Effective communications: Improving the supervisor/subordinate relationship

The success of any company depends on its most vital resource — people. How well the people in the organization cooperate and pull together determines the degree of its ultimate success. Everyone in a business organization, from the president to the new employee, has a definite contribution to make in achieving company goals. Although everyone may have a distinct set of responsibilities, there must be efficient coordination of the efforts of everyone in the company.

As a supervisor or regular employee, you can provide effectiveness within the organization by under-standing the relationships that exist between you and those with whom you interact at work. The manner in which you approach and respond to an immediate supervisor will be different from the way you relate to your subordinates. This article examines these relationships and offers suggestions for improving cooperation within a company.

To improve your ability to work with upper management, it is helpful to understand what management expects from you, how to sell your ideas to your supervisor, how to gauge where you stand with your supervisor and how to stay on the right side of the boss.

What does management expect?

Just as your subordinates have responsibilities to you, you have certain responsibilities to your superior. Here are some of the tasks that upper management often expects its personnel to do:

• Complete a job on time while controlling quality and costs.
• Develop and maintain an effective and efficient work group.
• Keep up with technological developments in a specific field of expertise.
• Make sound decisions rather than sitting back and waiting for management to make them. Plan, organize, control and coordinate the work of subordinates.
• Know and apply company policies and procedures.
• Handle employee and customer complaints properly, while knowing how to prevent complaints from occurring.
• Improve procedures and gain employees’ acceptance for them.
• Maintain discipline among employees.
• Maintain good work performance by accepting only quality work from subordinates.
• Build cooperation and morale among other employees.
• Be loyal to management and to the company.
• Communicate within the company organization effectively and honestly.
• Accept criticism and use it to improve job performance.
• Avoid making promises which cannot be kept or which leave little room for alternatives when circumstances change.
• Be ready to handle crises and emergencies but work to prevent their occurrence. A supervisor expects a lot from an employee. Basically, he expects his personnel to recognize their responsibilities and carry them out in a manner that gets the job done most efficiently. Remember that the first step in developing a successful working relationship with a supervisor is to know what he expects and how to do it.

Selling ideas to the supervisor

Many lower supervisors find it hard to sell their ideas to an upper level executive. What makes selling their ideas so difficult? In many cases the top man sees these ideas in a different light than his employees. Employees see their ideas from the standpoint of their particular job, unit and situation.

The boss, on the other hand, has many other problems that require his attention. In addition to having more problems, he experiences pressure from upper management to handle problems in order of highest priority. Therefore, one should put himself in the supervisor’s shoes before complaining too much about a rejected suggestion.

The manner in which ideas are presented has much to do with their acceptance. Here are a few suggestions for an effective presentation:

• State the idea very clearly, either verbally or in writing.
• Estimate the value of the idea. Project figures if applicable.
• List the pros and cons of the concept.
• Show how and where the idea will fit into the company.
• Choose an appropriate time to present the concept.
• Settle for as much of an implementation of the idea as possible. Be willing to compromise.

The concept must be expressed very clearly so that the boss can fully understand it. Unless it is clearly understood, it probably will not be considered. If an idea cannot be articulated in such a way that it can be understood, then it probably has not been sufficiently studied or developed by the proposer.

State the value of the idea to the company. Try to determine what its outcome will be in dollars and cents. Will it save money? Will it produce extra income? Be certain to work these figures out before presenting the idea. Hard facts are difficult to ignore. By listing the advantages and disadvantages of an idea on paper, one can be more realistic about what the idea will or will not accomplish. Try to see the idea from different perspectives.

When presenting an idea, show where it will fit into the overall operation and workload. Know how much of it you will be able to carry out and how it will affect the responsibilities of the supervisor or other employees. If implementation of the idea depends on your own personal actions, then the boss will be more likely to accept the idea.

It is important to choose the right time or presentation. Be careful to state the idea when the boss has time to completely hear it out. Also, consider the company’s current situation. Regardless of the soundness of the suggestion, it is difficult to sell an idea which results in spending money if the company’s emphasis is on reducing expenses. An idea has a better chance of acceptance if it is presented at the proper time, under receptive circumstances.

You may have to settle for as much as you can get. If a suggestion is requesting something which can be introduced a little at a time, you may be better off settling for a partial acceptance. A delay may allow any bugs to be worked out before a full-scale introduction or application is made.

With these techniques, you will have a greater chance of getting ideas across to the supervisor and having him act on them.  Remember that old saying, “It’s not what you say, but how you say it.”

How to gauge one’s standing

There isn’t an employee who hasn’t asked the question, “How do I rate with the boss?” While an employee may not be able to determine exactly where he stands with upper management, there are a few indicators that will help in gauging just how the supervisor feels about a person and the job he is doing.

Some of the indicators you can look for are affirmative answers to these questions.  Does the boss ask for your opinion? Does he let you take care of your subordinates? Does he give you constructive criticism? Does he back you up?

If a boss asks for an employee’s opinion about matters that affect the employee’s department or subordinates, he is showing that he values the employee’s advice. The boss may maintain a “hands-off” attitude toward a lower supervisor’s advice. This may be interpreted as a lack of concern. However, a boss who lets a supervisor handle all the direct dealings with subordinates may be showing that he is confident with the chain of command.

When a boss offers constructive criticism, he is letting the employee know right where he stands. His suggestions should help to eliminate mistakes and improve job performance. Constructive criticism is not intended to make anyone look bad. It usually indicates that the boss wants the employee to succeed him in a supervisory position and is trying to help him become more competent.  If the boss backs him up and stands behind the decisions, this demonstrates loyalty and support. The boss is showing confidence in the employee’s ability and is giving him the chance to learn by experience.

Knowing how to gauge one’s standing with the boss allows an employee to work more securely without constant verbal assurance. This knowledge helps to develop successful working relationships.

Staying on the right side

How does one stay on the right side of the boss? As indicated above, the first step is to know what the boss expects and to make sure that these things are properly executed. Beyond that, there are a few other important suggestions for keeping in good standing with the boss:

• Cooperate fully with one’s immediate superior. Support his efforts; do not “stab him in the back.”
• Obey the superior’s orders and carry out his instructions.
• Report the outcome for any important phase of the production or service operation completely, fully and accurately in order to keep one’s superior well informed.
• Display courtesy and respect to the boss at all times. He may be difficult to like as a person, but remember that he is the boss and disrespect will not improve the situation at work.
• Always assume full responsibility for work assigned to you and your employees. Don’t pass the buck if anything goes wrong.
• Avoid petty bickering with other supervisors. This only creates problems which the boss will have to resolve. Don’t add to his workload; he has enough to handle already. In many companies, the ability to get along with others is more important that one’s individual skill or talent.

Stay out of trouble with clients or other departments. Again, this will create more work for the boss. Keep a positive attitude toward the boss, customers, employees and the company. A person with a positive attitude is easier to work with.  Personnel in management give up the right to a poor attitude because of their responsibility to motivate others.

Incorporate these suggestions into your performance, and you will probably find that the boss is not such a bad person after all.