Table Of Content

Advance Praise for Lead Your Boss: “John Baldoni is one of the organizational thinkers that I respect the most.His ideas are practical — and he can help make sure that you have an impact in your organization! Every decision in life is made by the person who has the power to make that decision.If you influence that person you can make a difference! John shows you how in Lead Your Boss.[This book] should be required read- ing for all middle managers!” — Marshall Goldsmith,New York TimesandWall Street Journal #1 best-selling author of What Got You Here Won’t Get You Thereand author or editor of23 other books “Managing up is one ofthe most critical challenges facing employ- ees at nearly every level today.In Lead Your Boss,John Baldoni’s accessible style and uncommon insights bring a fresh perspective to this urgent topic in particular and to management writing at large.” — Eric Hellweg,Editorial Managing Director,Harvard Business.org “Baldoni gets to the heart of what it means to lead from the middle in order to make good things happen.By focusing on tactical and practical steps managers can take to effect positive change, Lead Your Bossprovides guidance for all those frustrated by bosses who are holding their teams back from achieving great results.” — Eric Harvey,Founder and President ofWalk the Talk Co., author of 26 leadership books including the best-sellers Walk the Talk...and Get the Results You WantandLeadership Secrets ofSanta Claus “Lead Your Bossexplores the power ofinfluence in ways that make developing it and implementing it doable.As an experienced exec- utive coach, Baldoni knows how to make the case for managers advocating for positive change in order to help the organization succeed.And in the process the bosses do well,too.Great insights!” —John Bourbeau,CEO,Right Management/Great Lakes Region “For the last decade organizations have become increasingly flat- ter,and managers have been given an ever-increasing span ofcon- trol and responsibility.This means that leadership can no longer be just about the people below you, but must include your boss and perhaps even your boss’s boss. Lead Your Boss does a terrific job of helping people understand the difficult task of managing upward.Pragmatic tips help provide the tools to get the job done, and real-life stories help provide context for some ofthe ideas that John Baldoni presents.” —Jon V.Peters,President,The Institute for Management Studies Lead Your Boss Also by John Baldoni Lead by Example: 50 Ways Great Leaders Inspire Results(2009) How Great Leaders Get Great Results(2006) Great Motivation Secrets ofGreat Leaders(2005) Great Communication Secrets ofGreat Leaders(2003) 180 Ways to Walk the Motivation Talk (co-author Eric Harvey,2002) Personal Leadership: Taking Control ofYour Work Life(2001) 180 Ways to Walk the Leadership Talk(2000) L Y B EAD OUR OSS The Subtle Art of Managing Up John Baldoni Special discounts on bulk quantities ofAMACOM books are available to corporations,professional associations,and other organizations.For details,contact Special Sales Department,AMACOM,a division of American Management Association,1601 Broadway,New York,NY 10019. Tel:800-250-5308 Fax:518-891-2372 E-mail:[email protected] Website:www.amacombooks.org/go/specialsales To view all AMACOM titles go to:www.amacombooks.org This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered.It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal,accounting,or other professional service.Iflegal advice or other expert assistance is required,the services ofa competent professional person should be sought. Library ofCongress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Baldoni,John. Lead your boss :the subtle art ofmanaging up / John Baldoni. p.cm. Includes index. ISBN-13:978-0-8144-1505-4 (hardcover) ISBN-10:0-8144-1505-9 (hardcover) 1. Managing your boss. 2. Teams in the workplace. 3. Leadership. I. Title. HF5548.83.B35 2010 650.1'3—dc22 2009015463 © 2010 John Baldoni All rights reserved. Printed in the United States ofAmerica. This publication may not be reproduced,stored in a retrieval system,or transmitted in whole or in part,in any form or by any means,electronic, mechanical,photocopying,recording,or otherwise,without the prior written permission ofAMACOM,a division ofAmerican Management Association, 1601 Broadway,New York,NY 10019. Printing number 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 To my family Son Paul,who leads by example. Daughter Ann,who loves to learn. Wife Gail Campanella,who makes all of us better. This page intentionally left blank CONTENTS Acknowledgments xi Prologue 1 P I: ART WHAT DOES THE LEADER NEED? 9 STEP 1: Leading Up 11 STEP 2: Thinking and Acting Strategically 24 STEP 3: Pushing Back the Right Way 54 P II: ART WHAT DOES THE TEAM NEED? 79 STEP 4: Letting Others Create the How 81 STEP 5: Breaking Down the Doors 109 STEP 6: Working the System 135 P III: ART WHAT CAN I DO TO HELP THE LEADER AND THE TEAM SUCCEED? 151 STEP 7: Bending but Not Breaking 153 STEP 8: Preparing Others to Lead 171 STEP 9: Leading with Presence 194 The Smart Guide to Positive Push-Back 207 Notes 211 Index 219 About the Author 226