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Getting Ahead in 2011: 10 Questions to Ask Your Boss

“The more you know, the more successful you’ll be,” says a business professor who studies power. Management professor Joe Magee, New York University’s Stern School of Business, recommends that in order to be successful at work, employees should become curious about their bosses’ backgrounds, goals, values, and day-to-day management styles. He’s come up with 10 questions he recommends all workers should ask to know their bosses.

1. What did your boss do prior to becoming your boss? What was her previous position? That information will help you evaluate how capable she is of handling all the responsibilities on her plate. “How dependent is she going to be on you to get the job done?” asks Magee.

2. How did your boss come to her current job? Did someone get fired, and she stepped into the breach? Or, did she get promoted by default, simply because she was next in line?

3. What are your boss’ career aspirations? What does she see as her next step? Magee suggests that if she loves status and power, “you’d better help her climb the corporate ladder.”

4. What does your boss value in the job? Is she intellectually stimulated by the work? Is she just collecting a paycheck? Does she care more about internal politics or external exposure?

5. How does your boss fit within the larger power structure at work? Is her political capital on the rise or on the wane? This questions requires research.

6. What kind of a relationship does your boss have with her supervisor? This requires extra research.

7. Does your boss advocate for her team? Does she push to get her people promoted? Will she stick her neck out for you if someone gives you a hard time?

8. What kind of management style works for your boss? What sort of ownership does she feel over the work her team performs? Does she want to make sure you’re on track with frequent check-ins. Or, does she give you so much rope that you can easily hang yourself? “This is one of the big things people struggle with at work,” states Magee. (Note: For useful descriptions of leadership styles see click here)

9. What does your boss value most in the people who report to her? Face time? Creativity? Or does she care more about autonomy, expediency, or attention to detail?

10. Get to know something about your boss’ life outside work. What is your boss passionate about? What personal interests does she pursue, such as kickboxing, gourmet cooking, or supporting community causes? Does she have religious or other affiliations that affects her schedule and yours?

Source: click here

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