Interested in more careers-related content? Check out our new weekly Work Life newsletter. Sent every Monday afternoon.
I’ve always had a simple notion that bosses come in two varieties. Some focus primarily on managing up, taking their lead and trying to satisfy their own bosses, carefully heeding the current organizational direction. Others focus on managing down, trying to satisfy their teams and help them to achieve their aspirations within the framework of the organization, in particular being open to innovative ideas.
It’s a simplistic classification. Many mangers try to do both, of course. But when push comes to shove, we know whether the boss will fight for us or for them.
Career coach Yue Zhao recently shared a more nuanced and sophisticated classification of bosses, based on their growth trajectory and how much they believe in holding on to their power. Mix together those two attributes and you get a standard two-by-two matrix, with these four types of bosses:
Managing: Leaders can just as easily impede change as inspire it if the message isn’t right
- The selfless rising star: This is the ideal if you are trying to build your career and learn by doing, a manager whose own career growth is strong and who is generous in sharing power. Your boss is a rising star in the organization, getting promotions regularly every few years, and willing to work themself out of their current job. These kinds of managers will also naturally create space for their team because they are constantly on the lookout for how to delegate more. “There are frequent growth projects pushed to the team because as the manager takes on stretch projects themselves, they must continue to delegate to avoid burning out,” she writes on her blog.
- The Legacy Creator: This manager’s career path is stagnant, by choice or the organizational situation. But they are still generous in sharing, viewing passing along their power and skillset to others as a part of their role and legacy. “These managers will not block your growth intentionally, but due to the nature of their situation, you may simply hit a growth ceiling after a few years. You become limited by the power, scope and influence of your manager,” Ms. Zhao advises. When you sense yourself reaching that ceiling, invest in building relationships with their bosses: Your skip-level manager, the one directly above your boss, as well as that manager’s boss and their peers. Hopefully your manager will be supportive and pave the way. Also, look for a rising star manager who can be your mentor or sponsor.
Managing: ‘Leadership is fundamentally human’: Move away from the command-and-control style
- The competitive manager: This manager is doing well in their own career but is not willing to share power much. They view gaining power as a fixed pie and want as much as possible. They rarely share the credit for team achievements and are good at passing down the blame. “Working for these managers is a tricky balance. If you are too successful, they will view you as a competitor and actively work against you. With the power imbalance, it’s often an unfair fight,” Ms. Zhao says. Find a skip-level mentor or sponsor who can look out for you and keep them informed of your work and what credit you deserve. Look for projects beyond your own team where you can achieve and grow. Finally, she recommends spending some time helping your manager grow, becoming someone they trust so they view you more as a partner than a threat.
- Power Keeper: This manager’s own career is stagnant and they are not willing to share power. The job may be otherwise attractive and the salary great; the boss may help you grow if there is a large gap between your current skill set and theirs, but as the gap narrows, they will shut down. “If you’re looking to grow, the best tactic is to move to another manager,” she says.
Your career trajectory is dependent on your boss’s willingness to help and, although we often don’t think about it, their own career trajectory. Figure out which of these four types of bosses you have and act accordingly.
Quick hits
- At the end of each meeting or block of time for a week, venture capitalist Sahil Bloom advises colour coding it as green for energy creating, red for energy draining or yellow for neutral. Study the patterns at the end of the week and try to adjust in future.
- Recent research on first impressions formed in Zoom versus in-person meetings found people are able to perceive each other’s distinct personality just as well on Zoom and like the other person just as well as when attending meetings together in the same physical space.
- Journalist Mark Frauenfelder suggests asking artificial intelligence to write your prompts. An example: Instead of asking, “Write an action-item list for planning a trip to Kyoto next fall,” declare “I’m taking a trip to Kyoto next fall. Write a prompt I can use to ask you to create an action-item list.”
Harvey Schachter is a Kingston-based writer specializing in management issues. He, along with Sheelagh Whittaker, former CEO of both EDS Canada and Cancom, are the authors of When Harvey Didn’t Meet Sheelagh: Emails on Leadership.