Isn't My Boss an Idiot?

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You can often find out a lot by having coffee with someone in another division and saying, how are you all seeing the work we're doing right? You're going to pick up a lot of cues on how people will understand your manager. It's really a matter of how much compensation are you willing to do for them? And you should do that in a boundary way, boundared,. If there are things you can step in, things you can take on, and actually see it as a learning experience. Just take care of yourself. Really be clear about with yourself about what you're willing to do and what is just too much amy.

Having a healthy, mutually beneficial relationship with your boss doesn’t require accommodating their every quirk, demand, and weakness. There are respectful, constructive ways to meet in the middle, set boundaries, and help them achieve their goals while making your competence known.

Amy G sits down with a woman who recently left retail for her first office job and a fintech executive with a marketing background to discuss managing-up practices that have helped them maintain positive, productive relationships with different bosses across their careers.

Guests:

Valerie is an operations manager at a law firm. She used to work in retail.

Mita Mallick is the head of inclusion, equity, and impact at Carta, a fintech company. She used to work in marketing. She co-hosts the podcast Brown Table Talk.

Resources:

• HBR Guide to Managing Up and Across, by Harvard Business Review

• “Setting the Record Straight on Managing Your Boss,” by Amy Gallo

• “How to Give Your Boss Feedback,” by Amy Gallo

• “Dealing with Your Incompetent Boss,” by Amy Gallo

• “When Being Indispensable Backfires,” by Mita Mallick

Email us: womenatwork@hbr.org