Page 70 - Executive Warfare

EXECUTIVE W ARF ARE

thing else is incidental to them. So it’s your job to make sure that you get
something in return—that they help you rise.
To make the right deal with your boss, it’s helpful to develop a healthy
dose of cynicism about what the boss is up to.
No matter what bosses say, it’s all about them. You are just an instru-
ment to them. They’ll treat you well as long as you’re useful. On the other
hand, I’ve never had a boss who hasn’t expected 110 percent loyalty. No
matter whether they were a former priest or perhaps headed in the other
direction in the afterlife, they expected to be venerated.
And you have to put up with this
imbalance because they have such enor-
THE FIRST RULE mous power over you, especially as you
OF YOUR move up and start receiving compli-
RELATIONSHIP cated forms of compensation that vest
WITH YOUR BOSS over time.You become very much mar-
IS TO UNDERSTAND ried to your boss, like it or not. So it’s
THAT IT’S A worth thinking about what it takes to be
BUSINESS an effective instrument for the boss.
TRANSACTION. First of all, if your boss is any good,
he is going to be searching for the truth.
The boss needs the truth to make good
decisions. So you have to give him the truth, even when it’s unpleasant.
I had a peer at John Hancock once who was so afraid to deliver bad
news that he would try to disguise even the worst news as good news. Let’s
call him Tim. At one point, Tim’s group lost a large commercial account
that was not terribly profitable—but it was very important to the com-
pany in terms of prestige and helped us sell many other accounts.
Tim, however, went to the big bosses and said, “Well, we’ve lost it, but
not to worry. It’s not a big loss to the bottom line.”
This was so transparently cowardly, I had to smile.
The boss is not stupid, so don’t put a shine on the ball.At this level, you
just don’t. It frustrates the boss and makes you look like a lightweight.

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