff that did not fit into the culture.

The answer maybe somewhere in between there can be a positive working environment but may be fragile. Mainly because companies are made up of people and people interact differently in different contexts which sometimes lead to tension and misunderstanding.So how can you create a positive and motivating work environment? Here are some aspects that has worked.

1. Cleanse Its ToxicityAre toxic behavior tolerated in your work place? Are people who are rude, condescending, demanding and arrogant getting an informal endorsement from your actions? These are things to eliminate in the quest to build a positive work environment. Do you or your boss understand the implication of this tolerance of toxicity? What does it to the morale of the company, staff retention and productivity?2. Appreciate The Daily SmoothnessThere is no need to wait for a crisis to happen and someone to overcome a challenge before there can be a show of appreciation. Daily good functioning of the company sometimes needs to be complimented too. In a world of fast paced work, work is demanding and ensuring the smoothness of work is an achievement in itself. Give compliments because things are smooth flowing to create a good and motivating work environment.3. Embrace DifferencesThere is no way to avoid differences in the workplace. But if we are respectful of the differences and know it is for the betterment of the company, it can be used to create a positive work environment. Embrace it because it is part of the natural function of the company. With proper understanding and skill such differences can be harnessed for better work environment. To deny it can be worse.4. Sharing And GivingThis technique of creating a positive work environment is both formal and informal. By formal, it can be knowledge management systems where work done are shared in a central system. This can also be monthly meetings where people share what worked and what can be better.Then there is the informal sharing where people buy food to share. In our culture, I am not sure if it works elsewhere, we share a lot of food. So, whenever someone returns from a meeting they usually bring food especially around tea time. The informal getting around the food creates a camaraderie that money cant buy.5. Freely Give And Freely ReceiveCreate another sharing system where people learn to give advice to others by way of learning from previous experience. For example, start a file system where common errors and mistakes at work happen. This is especially beneficial for freshies as they read up the file and bear in mind common mistakes. It also sends a signal to them that people here have the freedom to fail and the freedom from fear. It makes them share freely at the risk of making themselves look bad but for the greater good of the company.6. Park Your Ego At The DoorTo create a positive work environment, learn to recruit only like minded people. Create one where