QUESTION: Dealing with a Visionary Boss?

Dear Merry,

I have been newly promoted to Director on the Global VP of HR's team. My boss is a brilliant visionary. I am responsible for execution of his projects and, frankly, I am having a hard time. He tells me to go off and do something, but then when it's complete he has a whole new vision for the project. Or worse yet, he forgets that he asked me to do the work at all. Do you have any suggestions for me?



RESPONSE: Agree on How Best to Work Together

Dear Executive,

You are not alone. Many people reporting to visionary bosses have this same, very frustrating experience.

My feeling is that it's your boss' responsibility to understand his work style and what it means to his staff to have a visionary for a boss. He's smart to have chosen you on his team as his implementer. But your boss needs to learn that his visionary style can make some accommodations. Small changes in his approach could insure that your time implementing his ideas is well spent, and that you are engaged and productive.

Since I don't have your boss' ear right now, the best I can do is offer you some suggestions about how to work with him until he sees how his work style impacts those around him. Simply bringing up the issue of your style difference may be enough to help illuminate the issue for him.

My suggestions is that you:

1. Schedule a Meeting with Your Boss
   o There's no reason to call him out directly or put him on the defensive about his visionary style.

   o Tell him that you appreciate the opportunity to work with a visionary.

2. Share What a Visionary is to You. Some ideas: they are way out ahead of the curve, are not held down by conventional thinking, see solutions that are far ranging and far reaching.

3. Mention that You are a Good Compliment on the team in that you can deliver and execute on the vision in a concrete way. Note a few of your strengths that support you in implementing his vision.

4. Discuss How Best to Work Together: Suggest that when people with two different styles work together closely it is important to agree on how best to work together. Otherwise there can be miscommunication, missed expectations and inefficiency.

5. Agree on a Go-Forward Relationship Strategy:
   o Before you start working on a project, I suggest you commit to formally clarifying with your boss your understanding of the project and his goals. In this way you will both be clear that this is the project he wants you to be working on.

   o Then, agree to a few touch points along the way. Don't keep your head down until the project is complete. At the very least, touch base with a draft or conversation mid-stream to make sure his agenda still remains.

  o Request that he agree to come to you with major shifts in projects/focus at the earliest possible time so that your work is not in vain.

  o Request that if there is a change in strategy, he still validates the hard work that you've done.

  o Establish a simple debrief process to touch base on what went well in your communication and what could have gone better after a project is complete. Agree to other relationship/process improvements.

There are bound to still be some frustrating moments, but agreeing on how best to work together will go a long way toward heightening your boss' awareness of his impact on you. Agreeing on a few touch points for major projects will keep you working on what's most important to your boss and using your time efficiently.

Dare to Deliver!
Merry


Merry Marcus
President
www.breakthroughconsulting.com

Copyright 2007, Break Through Consulting