The boss/direct report tango

The Boss/Direct Report Tango

The Boss/Direct Report Tango Part In The Boss/Direct Report Tango nine key expectations bosses have of their subordinates are listed and discussed. Which of the nine does your boss have of you? List and discuss at least three.
From among the nine key expectations, one’s boss expects me to manifest the following three: (1) getting involved; (2) be willing to collaborate and (3) driving one’s own growth. Getting involved is crucial in every organization or in every endeavor, for the matter. According to Heathfield, “ employee involvement is creating an environment in which people have an impact on decisions and actions that affect their jobs” (par. 1). The success of an organization depends on the commitment and involvement of personal towards organizational goals. In this regard, involvement is relevant and significant in terms of doing not only what is specifically defined in the respective job responsibilities but to ensure that achieving one’s tasks contributes to the overall mission and goals of the firm. Further, involvement also necessitates willingness to collaborate and be a member of a team or group. When one member refuses to align defined tasks with others, deviations could lead to delays in accomplishments of objectives. Finally, one’s personal and professional efforts must always incorporate goals for development and growth. One must remember that working in an organization does not necessarily mean working only for the organization to achieve their needs. There should always be a room for personal and professional development through one’s initiative, being open for feedback and accepting positive criticisms for the purpose of noting weaknesses to address them, as required.
Are you able to deliver on each? If so, on which can you improve? If not, what might you begin doing now to ensure that you raise your game?
Yes, one recognizes that need to deliver on each expectation and works to meet them accordingly. On the other hand, one acknowledges that despite the efforts, there is always a room for improvement. For example, in terms of looking into the other expectations, one could work towards improving the need to take a proactive stance and be able to anticipate. Successful organizations exemplify leadership in their core competencies when they are able to anticipate changes in the environment, demands of customers, prepare for emergencies and address significant changes before they actually happen. Therefore, one should also learn to anticipate, research, review and monitor the factors affecting one’s job and responsibilities to stay ahead of the game.
Part II
The article also discusses seven expectations you should have of your boss. Does he or she deliver on each? If not, how would a change make your job easier?
From among the seven expectations one expects from one’s boss, the area that needs to be improved is being accessible and providing clear directions. Accessibility is seen as crucial to validate if designed and suggested strategies towards identified goals are to be implemented accordingly. This goes hand in hand with providing clear directions. Most of the time, one’s boss gives subordinates enough leeway and prerogative to apply strategies that are deemed appropriate to reach an objective. However, accessibility and confirmation are still needed to avoid costly mistakes.
Which of the seven is most important to you and why?
From among the seven expectations, the most important to me is giving frequent, immediate and specific feedback. This action would enable one to correct any deviations from planned courses of action and gets one’s direction back to its proper course. Frequent, immediate and specific feedback could be possible when the boss is accessible and when clear directions are provided. One would appreciate the boss to be directly involved and collaborating with the subordinates to assure them that we are on the right tract. Further, through frequent and constant communication, subordinates expect that some form of acknowledgment and recognition are given for job well done. At the same token, for subordinates who need more guidance in the achievement of tasks, frequent, immediate and specific feedback would help improve performance and productivity, as expected.
Works Cited
Heathfield, SM. Employee Involvement. 2011. 12 October 2011 .
Hunt, Joseph B. The Human Capitalist, November 2008 Edition. Web. 12 October 2011.