Page 97 - Just Promoted A 12 Month Road Map for Success in Your New Leadership Role

82 Just Promoted!

follow through on those decisions her boss supported and to back off or con-
tinue to “sell” where Marsha seemed unsure or ambivalent.
The third rule Lu followed was to keep disagreements with her boss pri-
vate. As far as the rest of the organization was concerned, Lu and Marsha
understood each other and were a perfectly synchronized team. This made
the organization’s top management seem well oiled and well organized, and
it enhanced the organization’s leadership reputation.
The least-known element of their partnership was that Lu made sure that
Marsha was the star. Even though Lu had written most of the business plan,
Marsha presented it to the board of directors. When sales dramatically
increased, Lu deflected much of the credit to Marsha, even though Marsha
and the management team attributed much of the credit for the sales increases
to Lu’s marketing efforts. When a national magazine contacted Lu for a fea-
ture about women leaders, she suggested they do the piece on Marsha instead.
This was smart and politically very savvy.
In the process, Marsha appreciated Lu’s essential contribution toward her
success. Within the executive team, Marsha publicly credited Lu for helping
with the company’s turnaround and promoted her to group head. But as far
as the board of directors and the outside world was concerned, Marsha was
and is the star. Lu’s loyalty enhanced both her own and her boss’s careers.

UNDERSTANDING YOUR BOSS’S RESPONSIBILITIES
AND PREFERENCES
Your boss can’t always give you what you want. Monies you need may be com-
mitted for other purposes; people you don’t want may be politically connected;
capital improvements you want to make may be slated for other departments.
The needed purchasing program cannot be acquired in the next fiscal year,
and you have to wait your turn.
Nonetheless, you can help your boss help you. As you help make your boss
a star, he or she should also help you succeed. But your boss’s attention will be
pulled in many directions. Thus, for your boss to help you, you may have to ask.
First, be part of and high in your boss’s very busy “mental inbox.” Have a
set time every week when you meet. Choose a time that’s relatively unpres-
sured, like early morning for coffee, Friday afternoon, or maybe even after five
o’clock, when much of the workforce has gone home and you both are begin-