14.4 Problem Solving

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14.4 Problem Solving

The second attribute you should understand about the boss is the level of his or her problem-solving skills. Presumably you are accomplished at this, so as they say, it takes one to know one. Your supervisor's problem-solving skills should be readily apparent. He or she might be accomplished in some areas, whether it is technology, purchasing, process, or politics. Or, he or she may have relationships with other highly placed individuals that can open closed doors, or raise your request to the top of someone else's to do list.

Take advantage of any of these talents you find when it is appropriate. On the other hand, if the boss is a "leaper," keep him away from those areas where his instincts or behavior could lead to unwanted outcomes. Your team will be watching how you handle your boss, so your credibility with them, and hence your power, will to some degree be influenced by whether you can turn the boss into an asset or "allow" him or her to become a liability. By the way, fairness to you in this regard does not pertain.

Be very careful how you do this, but do it. I had a sponsor whose favorite thing was pontificating about his prowess in resolving the impossible. Unfortunately, his anecdotes were ancient history and rarely mapped to our current issues. He was apparently aware of this compulsive verbosity, but did not resist the temptation to go on and on, particularly when he was the ranking meeting attendee. Whenever possible, I kept him out of meetings with compelling agendas because, once he was done sharing, there was never enough time left to conduct business. There was another program manager in my past who was equally capable of bringing meetings to a screeching halt, although her specialty was making those around her feel incompetent. Some people just have the knack.

Once you assess the problem-solving skills of the boss, the real issue becomes which problems you elevate to him, and when. It is generally a good idea to ask your supervisor for help with problems, even if you do not really need it. This strategy keeps the person involved and busy. It also helps them gain a better understanding of the personalities and issues you face every day. Showing that you need or trust your boss is generally a good idea too, even if that is not necessarily the case. I believe you need to give respect to get it in all cases, but particularly with supervisors, customers, or beneficiaries, even if extending that courtesy has not been earned.

Some issues you elevate may be undoable by you for many reasons. You need to be honest with yourself about that. The upside to this approach is that once such issues are elevated to the boss, you have handed them off, and thus have less exposure down the road should that problem turn sour. This is particularly important with bosses who have a tendency to meddle. Assigning them tasks, particularly those of a dicey nature, can also minimize their ill-advised interference because you have them busy with these other tasks.

Whatever your motivation, it is best when asking for their help to go about that in a very specific way. If your project is complex enough, the typical senior cannot be assumed to properly grasp the issues, and may therefore jump in exactly at the wrong time, or with an improper or uninformed agenda. That is his or her privilege, of course, but I have had numerous experiences where the boss's intervention creates dissonance with team members, vendors, or beneficiaries. Here is what I do when my intuition tells me there is a pending "gotcha" and my boss is going to be involved no matter what.

Start briefing your supervisor on the issue as early as possible, being careful to feed him at the pace he or she can absorb. Having done this, should crunch time arrive, the boss will not feel blindsided. If he or she does, the boss may become suspicious of your competence, or worse, your loyalty. Feeling blindsided tends to diminish his or her trust of you, which is never a good thing and is a difficult, if not impossible, condition to repair. On the other hand, being proactive in this manner is one of the best ways I know of to gain that supervisor's trust and respect.

Before involving your supervisor, be fully prepared with a solution and one or more alternates. Make sure that the "Is" are dotted and "Ts" are crossed to the best of your ability. This means you have:

  • Lined up willing resource

  • Quantified incremental costs

  • Mapped out a timeline

Nothing is better than being at your boss's side with a bucket of wet sand when he or she first smells trouble. Then, all you have to do is hand him or her the bucket and point to the fire. Let your boss take credit for extinguishing the blaze. By way of contrast, nothing is worse than saying, "what fire?" when your boss inquires as to the nature of the conflagration in his or her wastebasket.



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Complex IT project management(c) 16 steps to success
Complex IT Project Management: 16 Steps to Success
ISBN: 0849319323
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2004
Pages: 231
Authors: Peter Schulte

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