How to get the best from your working relationship with your boss and other senior people is the subject of The Managing Upwards Pocketbook. It begins by looking at what makes a good boss and what drives the relationship – from both the subordinate’s and the boss’s perspective. There is advice on how to build a partnership that is constructive, straightforward, trusting and mutually beneficial. Under the heading ‘working to create impact’ the book deals with such matters as taking a brief, objectives and targets, using timings and deadlines to advantage, and progress reports.

 

Subsequent chapters detail how to communicate with senior people (including listening to each other), how to get agreement and how to handle difficulties such as poor information flow, broken promises, the ‘leave it to me’ syndrome and more serious issues such as bullying and sexual harassment. Job appraisals, central to keeping working relationships on track, are dealt with in a separate chapter. The author emphasises the importance of planning and preparing for these meetings, and of encouraging the appraiser to do so as well.

 

(Publisher: Pocketbook)