In these times of unrelenting uncertainty, it’s hard enough to control your own responses to the curveballs that keep coming your way. But what do you do when your manager reacts quickly, possibly sending everyone else into a tailspin? Watch Bobbie LaPorte’s October 2 “Calling the Game” video for some specific actions you can take to get you (and hopefully your manager) back on track.
Navigating Challenging Managerial Behavior for Career Success and Well-being
Hi, this is Bobbie LaPorte, back with another week of “Calling the Game,” where I share my own experience and insights while giving you valuable tools you can use to call your own game…and plan the best moves for you and your team.
Managing up: we all know how important this is to our professional success (not to mention our sanity) but also how challenging it can be. Here is an example of this, which may sound familiar to many of you.
In today’s ever-changing environment, there are new curveballs coming every day. What if you have a manager who just snaps and reacts instead of thoughtfully responding with an approach that sees these curveballs as opportunities?
I know it’s tough for all of us to build this “respond vs. react muscle,” but when you have a manager who continually does this and puts everyone into a tailspin, derailing your focus and best intentions…you feel like you’ve completely lost control.
3 Tips for Managing Up:
This is a tough one, for sure. Here are three actions to consider to help you and your manager get back on track:
- First – don’t take it personally. They likely treat everyone this way, so don’t start doubting yourself and thinking the problem is you.
- Try to understand what’s behind this behavior. Is it situational, or is this a pattern they always exhibit? Your response might change if this is more of an exception than the rule. Ask them about the context and how you can best help.
- Whether it’s situational or a pattern, keep them in the loop. They are clearly being motivated by anxiety, so make sure you are checking in and giving them the details they need. It may save you rework later.
This can clearly be more complicated, but these three actions can be the first steps to restore some sense of having agency and control in a difficult and frustrating situation.
OK, that’s it for this week’s “Calling the Game.” Hope this helps you gear up for a great week and navigate any curveballs that may come your way!