The Better Leader Blog

5 quarters ago, Mark Newton was a hotshot manager hired to turnaround the organization. He had the talk, the charisma, and the resume. He was let go yesterday.

At Mark's termination meeting, his boss said that he succeed in delivering the needed results. Mark argued back he had hired 2 new key people, achieved third quarter quotas, and increased sales 3 percent. Mark's boss acknowledged those improvements but said they weren't what was most important. Mark tried to argue that the boss never communicated the priorities to him. That argument went nowhere and today Mark is job hunting.

You may want to argue that the boss did a poor job of defining success—and you would be right. that didn't change the fact that the consequences fell on Mark, not his boss.

Most bosses feel they have clarified the direction. They may assume you understand and agree because they mentioned it once or twice in passing. In actuality, you and your boss may have significantly different viewpoints on priorities, results, and processes.

How can you work around this issue with your boss? When you start any job and at regular intervals, proactively start these ten conversations with your boss.

1. What are the constraints? (Make sure you understand the real and perceived limitations and obstacles of the situation. ).
2. What are the goals we need to achieve over the next 90 days, 12 months, 3-5 years? How will that success be measured? (You must make sure you are both going the same direction.)
3. What success metrics are being used on your boss? (Determine what areas he feels stressed about. Plan your actions to facilitate his or her success).
4. How have we performed over the past 3 (6 or 12) months]? Is it meeting/exceeding expectations? (Get your boss to clearly communicate his perception of your results and the team's results).
5. How much decision-making authority do I have? (Find out the boss's willingness to let go -- but realize most bosses back off of from what they said when times gets tough).
6. What does the policital landscape look like? How do decisions get made? What relationships are critical? (You must understand the rules of the game. It's not petty for people to want their needs to be met. It's life.)
7. What input can you give me regarding ____________? (Ask for input on particular areas so the boss can give relevant feedback and you can take immediate action on the right things. Remember, if you think it is hard to get feedback throughout the process, trying the pain of getting it at the end).
8. What are your communication preferences? (According to some, a good leader should be able to figure it out on their own. Others prefer asking directly “How would you prefer to receive bad news?” “When do you want face to face versus written?” or “What are your pet peeves in communication”).
9. Let's talk about my team's successes (Talking about successes does not have to be boasting. Sharing success provides your boss with important data to make decisions. If you don't tell him, it doesn't count. Share your team's successes frequently).
10. Are we still aligned? (All your other conversations with your boss have a shelf-life. You must frequently confirm that the process you are using, the relationships you are building, and the direction you are going are aligned).

You need a series of conversations, not just one, in order to have clarity with your boss. Each interaction creates the path for more trust. Sitting down with your boss and telling him "here are the results you wanted" with confidence is an incredibly enjoyable conversation.