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Advice Line | Bob Lewis »
Getting noticed by management, part 2
I'm Mr. Invisible, and I need to clarify a point: I'm an employee, not a contractor.
I have been fortunate lately in that my current manager understands what it means when her phone doesn't ring. When we discussed preparing for my review (which was far and away the best review I have ever received,) she mentioned that no one has said anything to her about me. "Trust me, that's a good thing," she informed me.
She is also a very hands-off manager, and doesn't want to hear anything from me unless I need something from her. Given my (poorly directed) style, she is a perfect match for me.
I found myself considering this question because next month there will be changes in management. I'll be getting a new manager, an unknown quantity. I can't assume that the new manager will function in the same way as the old one, and therefore it is probably time to address this issue.
Contractor or employee, though, I think you're right in that "building a relationship with the customer" is a far better solution than "blowing my own horn." I have a month to consider exactly how to do this, and I hope that beginning a relationship with the intention of building a good one will address my concern, and keep everyone happy.
- Mr. Translucent(?)
Dear Materializing ...
I'm glad you reached the right conclusion, even though I drew the wrong inference. Your reporting manager is your customer. Too many employees consider "exceeding their customer's expectations" to be synonymous with brown-nosing, and so they end up going to an opposite extreme, becoming either hostile or invisible.
With the management changes coming up, be wary. Lots of strange things can happen. I'll reinforce one piece of advice, and add one more, given the additional information.
The reinforcement is to encourage your new manager to set up a bi-weekly status meeting. If he/she is any good, you won't have to take the initiative on this. If it doesn't happen without you taking the initiative, do it. Just say something like this: "I'm pretty independent, but things do come up from time to time. And also, because I'm pretty independent, I want to make sure I'm staying on the right track."
The new piece of advice is this: From your account, you're in a pretty good situation right now. If your manager changes, it's going to mean your situation will change. Don't be nostalgic for the way it used to be. If you allow this to happen, and especially if you allow it to happen in a way that you and some of your peers commiserate about it, it will poison your new reporting relationship.
Just learn your new manager's style and embrace it as your own, to the extent you can do so, or at least find ways to accommodate to it.
- Bob
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July 30, 2006 | Comments: (0)
Getting noticed by management, part 2
Dear Bob ...I'm Mr. Invisible, and I need to clarify a point: I'm an employee, not a contractor.
I have been fortunate lately in that my current manager understands what it means when her phone doesn't ring. When we discussed preparing for my review (which was far and away the best review I have ever received,) she mentioned that no one has said anything to her about me. "Trust me, that's a good thing," she informed me.
She is also a very hands-off manager, and doesn't want to hear anything from me unless I need something from her. Given my (poorly directed) style, she is a perfect match for me.
I found myself considering this question because next month there will be changes in management. I'll be getting a new manager, an unknown quantity. I can't assume that the new manager will function in the same way as the old one, and therefore it is probably time to address this issue.
Contractor or employee, though, I think you're right in that "building a relationship with the customer" is a far better solution than "blowing my own horn." I have a month to consider exactly how to do this, and I hope that beginning a relationship with the intention of building a good one will address my concern, and keep everyone happy.
- Mr. Translucent(?)
Dear Materializing ...
I'm glad you reached the right conclusion, even though I drew the wrong inference. Your reporting manager is your customer. Too many employees consider "exceeding their customer's expectations" to be synonymous with brown-nosing, and so they end up going to an opposite extreme, becoming either hostile or invisible.
With the management changes coming up, be wary. Lots of strange things can happen. I'll reinforce one piece of advice, and add one more, given the additional information.
The reinforcement is to encourage your new manager to set up a bi-weekly status meeting. If he/she is any good, you won't have to take the initiative on this. If it doesn't happen without you taking the initiative, do it. Just say something like this: "I'm pretty independent, but things do come up from time to time. And also, because I'm pretty independent, I want to make sure I'm staying on the right track."
The new piece of advice is this: From your account, you're in a pretty good situation right now. If your manager changes, it's going to mean your situation will change. Don't be nostalgic for the way it used to be. If you allow this to happen, and especially if you allow it to happen in a way that you and some of your peers commiserate about it, it will poison your new reporting relationship.
Just learn your new manager's style and embrace it as your own, to the extent you can do so, or at least find ways to accommodate to it.
- Bob
Posted by Bob Lewis on July 30, 2006 08:53 AM
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Three books. Three ways to change the world, your life, or at least Bob Lewis' bank account. Leading IT: The Toughest Job in the World distills the world of IT leadership into eight learnable skills and gives you concrete, practical techniques for each one of them. Bare Bones Project Management: What you can't not do makes project management manageable, even for first-time project managers with no formal training in the discipline. ManagementSpeak: What managers say/What they mean … well, it won't help your career, and won't make you a better manager. Mostly, it will make you chuckle, guffaw, and maybe even chortle. Make friends - it's the perfect gift for anyone who has ever suffered through one of those meetings. Order your copies today! |
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