Working effectively with your manager

Managing our bosses? Isn't that merely manipulation? Corporate cozying up? Out-and-out political maneuvering? In fact, we manage our bosses for very good reasons: to get resources to do the best job, not only for ourselves, but for our bosses and our companies as well. We actively pursue a healthy and productive working relationship based on mutual respect and understanding – understanding our own and our bosses' strengths, weaknesses, goals, work styles, and needs.

Bosses need cooperation, reliability, and honesty from their direct reports. Managers, for their part, rely on bosses for making connections with the rest of the company, for setting priorities, and for obtaining critical resources. If the relationship between you and your boss is rocky, then it is you who must begin to manage it. When you take the time to cultivate a productive working relationship – by understanding your boss’s strengths and weaknesses, priorities, and work style – everyone wins.

This Managing your manager course is not about creating a better filing system or honing your note taking skills, it’s about understanding the value of the relationship you have with your boss, often described as “a mutually dependent existence between two fallible individuals.” You depend on your boss for direction, feedback and support, while your boss depends on you for new ideas, hard work and cooperation to achieve the organisation’s goals. Both sides have needs, and both sides have something to offer. It is a critical relationship worth tending to.

This training course is highly interactive and covers the following:

• understanding yourself and the effect you have on others
• the essentials of good workplace communication
• effective listening to resolve problems
• persuasion and influence
• handling complaints
• conflict management and resolution
• dealing with pressure and priorities
• understanding your boss' working style
• problem solving and creativity
• a year of free support

This course takes place at the Centre's Central London training suite with easy access to bus, tube and mainline rail stations.

This course is designed for anyone who wants to improve their skills in supporting their boss and developing seamless, fun and highly effective working relationships. The workshop is equally relevant to administrators and managers.

The Centre works with people from all sectors including public sector, voluntary sector, corporate sector and private sector.

By the end of the workshop you will be more confident in dealing with your boss, particularly in difficult situations. You will have a better understanding of your boss’ style and will have developed effective strategies for developing an exceptional working relationship.