Bob Selden
How To Select Your Boss - - a three pronged selection strategy
Copyright (c) 2007 The National Learning Institute
Jane had been out of the country for over a year and
returned home to start a new job as a physiotherapist in a
family run business. She was excited about the new role as
the husband and wife team who ran the practice had been
asking her for some time to join them as a full time
employee.
During the first week, Jane did not have as many patients
as others, so she was asked to work less hours. This
seemed fair as it does take time to build a personal
clientele: However in her second week, it became obvious
that Jane's full time job was to be part time. Her bosses
were setting her up to work part time hours. She also
started to get a bit uneasy about her new boss' management
styles. Firstly they seemed unwilling to talk about her
hours. Then, she found her patient files had been examined
without advising her, nor had she been given any subsequent
feedback, either positive or negative. Jane is someone who
likes to be involved and communicated with. Her ideal job
had started to lose its shine.
Have you had an experience where you found out after
starting in a new role that your boss was not all that you
thought he or she might be? Or maybe you are in the
process of applying for a new job right now? Perhaps some
of the following will be of help.
When applying for a new job, we are (rightly) concerned
about putting our best foot forward and making sure that we
are selected. Often we neglect the fact that it is a two
way street – they select us and we select them.
Unfortunately, the consequences of not selecting the right
boss only become obvious once we are in the new role. My
research clearly shows that people do not leave an
organisation, they leave a boss! It is therefore vital
that when you apply for a position, you not only look at
the organisation and the role, but you also interview your
boss with as much thoroughness as he or she interviews you.
How do you interview your prospective boss, particularly
when the focus of the employment interview is the other way
round?
Well, before you even get to the interview, it is very
useful to jot down what your selection criteria are for an
effective boss. You should do this in much the same way as
you would if you were a manager selecting a new employee.
Everyone's "ideal" will be different, but here are some
points to help you develop a profile of your ideal boss.
Add your own to the list.
• Think back to previous good bosses that you have had.
What made them "good" for you?
• Conversely, think of the reasons why some previous bosses
have not been so good. Avoid these at all costs.
• How much autonomy do you like in your job?
• How much feedback do you like to get about your
performance? How do you like this feedback given?
• How much responsibility do you like to be given?
• Are you a very practical person, or more creative? How
should your boss manage this?
• How do you like to be trained and coached?
• How do you like your boss to communicate with you?
When you have drawn up your selection criteria, place them
in priority order. This is so that you can make a sound
and realistic assessment of your potential boss' ability to
manage you in the style which bests suits you.
Once you are clear on your criteria, weave them into the
following boss interview process.
1. Look for clues during the interview.
You may get some idea of how your future boss operates by
the way the interview is conducted. For example . . .
• Did it start and finish on time? Is this important to
you?
• How courteous was your prospective boss? Did this have
an impact on you?
• Did he/she allow you the opportunity to put your point
without talking over the top of you? How well listened to
did you feel?
• Did he/she discuss examples of previous employees in a
confidential manner?
• Did he/she explain the performance requirements of the
role? Did you gain a very clear idea of what will be
expected of you in the role?
• Was the room layout formal or informal? Did this matter
to you?
• Finally, from the examples and explanations given, what
management style do you believe your prospective boss has?
Does this match your ideal?
2. Find out what your prospective boss' ideal employee
looks like.
When the interview gets to the "Do you have any questions?"
stage, here are some questions you might like to ask. The
aim here is to get him/her to describe their ideal employee.
For example, you may ask:; "You've probably had some very
good employees working for you. What is it about them that
made them so good?" Of course, you can also ask about his
or her poor employees as well.
These questions may sound as if they are looking at the
employee and in fact they are. However, the answers the
boss gives will be about the things he or she looks for and
judges their employees on and most importantly, how he or
she manages them. Look for signs during their answers
that tell you about your selection criteria, such as
autonomy, responsibility, initiative, communication and so
on.
3. Assess your boss against your selection criteria.
You should have a question ready for at least each of your
three most important selection criteria. For example, if
"autonomy" is a key need for you, your question may be
something like "Autonomy is important to me as I find it
very motivating. Can you please give me an example of how
you manage the level of autonomy you give your people?" Or
perhaps if "training" is important for you, your question
might be "I like to learn as much as I can about the job
and the organisation. Can you please give me an example of
the training or coaching you provide for your people?"
In all of your boss selection questions, keep asking for
examples to illustrate. Examples describe what the boss
does and says with his/her employees. With enough
examples, you can develop a very good idea of your
prospective boss' management style.
Finally, if your interview throws up some doubts in your
mind about the prospect of a positive relationship with
your prospective boss, my advice would be to "pass" on this
role and look for another opportunity. Try not to become
too seduced by the excitement of the role, the salary or
the conditions. Ultimately, all of these will pale by
comparison with the ongoing relationship you have with your
boss.
Keep in mind that it is a selection interview – for both of
you.
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Bob Selden has been a boss many times over. He’s also
worked for many. Some of these relationships have been
fantastic and some did not live up to his expectations. He
currently provides advice to both bosses and employees on
how to make the best selection. As MD of the National
Learning Institute, he would love to hear your “war”
stories or to offer some free advice. Please contact Bob
