“Managing your boss”¹ was a memorable and counter-intuitive learning for me. This is not about schmoozing. This is about being effective in getting your job done. 

Understand all the boss’s goals. 

Many are clearly stated in the form of strategic goals and OKRs. Others need to be discovered and discussed with the boss. 

Recognize your own inclination towards a boss.  

It should be about “mutual dependence between two fallible human beings”¹. No boss is all-knowing. No boss is totally self-sufficient. No boss is all-bad. No boss has unlimited time. A user manual can be useful. 

Agree on your goals regularly. 

While formal planning and review cycles help with your goal-setting, expectations can change mid-cycle. So, clarifying and mutually agreeing on goals regularly is crucial. 

All the best! 

PS: Typically I write about building products. I write to pay it forward and to clarify my thinking.

1. John J. Gabarro and John P. Kotter, article