Managing Your Manager

A loved one is a very independent,
highly skilled
project manager.
He’s been suffering lately
because his executive
is interfering in key projects.

‘Why is she doing this?’
he asked.
‘She hired me for my skills.
Why is she now questioning them?’

She isn’t questioning his skills.
She’s questioning HER worth.
Managers like to manage.
They want to add value.
If you don’t give them an outlet
for this urge,
they will manage in ways
you won’t be happy with.

So I advised him
to, every once in a while
send her an email,
asking for her advice.

For example:
He recently came back
from a conference.
At this conference,
he found out a key piece of information
about a prospective customer.

So he sent her an email,
telling her about the information
and asking her whom else
he should share it with.
‘Should I send this information
to the entire project team
or only share it
with the sales rep?’

Yes, the answer is politically important
but it isn’t going to interfere
with his project launch.

She’s happy because she’s managing.
She’s also reassured
that if he needed advice,
he would come to her.
My loved one is happy
because she isn’t interfering
in more critical decisions.

Manager management
is as important as project management.