Backchat the Boss and Win
You can learn how to positively influence those above you without resorting to Katie Hopkins tactics, says CALUM ROBSON.
Scan the appointments pages of the finance press these days and a common theme emerges. Not only are the accountants of tomorrow required to demonstrate good communication skills, those skills are evidently going to be called on to 'convince', 'persuade', 'negotiate with' or 'influence' people at more senior levels - within their employer or externally, at clients, suppliers and business partners. That's a big ask for people who may still be training.
Yet upward management - of not just your boss but other senior colleagues or associates - is a key skill in today's business environment. And you don't have to be a scheming contestant on The Apprentice to acquire it.
The job needs it
Tom Cunningham, who leads the banking recruitment team at Poolia, says internal audit is a classic area where a degree of assertiveness with more senior colleagues is necessary: 'With ever-tightening regulation - particularly in financial services - it's imperative that those who go into different business areas and demand to see figures and processes are comfortable dealing with heads of departments,' he says. 'That means you have to have a fairly robust personality, to be able to say this or that thing is right or wrong - but in the most constructive way.'
Communicating unpopular opinions or decisions is the accountant's lot, according to Paul Bibby, managing director of recruiters Elements: 'The need for soft skills development has never been more relevant to the finance function,' he says. 'Influencing and persuasion skills are therefore crucial when giving uncomfortable truths. For instance, in commerce and industry, financial analysis work may involve examining business cases for new projects but may also entail delivering the bad news that certain aims just aren't feasible.
'An authoritative - but not arrogant - manner will also be needed in practice, as obviously clients will be mostly senior finance professionals themselves. If you're part of the audit team - however junior - you still need to be able to demonstrate that you have the confidence and ability to liaise upwards.' Similarly, in management consultancy, you may well be dealing with clients much older and more experienced than yourself: 'People who may be sensitive about taking advice from someone much younger and seemingly less qualified,' says Bibby.
Everyone wins in the office
Managing your own boss is a different kettle of fish altogether - that's about both of you being more effective at work. Jo Causon, director of marketing and corporate affairs at the Chartered Management Institute, says upward managers should aim for efficient organisation of workload and better relationships with key players: 'Good upward management actually creates alliances - it's about avoiding conflict,' she says. 'By upwardly managing well, you're taking responsibility. That includes reminding your boss what you're doing and why, and good bosses welcome that input.'
Causon believes that neglecting upward management can create havoc and panic: 'If you don't manage your boss, he'll have hundreds of things coming across his desk haphazardly and be dumping them on you all the time at the last minute. If you're able to reply that you can do those things but at the same time remind him that he said certain other tasks were priorities and that they'll need to be rescheduled for another time, then generally bosses will be receptive.
'The problem is,' she observes, 'that most people - especially juniors - just put up with stuff being shovelled onto them and go home thinking their manager doesn't care.'
Identifying upward managers
When employers want people with good upward management technique, interviewers will want clear evidence that potential jobholders won't roll over and die when faced with situations that need challenging.
'We question our candidates and their core competencies, asking what challenges they face in the workplace and how they handle them.' says Cunningham. 'If I can identify that someone's motivated by the prospect of challenges like that - and is likely to deal expertly even with difficult people - then I can confidently recommend them to the client. There's no room for shrinking violets - but there are some incredibly switched-on part-qualifieds out there, and they tend to be the ones who'll get on.'
Bibby cautions against trying to catch interviewers out by asking deliberately awkward questions, but insists there's no reason not to demand that the interviewer sells the role back over the desk: 'Enquiring about the interviewer's own background, what they like about working for the organisation and examples of where they've really achieved job satisfaction may challenge their thinking - but they're also reasonable enough questions to ask,' he says. 'You could also reverse the competency-based interviewing technique by asking for specific examples of where they feel they or the organisation have contributed to an employee's career development.'
In the know
When dealing with either your own manager, or more senior people in general, the key to effective upward management is subtlety. Causon says, 'What a boss wouldn't want to do is feel that they're being manipulated. It's far better for them to feel their subordinates know how different things have to be done or presented and abide by that. It's more about communication. For instance, instead of simply accepting a task that's been unreasonably delegated to you or rejecting it outright, maybe say that it's a good idea but that you need some time to reflect on it. That might initially take some managers by surprise but they may actually see why it was rash to give it to you like that, and offer help.
'It's important that your boss knows you don't have a problem with something coming in at the last minute as he's walking out the door - provided allowances are made in other areas. You have to choose your time sensibly for raising issues like that.'
Some people are uncomfortable with the idea of upward management. 'Sometimes it's easier to just accept a poor manager and take whatever comes,' says Causon. 'Other people are afraid their boss will respond badly; sometimes, it's just the working environment or culture that gets in the way.'
Yet development as a manager means being able to take ownership, even if your boss is Sir Alan Sugar: 'We're all accountable to ourselves,' says Causon. 'We have to be able to communicate upwards, downwards and sideways. You must take responsibility for giving your boss the information he needs to support him and the rest of your team. That includes information about your own workload. Try to understand your boss's perspective, though - if you generally think he's a fair person, then the chances are he's asked you for a good reason. Try to understand it and talk about it.'
Gaining practical experience
One of the principal reasons why it's good for trainees and part-qualified accountants to acquire good upward management skills is for securing exposure to different facets of the finance function in order to satisfy your professional body's practical experience requirements for membership. Skill shortages, constant deadlines and increasing pressure to respond to and support business growth mean managers often don't have the time to think about the professional development needs of their charges. It's down to you to make your case.
'Employers understand more that people need to develop a broader range of skills,' says Cunningham. 'But where rotation isn't on offer - perhaps in smaller organisations - assertive people put forward a convincing argument aiming for a win-win. For instance, in many organisations, the supply of qualified accountants can't keep up with demand - so it makes sense to up-skill those coming through the ranks. Not only will that add to the finance team's capability, it's also a useful retention tool at a time when talented people are thin on the ground.
'Put that way, a shrewd manager will grasp the reality - that providing the exposure is in his or her interests, as well as the employee,' says Cunningham. 'Someone for whom upward management is a struggle might be tempted to go for a more confrontational approach and actually threaten to leave should their demands not be met. That's an unlikely long-term solution - and shows that upward management most definitely isn't about throwing your weight around.'
Causon says understanding your boss's and your employer's strategic objectives helps here: 'If you're asking to move into a different team, that could cause a complete nightmare if you're away for, say, three months,' she explains. 'Better to show that when you come back, you'll bring added value - improving the overall strength. You might even want to suggest keeping on a certain proportion of your existing workload.
Bibby says managing expectations is key: 'If your boss feels you will have more to offer the team by gaining exposure to other areas, he's more likely to encourage it,' he says. 'Managers appreciate ideas that are in tune with their own goals and objectives, which will invariably reflect those of the business. So before presenting ideas that will benefit you and your long-term career development, ask yourself how they will also impact positively on your team, the company - and your manager.'
And with that, your upward management apprenticeship will be almost complete.
