What’s the right thing to do when you’re asked to do something that doesn’t play to your strengths, or that was never mentioned as part of your job description, or that you flat-out don’t want to do? Admin Pro Forum readers weigh in:
Managing the Boss
The demand for highly skilled assistants has increased the past several years, as shareholders and customers demand greater access to executives. Among the most desired: assistants with tech savvy and “demonstrated longevity.” In other words, admins who have built over time a strong working relationship with their executive bosses.
Nearly half of U.S. workers work for someone younger than they are, according to a recent Career Builders survey. Is it a problem to work for someone younger than you? Only if you happen to be young: Among 25- to 34-year-old workers, 16% said they found it difficult to take direction from a younger boss while 7% of age 45 to 54 workers find it difficult.
Is it possible to give feedback to your boss in a way that improves her performance as a leader? Or is it better to keep quiet than put your relationship at risk? The ability to give upward feedback depends on the relationship between you and your boss. Without trust, the feedback will be impossible to receive. Tips for giving upward feedback:
Supervisors depend on you to protect their busy schedules, leaving you to deal with calls from sales representatives. You tell the reps you’ll pass the information to your supervisor, and someone will follow up should there be an interest. However, your words fall on deaf ears, and they continue to follow up. Some even stretch the truth in hopes of making a sale. So what do you do?
“My boss is a dictating micromanager,” one of our readers recently posted on our Admin Pro Forum, “and I’m having difficulty handling the situation. How can I let him know that I can manage most situations with little or no supervision? I don’t want to be insubordinate, but he needs to stop breathing down my neck.” Workplace expert and author Roxanne Emmerich outlines three steps to cure micromanagement:
Question: “In my company, applications for promotion are not confidential. If I apply for a position in another department, human resources will send an automatic e-mail message to my boss. The policy also says that I must let her know if another manager invites me to interview … Should I tell my boss that I plan to apply for jobs in other departments?” — Looking for Promotion
What can you do about the younger boss who ignores your experience? That was the question an admin reader posted recently on our Admin Pro Forum. She writes, “Most of our managers are younger and think they know everything. They tend to listen to the younger, fresh-out-of-college administrators.” Readers weighed in with their advice:
Lee’s immediate supervisor left the organization, so now she reports to a higher-level director. In their meetings, the director seems distracted and bored, even though Lee takes extra time to prepare. “My preparation is usually met with a very brief response or a push off to another manager,” she says. “What can I do to make our meetings more engaging?”
Question: “I feel that I am being ignored because of my age. I am a young employee who recently attained a position in which I have to interact with top-level managers. When I request information from them, I find it difficult to get responses. I believe they are not taking me seriously. How should I handle this?” — Young & Frustrated
“Don’t think your boss is getting overwhelmed with praise,” says Quint Studer, CEO of Studer Group and author of Straight A Leadership: Alignment, Action, Accountability. “Bosses hear what’s wrong all the time. Very rarely do they hear what’s right.”
How far would you go to help your boss? Would you call in a bomb threat? That’s what one admin did in an attempt to delay a flight out of Miami International Airport—so her boss wouldn’t miss it. It’s an extreme example, to be sure. But most of us have felt tempted, at some point, to go overboard to help a manager we’re loyal to.
Fortunately, most admins have strong partnerships with their managers or see ways to build that bond. But some admins are still struggling through their relationships with lousy bosses. Is the solution to quit? Not with unemployment rates above 10%. Here’s another option: Negotiate with your boss, the way the FBI negotiates during a hostage situation.
