Influencing Up - To Ask or To Tell?

To get results, be smart about how you approach your current boss with ideas and proposals.

Be keenly aware when your boss would rather be:

• Sold on your plans after you have thoroughly thought them through
  
• Involved in the process of putting it together so it feels more like their idea
  
• Informed after the fact so that you are not wasting their time
  

In general, everyone likes to be asked their opinion about “stuff that is important to them.” Your boss likely has more experience than you and certainly a broader perspective by virtue of position. Do what leadership training programs advise…understand what works best for your boss and why and then proceed accordingly.

When it makes sense to involve your boss, be clear about the objectives, understand what matters most to them and explain your thinking process step-by-step. Ask for comments and questions and then listen. Chances are that your boss will have some valuable ideas that will strengthen your idea. The more you can involve your boss in the creation of the plan, the more your boss will buy into it when completed. And the conversations will show that you are willing to learn, be open to others’ thoughts, and be respectful of what experience and a strategic view can teach.

Learn more at: http://www.lsaglobal.com/leadership-development/