Nearly all of us 
have worked for a well-meaning, relatively capable leader who does his or her best each day but still falls short. It is not their fault, really. They are the manager, but that doesn’t mean they can be experts in the details of every job function in their chain of command. The orchestra conductor may also know how to play the violin, but may not have as much clarity on the mechanics of playing the wind instruments. It is an age-old problem.
One solution is to think of your bosses as your apprentices. What could you teach them to do that would make them more useful to you? In my knowledge transfer consulting firm, we routinely write Skill Development Plans to help people train their peers on very technical knowledge. The less obvious application is using the same process to train their bosses. You could call this “managing up” in a very positive, practical way. You no longer need to be the victim of bosses who aren’t technical enough to understand your role. You can think of them as people who haven’t yet learned enough to be fully useful to you.
To write a Skill Development Plan for your bosses, think about what you need from them and write it in the form of a task wish list. “I wish my boss knew how to…”
have worked for a well-meaning, relatively capable leader who does his or her best each day but still falls short. It is not their fault, really. They are the manager, but that doesn’t mean they can be experts in the details of every job function in their chain of command. The orchestra conductor may also know how to play the violin, but may not have as much clarity on the mechanics of playing the wind instruments. It is an age-old problem.
One solution is to think of your bosses as your apprentices. What could you teach them to do that would make them more useful to you? In my knowledge transfer consulting firm, we routinely write Skill Development Plans to help people train their peers on very technical knowledge. The less obvious application is using the same process to train their bosses. You could call this “managing up” in a very positive, practical way. You no longer need to be the victim of bosses who aren’t technical enough to understand your role. You can think of them as people who haven’t yet learned enough to be fully useful to you.
To write a Skill Development Plan for your bosses, think about what you need from them and write it in the form of a task wish list. “I wish my boss knew how to…”
- Analyze the data from…
- Build a relationship with…
- Make a business case for…
- Troubleshoot problems with…
- Choose (or make a decision about)…
