There is a general saying that “Boss is always right”. What is its context to the business planning and corporate decision making? How to face the challenges when one needs to improve one’s relationship with a boss; one requires contesting the boss about the improper influences from the boss; when it becomes a necessity to provide advice and coaching to boss; and when it is required to react against any harmful and defective proposal and policy offered by boss? When you are fully conversant with your roles and responsibilities, maintains credibility and trust, remains faithful to your values and convictions and after all you work for the interest of the business or the organization, should it not be easy and logical to enter into challenging interactions with your boss. What do you think?

Experiences and expert opinions suggest the following 8 tips in terms of interacting with the boss for the interest of any business organization:

Take the initiative about solving any problem

This means taking any problem to the boss and suggesting ways to deal with the specific problem. Taking initiatives often involves risks but if done appropriately and carefully it can add value to your credibility to the boss.

Update the boss about your decisions

The boss should be kept informed about the actions and decisions regarding the solutions of the problems following the initiatives so taken as a result of earlier discussions with the boss. This is just to keep the boss updated about the situation.

Provide Verified and accurate information to the boss

It is a key responsibility to provide correct and timely information to the boss to make right decisions, as necessary. It is also very important as well as a necessity to verify accuracy of the information in order to remain trusted and dependable to the boss.

Seek honest feedback from the boss

It is always desirable to encourage the boss to give honest feedback about your performance including strengths and weaknesses and rooms for improvement. This is necessary to improve mutual trust and cooperation.

Facilitate and Support when boss is working as a change agent

Express supports and encouragements to the boss to overcome any resistance to any necessary and desirable change in the organization. Offer to assist the boss to handle any urgent work during any crisis situation.

Praise and appreciate the boss in right time

It is appropriate to express sincere appreciation when the boss represents your interest highly and satisfactorily in the organization or carry out a difficult task in the organization with special effort and strategy successfully.

Contest the boss against harmful and defective proposals

You can make a valuable contribution to the organization by providing accurate and sincere feedback politely about the boss’s plans and proposals which are harmful and defective. It may also be necessary to use influence and persuasion through peer pressure and coalitions in order to convince the boss accordingly.

Plan for upward coaching and counseling as necessary

Coaching is usually viewed as a privilege of the boss. But you also have the opportunity to coach especially the new and inexperienced boss in terms of upward coaching and upward counseling.. This also becomes easier when you have a deep, cordial as well as trusted relationship with the boss. Experiences indicate that upward counseling is necessary and it is also appreciated by the boss in most cases.

General

Justifiably, the above discussions and analysis should provide you with significant insight into the proposition associated with the “Boss is always right” vis-à-vis the business planning and corporate decision making process. We believe that both the boss and the boss’s associates will find this article useful and beneficial.