To smooth the potential awkwardness of reporting to more than one boss, master these 5 tricks, says the former CEO of Aetna
- Ron Williams is the chairman and CEO of RW2 Enterprises, LLC and the former chairman and CEO of Aetna.
- In this excerpt from his new book, "Learning to Lead: The Journey to Leading Yourself, Leading Others, and Leading an Organization," he writes that reporting to multiple bosses can be a particularly tricky scenario to navigate.
- The best way to do it? Be open and honest, never take sides, and try to master their individual styles of communication.
Especially early in your career, one of the most important challenges you'll face is learning to read the minds of the people who are above you on the corporate ladder. Understanding what your boss wants - and why he or she wants it - is essential to completing the assignment correctly the first time.
But reporting to multiple bosses can be particularly tricky. In an entry-level job, for example, you might be an administrative assistant working for two or more managers. Later in your career, you might be a manager in charge of a function that serves two or more departments in the organization - for example, you might be running a service team that handles customer complaints, questions, and problems related to two different product lines, which means that you are answerable to the heads of two different company divisions. Or you might be directly supervised by one person but have a "dotted-line" relationship with one or two other supervisors - an indirect connection that sometimes feels like a reporting role. Each of these situations can create ambiguities and tensions that you may find tough to navigate.
There are several strategies you'll want to consider if you find yourself in the position of having more than one boss.
Master the differing communication and management styles of each boss
Reporting to two or more people is like being bilingual: You need to understand their differing languages, vocabulary, and communication styles, so you can interpret their instructions and requests accurately. This takes time, careful listening, and maybe even some deliberate note-taking. Eventually, you'll realize that when Boss A says, "This report is very important," she means "I need it as quickly as possible so we can review and revise it together," while when Boss B says the same thing, he means "I need you to research it intensely so the first draft you hand me is flawless."
Be as open and up front as possible
The best way to avoid confusion and conflict is to speak up. If Boss A hands you an assignment with a schedule that butts up against a different project you've already started for Boss B, you need to discuss the situation, preferably with both managers. Enlist their help to sort out the priorities and to help you figure out how to meet both sets of needs.Read more: Bill Gates says he's happier at 63 than he was at 25 because he does 4 simple things
Help your bosses lead you better
If you develop a working system or process with one boss that is particularly productive or efficient, try tactfully and positively suggesting it to the other: "When I have to conduct a survey for Barbara, I usually use this software, and it works very well. Would you like me to try the same for you?" If you have a personal working preference that affects your productivity, share it with your bosses: "I find I get the most complicated jobs done best early in the morning. Would it be possible for you to give me tough assignments like this one during the afternoon, so I can clear my desk to work on them first thing the following day?"
Don't take sides or get caught in the middle
If your bosses are in conflict with one another, avoid becoming an ally with either one. Your loyalty is to the organization as a whole, and as long as both managers are part of the team, your job is to try to serve both as best you can. Above all, don't criticize either boss to the other. Bad-mouthing a colleague behind their back can only earn you a reputation as untrustworthy, which will never serve you well. If the conflict leads to the departure or demotion of one of them, you don't want to be stuck as an ally of the "loser" - whose identity may be difficult to predict in advance.
Learn from both bosses
Serving two masters can be complicated, but it's also a great way to expand your insights into the organization and the industry. The differing ideas, work styles, priorities, networks, and strategies of your two bosses can each provide you with knowledge that would be much harder to gain from just a single boss.
Follow these tips, and you'll discover that having two bosses can be better than one.Excerpted from Learning to Lead: The Journey to Leading Yourself, Leading Others, and Leading an Organization (May 7) by Ron Williams, former CEO of Aetna, with permission from the author.
Ron Williams is best known for his tenure as CEO and chairman at Aetna. He has extensive leadership experience, including multiple board memberships, executive coaching clients, and a seat on the President Obama's Management Advisory Board from 2011 to 2017, where he worked to bring the best of business practices to the management and operation of the federal government. Mr. Williams currently serves as the chairman and CEO of RW2 Enterprises, and as a director for American Express, Boeing, and Johnson & Johnson, and is a member of Deutsche Bank's Americas Advisory Board.