....Managing
Your Boss, by
Donna Deeprose
ASSESSMENT:
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| 1) |
Confronted
with a manager who liked to keep a finger in every pie, Rick, who was
used to working independently, learned to save one minor problem a week
for the manager to mull over. Meanwhile Rick moved ahead with the rest
of the project. |
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Managing
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Manipulating |
| 2) |
Having
suffered stinging reprimands for delivering bad news to her boss, Linda
has learned to deliver best case scenarios first, then soften all bad
news with at least two suggestions for tackling the problem immediately.
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Managing |
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Manipulating |
| 3) |
Shane
was frustrated when he failed to get a promotion. To make matters worse,
his new boss lacked industry knowledge and slowed projects down. Shane's
response was to establish a paper trail that would absolve him when, inevitably,
a major customer complained to the company president about missed deadlines. |
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Managing |
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Manipulating |
| 4) |
In
a company that's been tightening its belt for a few years now, competition
for resources is tight. A manager regularly inflates her budget proposals,
knowing her boss will make cuts. |
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Managing |
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Manipulating |
| 5) |
A
popular, successful manager with a laissez-faire style was replaced by
someone who demanded written reports. Most of the supervisors wrote as
little as they could get away with, but Mario, who needed a budget variance,
drew up a comprehensive background report and a project implementation
plan. |
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Managing |
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Manipulating |
| 6) |
Supervisors were
asked to prepare reports on their units for their new department head,
hired from outside the company, All the supervisors produced hefty documents
-- except Rita. She delivered one page of talking points after learning
from an outside contact that the new manager preferred listening to
reading.
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Managing |
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Manipulating |
| 7) |
A
vice president makes a decision that causes problems for another department.
Responding to complaints, a manager who reports to the VP figures out
a way to work around the decision while appearing to be in compliance.
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Managing |
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Manipulating |
| 8) |
Despite
giving only vague directions upfront, Lance, the manager, frequently responded
with, "That's not what I meant," after a team put its best efforts into
a project. Now, before beginning a new project, the team leader e-mails
her preferred project plan and an alternate plan to Lance, asking him
to comment on the plan he likes and return it. |
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Managing |
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Manipulating |
| 9) |
A
new manager was resented by her colleagues for getting plum assignments
from the department head. Discovering that the new person was submitting
written proposals for each upcoming project, Ali, a more experienced manager,
decided to play the same game, taking advantage of his contacts to write
better proposals. |
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Managing
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Manipulating |
| 10) |
A
new supervisor, hired to boost production, made many mistakes as she tried
to implement new processes. Frustrated, employees looked for guidance
from a long-term co-worker, who filled the leadership void, gradually
returning the work unit to its old way of doing things. |
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Managing |
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Manipulating |
Businesspeople use a lot
of different tactics to get the help from their bosses they need. Some of
their maneuvers are good management; others are downright manipulative. Sometimes
it's hard to know which is which.
Can you differentiate
between managing upward and manipulating the boss. Test yourself with this
quiz. For each situation, click on the word -- managing or manipulating --
that you think best describes the behavior toward the boss.
Begin Assessment.
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