The Boss, The Leader, and the Marionette

In order to understand how to create a productive partnership with our management, we need to understand the characteristics of different management types we have.

Having a Boss as a direct manager, we are obliged to follow their rules, whether he/she obtains an egoistic personality, or being strict by the book. With that in mind, communication is a crucial factor to having a healthy productive partnership. Being transparent and vocal with our thoughts, when necessary, with them, makes decision making easier to obtain. Hence, by creating a mutual understanding, including setting boundaries, and by knowing what, how, and when tasks should be done, enables both sides with an effective, healthy partnership with management.

However, having a Marionette Manager - management with no such applied authority, nor decision-making influence - the employee must be the initiator and planner for every task. To create a productive partnership with a Marionette Manager, an employee must employ an empathic approach. By becoming a great listener and an advisor to them, this creates an opportunity to raise employees favour with management and create a solid track to obtain better opportunities for perks such as a promotion or being handed larger tasks.

The Leader, is the ideal manager to deal. With a high level of motivation and authority provided by them to their employees, it generates self-responsibility, ideas, innovation, skills, and creates a healthy competition within them to seek better outcomes. By getting to know more about the manager, developing shared values, building effective communication, and trust, it creates a positive atmosphere within the company.

In conclusion, by understanding the type of management that employees are dealing with, certain core skills are required towards building a productive relationship with them.
• Setting Boundaries and Limits
• Sharing our thoughts by being coherent and vocal
• Self-initiation and proper planning for executing tasks and meetings
• Understand we are all humans we could be under pressure by higher management to achieve missions and visions.

With these points in mind both management and employees are in a stronger position to develop a strong, productive and healthy relationship.