Listening Power in Career - Essay Example

Finding out his character can form the basis of successful communication and perhaps, manipulation, of your boss.

            The technique to manage your boss to agree with you is through finding weak spots in him. If you listen carefully, your boss might give you ways into his weaker side through what he says and you could use them to your advantage. For example, if your boss tells you something like “I am just 2 years away from a great retirement plan. I don’t want to deal with stupid people like you”, then you must focus more on his retirement and less on you being referred to as a stupid person.

            Let us now move on and outline the basic steps you must take to get your boss to agree with you. First comes the listening part. You must listen carefully and find out what exactly it is that your boss wants. Every boss is different. Some bosses want to feel the power in their hands, some want security, and some are only concerned with money. Therefore, you must listen and analyze your boss and find out what his basic requirements are.

            After that, you must deal with him accordingly based on what he wants. For instance, if he’s looking for power, ask him to give you a chance to do things your way, and if you failed, you would be ready to do whatever he wants. Similarly, if your boss appears to be insecure, you could try talking to him like a colleague rather than a subordinate and ask him about his family and interests. This would cause him to be more open to you and would develop a bond of trust and understanding between the two of you.

            It is important to note that arguing does not lead to any good. Whatever insight to your boss you get from listening and communicating with him, you must ensure that your tone is not that of an argument when you try to convince him. Instead, you should devise a well-thought-out plan of action for your discussion with him and ask him questions to get to the root of his requirements.

            Even after all the listening and planning, however, you might not be able to reach a mutual understanding with your boss. In that case, you must be prepared to use your worker’s rights as a last resort to deal with your boss.