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This is the publicity and media page of How to Beat Your Boss: The Workplace Survival Guide, the exciting new book that will soon have bad bosses everywhere ducking for cover. Written by Melbourne-based workplace lawyer Terry McHugh, How to Beat Your Boss: The Workplace Survival Guide explains your workplace rights, and offers helpful advice and survival tips for all workers, and extra help for those under pressure. Terry has made these important topics easy to understand, yet fun to read. You could save yourself literally thousands and thousands of dollars by knowing the "tricks of the trade." |
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How to Beat Your Boss has now been BANNED ..... by the corporate BOSSES of a large chain of book retailers. Don't miss this opportunity to see what big business interests are trying to censor! Just $29.95 could save you or a family member thousands of dollars. WHERE TO BUY: BOOKSTORES Now available from a growing list of leading bookstores thoughout Australia - RRP $29.95. See the RETAILERS and FAQ page for a FULL LISTING OF ALL STORES throughout Australia. More outlets are being added regularly. If you can't find a stockist nearby then BUY ONLINE for rush delivery direct from our small warehouse ($29.95 plus $5.50 p.& h. to Australian delivery addresses only.) Delivery of online orders is personally guaranteed by the book's author, lawyer Terry McHugh.
Worried about purchasing online? No problem - you can pay by cheque or money order - see FAQ page for details. *If you live OUTSIDE AUSTRALIA and for fast delivery worldwide you should purchase from our twin site at beatyourboss.net QUICK LINKS
HELP US GET THE WORD OUT. Tell your friends about HOW TO BEAT THE BOSS. Start a revolution, and demand better bosses... |
PUBLICITY AND MEDIA
Media enquiries should be directed to media@beatyourboss.net.au
NEWS FLASH
How to Beat Your Boss has now been BANNED ... by the corporate BOSSES of Angus & Robertson (who also took over Borders) company bookstores.
But don't worry. You can still buy direct from our warehouse or any of our retailers (including some Angus & Robertson independent stores). See the full list of current retailers on the FAQ page.
OTHER NEWS
If you have any marketing or publicity ideas, we'd love to hear from you.
BOOK EXTRACT
To read a short book extract (about resigning from your job), go to the Advice & Research page at MyCareer.com.au
How to Manage Your Boss
(Newspaper article by workplace lawyer and author, Terry McHugh. This is NOT a book extract; see above for the link to an extract. )
The quality of your working life depends on many things. One important factor that makes up your total happiness level is the quality of your relationship with your boss.
But manage your boss? Is it OK to do that?
You may feel that the whole idea of managing your boss is somehow sneaky, or subversive. If so, think again.
Boss and employee; it's a relationship, underpinned by law. Much like a marriage, really. And when you think about it, you'll agree that you manage all the important relationships in your life, probably quite instinctively.
Therefore, it's not really a question of whether you should manage your boss; you must manage your boss. Your boss-although not necessarily aware of what you are doing-is depending on you!
Now, let's see how to start managing.
Your objectives
To ensure your success in the workplace, you want your boss to treat you fairly; recognise your efforts; provide solutions; support and mentor you. He or she may not be very good at all of this. If not, you can help fill the void by managing upwards.
Managing does not mean manipulating; it is about improving the quality of your workplace relationships. You certainly don't want to create trouble in your employment relationship, and you should always keep in mind your important legal duties and obligations to your employer. In particular, you should never do anything that would undermine the relationship of trust between you and your employer.
Really understand your boss
The better you know your boss, the greater your chances of a successful management mission. You must try to understand your boss from every angle imaginable. Start with factors that have shaped your boss's life; age, gender, health, religious and cultural differences. Also consider the type of employer you work for. Public service managers may be conservative and risk-averse. Small business owners can be difficult to manage, but remember in many cases they have taken great personal risks to build their business.
Delve a bit more deeply into personality issues if you can. You may feel that you can already predict your boss's work behaviour, based on months or years of working together. You may know all about his or her family and social life. All of that is fine, but what you are seeing is not always the total person. Ideally you need to understand something of the core; motivations, values, insecurities, the reasons for particular behaviours. Is your boss creative, entrepreneurial, sensitive, money-focussed? Observe your boss's behaviour with people and situations, over time.
To some extent you probably already do this sort of analysis with your other important relationships; your kids, your friends, partner and so on. However, if you don't have an instinct for it, you may want to ask some of your more trusted workmates to do this "personality profiling" for you. Many people have remarkable insights into human behaviour.
Nobody is asking you to stick your nose into your boss's private life; you can gather more than enough information at the workplace. And keep in mind the fact that bosses-quite properly-utilise all the information they can muster in choosing and developing employees. Psychometric testing is one well established practice.
You also need to consider whether your boss knows you; the real you. Most of us have a "projected persona" that we take to work every day. To manage your boss successfully, you need to have an understanding of how you are viewed and understood by your boss. Again, get help from your friends if needed.
My boss is an idiot
Your boss may or may not be an idiot. But he is still the boss, and you want your boss to trust you and feel comfortable with you. If you really are smart, you will manage the relationship in a way that is sensitive to his ego needs and bolsters his confidence in the role.
I have been involved in dozens of cases where employment relationships have unravelled because of a belief that the employee is "smarter" than the boss. The employee may have little respect for their boss, or may have unrealistic expectations about their boss's ability or performance.
Sometimes bosses feel vulnerable in managing talented employees who may, for example, possess superior qualifications, or display better communication skills. As an employee, you need to be alert to the possibility that your boss may feel threatened by someone like you; bosses are human, with weaknesses and insecurities that they may try to conceal.
Communicate
This is where all your good analytical work is finally put into effect. Your communications with your boss are the all-important means by which you achieve your objectives.
The key to managing your boss is to view the relationship as a two-way arrangement that should provide benefit to both parties. If you suspect that your boss doesn't quite see things this way, don't give up. Simply do a bit of extra "managing upwards".
Carefully plan the method, tone and timing of important communications with the boss. Once you feel you have a good understanding of your boss and yourself, you can plan your management strategy and target your communications accordingly.
So there you have it. Don't just sit there and fret because your boss sets impossible goals for you, or overlooks your fabulous results. Stop whingeing and start managing.
It's your job!
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