Career Orientation
&
How to Manage Your Boss
Emerging Leaders Programme for Times of India Group
Prof. Roger Lehman
INSEAD
20-23 November 2008
Fontainebleau and Singapore
Getting Aheads
• Strive for upward mobility
• Enjoy title, power and influence
• Want to make an impact
• Value status
• Consider money to be symbolic of position
• Aim to be part of the “inner circle”
• Like excitement, variety and significance
• Like “good people” with good political skills
• Ahead can be in terms of destination or journey
© H. Ibarra, INSEAD
1
Getting Secures
• Strive for life-long or at least long term employment
• Enjoy a “sense of place” or “home”
• Value appreciation by the organization
• Consider money symbolic of appreciation
• Maintain an “exchange” posture
• Adjust to company requirements; are loyal
• Need positive “strokes” from others
• Is stronger than we often recognize – only become aware of it when we
are facing a choice
© H. Ibarra, INSEAD
Getting Free’s
• Strive for control over life and working space
• Work hard to establish autonomy
• Value loose supervision
• Consider money a means of independence
• Prefer undefined rules and procedures
• Like to work independently
• Organizational membership is marginal
• Tend to have low security needs
© H. Ibarra, INSEAD
2
Getting Highs
• Strive for interesting and challenging work
• Enjoy being in the “center of the action”
• Value novelty and change, like the “buzz”
• Often prefer project based work
• Like closing the deal – not repetitive implimentation
• Consider money as secondary importance
• Can become bored quite easily if not challenged
• 3 dimensions for “getting high”
- Technical
- Entreprenurial
- Ideological – crusaders who want to change society
© H. Ibarra, INSEAD
Getting Balanced’s
• Question of “is” vs. “would like to be”
• Strive for balance in their life
• Enjoy manageable work
• Willingly out-of-balance only in short term
• Can see self as “super person”
• Accept imbalance if voluntary and not imposed
• Consider money facilitates a balanced life
• Can feel frustrated and fragmented when not in balance
© H. Ibarra, INSEAD
3
How to Manage
Your
Boss
How to Manage Your Boss
Assess yourself and your needs:
• Your own strengths and weaknesses
• Your personal style
• Your “typical” relationship to authority figures
• Use your EQ / Empathy
Gabarrow & Kotter
4
Career Orientation
Ahead
High
Free
Secure
Balanced
Do You Know Your Boss’ Preferred Style?
The Coercive Style
The Authoritative Style
The Affiliative Style
The Democractic Style
The Pacesetting Style
The Coaching Style
Goleman, Leadership that Gets
Results
5
Extraverted
Coercive Flamboyant
Authoritarian Superficiality
• THE DIRECTOR • THE PRESENTER
• Done at any cost/Little • Good with people
personal life • Big picture / Flexible
• Not interested in feelings • Multi-tasker
• Make decisions quickly • Gives feedback to others
• Gives some feedback to others
Task People
Focus Focus
• THE STRATEGIST • THE MEDIATOR
• High detail / facts focus • Great with people
• Highly reflective • Good listener
• Likes structure/rules/ • Can move too slowly
perfection
• Needs consensus
• Not interested in feelings
• Gives feedback to others
• Gives minimal feedback to Affiliative
Aloof others Co-Dependent
Withdrawn
Intraverted
Adopted from Smith & Sandstrom (1995) Anthony M Grant © 2003
6
How to Manage Your Boss
Make sure you understand the boss and his/
her context:
•Their goals and objectives
•The pressures on them
•Their strengths, weaknesses and blind spots
•Their preferred working style
Gabarrow & Kotter
How to Manage Your Boss
• Take a long view
• Study your boss
• Find out when your boss is most approachable
• Find out where your boss is most approachable
• Always be frank and open
• Keep your boss informed
• Demonstrate loyalty
• Tackle conflict constructively
• Deliver the goods
• Be persistent, not overpowering
• Ask for feedback
• Seek advice From : Management in a Minute by Flanagan
and Finger
7
How to Manage Your Boss
Develop and maintain a relationship that:
•Fits both your (the boss and you) needs and style
•Is characterized by mutual expectation
•Keeps the boss informed (in a manner that fits the boss
NOT you
•Is based on dependability and honesty
•Selectively uses the bosses time and resources
Gabarrow & Kotter
Seven Tips On How To Tell Your Boss
He (or She) is Wrong
1. Don’t walk into a meeting mad
2. Ask for permission
3. Be honest about your motivations
4. Accentuate the positive
5. Listen carefully
6. Treat the boss like you would a customer
7. Don’t give up too soon
Source : Joanna Krotz
8
2 Basic Principles
and one absolute “no-no”
1. Commitment to the boss’ success
2. Ownership of the outcome on projects and tasks
3. Never…. Never make the boss look stupid or
incompetent, regardless of how incompetent or stupid he/
she may be
