The overlap between Engineering and IT has never been greater. While there are definitely areas where they have some specialized needs (RF and Server security come to mind), the need for both departments to be one as broadcasters has never been more evident. It is instructive to visit a station and see the […]

Sometimes it seems that calling the Chief Engineer a manager refers to him being in charge of equipment – especially in one man departments. However, there is a whole set of interactions that go on between the engineer and staff … and especially with the boss. Can you manage your boss more effectively? For some answers and suggestions, please read on:

Unless you own the company, no matter where you work, you report to someone – maybe even to two or three bosses. And whether you think your boss is brilliant or a bore, the fact is that you have to manage the relationship with your boss if you want to advance your career.

The Future is Now

Realize that you are more dependent on your boss than your boss is on you, because your boss holds the key to your short-term future.

Not only can your boss release you at any time, especially in today’s economy, but your boss can also unconsciously ostracize you by not keeping you in the communication loop and by giving all the desirable projects to others. When your boss senses that communication between the two of you is not going well and situations have not been resolved, he or she will simply go work with your co-workers rather than you.

Therefore, if you do not manage the relationship with your boss, you will not last long in your particular position – either you will get fired or you will quit. Granted, if you work for a large company, you might be able to transfer to a different boss. But even then if you do not know how to manage your boss you could end up merely repeating the same scenario as you did with your former boss.

So before you let a little mismanagement on your part disrupt your career, take some time to learn the keys of “boss management.” The following suggestions will get you started on the right path and contribute to a more harmonious work day.

Understanding the Ground Rules

• What is good? To start off, find out from your boss what “good” looks like to him – and to all the others who may be involved in measuring “good.”

Whether you report to one person or four different bosses, you need to make sure you’re meeting everyone’s expectations. After all, what seems good to you may only be mediocre to your boss. Therefore, find out what “good” looks like to each boss to whom you report.

Sometimes bosses do not tell you much and you have to pull it out of them. You could simply ask, “What does ‘good’ look like on this project?” Or, “If this went exactly like you wanted it to go and it turned out perfect, what would have to happen between now and that time?”

As an added benefit, you might even get an idea of the scope of how big that project really is.

If you do this simple step upfront and find out what the expectations are on the project and the timelines, you will save a lot of time in the end.

Know How to Run the Project

• Following through: Ask your boss what kind of follow up he/she wants and what your boss has to have for his/her comfort level.

Many times bosses expect people to be mind readers, simply because they are busy and cannot always go over all the details of a project.

As such, your boss might forget to tell you such things as a firm dead-line or a required step. And since everyone operates from their own set of realities, the possibility of miscommunication is high.

Marshall Your Resources

That is why you need to take the initiative to set expectations for every project your boss assigns you. You need to find out:

• What is the deadline?
• What are your resources?
• What checkpoints or milestones do we want to establish, if any?
• What step or contact person is absolutely critical to this project?

Managing the Boss

Just as you set expectations when dealing with clients and co-workers, you need to manage the relationship and set expectations with your boss every time.

• Emulate the boss’ playbook: Examine your boss’s style and adjust to that style.

Peter Drucker says there are two key leadership styles: readers and listeners. Which is your boss? The readers want data before you talk with them. The listeners want to talk before they read.

For example, a CEO has a controller who is good with the numbers. He gives his boss elaborate and spectacular reports but that is not what she wants. Every time he gives her a report, she pushes the report aside and starts talking with him. She is not a reader; she is a listener.

All this CEO wants to know is the bottom line – “Are we in trouble or not?” So this controller is spending precious time producing materials his boss does not want.

Do Not Force the Issue

Conversely, if your boss is a reader, you are not going to get a good decision from that person in a quick hallway conversation.

Readers cannot make fast decisions on complex issues without data. So unless it is an easy question, they need to think things over and analyze them.

And while there are many personality types in the workplace, if you can make this one distinction between the readers and the listeners, you will go far with managing your boss.

Know When to Get More Input

• Speak up when necessary: Muster up the courage to tell your boss when you feel you have not been fully heard.

Most people want to be heard, yet most do not get heard by their boss.

Communication has to go both ways to achieve success. It is your responsibility to say when you feel you are not being heard. If your boss upsets you or misunderstands you, you have to speak up – not from the head, but from the heart. One way to do that is with an “I” message. For example, “I was really upset and hurt by what you said. I interpreted it as _________. Did you really mean it that way?”

If you are leery of speaking up to your boss, first try this approach on your family members. Practice it in a safe environment before trying it on your boss.

Be Aware of the Whole Team

• Know all the players: Become aware of other managers’ styles, especially when they have a stake in the outcome of your project.

Keeping up with the expectations and styles of multiple bosses can be a fine balancing act. The only way to wade through it all is if you can keep in mind the one thing that matters most to each of the stakeholders you have to please. It is too overwhelming to have five stakeholders and think through five requirements for each one.

So either ask each person what is most important to him/her, or figure out what you have observed in each person’s behavior that you can use to meet their expectations.

Learn as You Go

• Manage Up

The good news is that no matter how well or poorly you have managed your boss’s relationship in the past, you can re-craft your relationship on every new project.

Ideally, you want to create a relationship where talking from the heart is the norm, as then confrontation on serious issues will not be difficult.

In the end, it is really about understanding your boss. When you teach your boss how to work with you and hone great communication skills with him or her, your work life will be happier and much more productive.

– – –

Jean Kelley is president and founder of Jean Kelley Leadership Consulting and Jean Kelley Leadership Alliance. She works with corporate leaders all over the world to achieve their highest potential. With her Alliance, Jean has helped more than 500,000 businesspeople enhance their careers. She is the author of “Dear Jean: What They Don’t Teach You at the Water Cooler,” and “Get A Job; Keep A Job Handbook.” For more information, please visit www.jeankelley.com.

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Are you tired of not getting what you want? Do you feel like your staff or colleagues are not listening to you or following through on their commitments?

If so, grab a cup of your favorite drink and prepare yourself for a little Feng Shui for your mind.

Creating Harmony and Flow, Not Clutter and Disappointment

For those of you who are unfamiliar with this ancient Chinese practice, it is about placement and design to create spaces of harmony and balance.

Proponents say good Feng Shui and “Chi,” or flow, have a positive effect on health, prosperity, reaching goals and good relationships.

Similarly, in order to have clear communication we need to know how to use words to remove clutter and barriers. Just like Feng Shui, the careful use and placement of words can achieve balance, flow and harmony at work.

Craft Your Words Carefully

Sometimes we spend more time crafting our words to order coffee than we do to communicate goals, expectations, preferences, or disappointments.

I used to order “a double mocha frappacino with a shot of expresso, “skinny,” Grande in a Venti cup with shake of nutmeg and vanilla bean…” and hope for the best.

Now, I just order a small coffee. It is a lot easier. And I get what I want: A cup of coffee. It is not very glamorous without all the filler, fluff, and calories, but how often does one really need all that? Even if you want it, a steady diet of it is not good for your waistline – or your wallet.

And that is what Feng Shui and uncluttered communication have in common: Clarity and Simplicity.

What Are You Really Saying?

If you are not getting what you want, I invite you to step back and listen to your choice of words. Are you clear about what you really want – before you start talking?

In this era of things being “on-demand,” instant messaging and texting, we feel compelled to speak or write, before thinking. Instead, STOP! Take a few minutes to remove the clutter, and to balance your thoughts.

What do you really want? What is the intended outcome that you want from this interaction?

Not sure about your goal? Write it down. Now look at it. Is that what you want? If you got that, would that make you happy or deliver the results you want? If not, continue writing until you have found the clarity and simplicity of your thoughts.

Express Yourself, But Cut the Drama

Once you have “Feng Shui’d your thoughts and words” to be sure they are aligned and in harmony with what you want, it is time to take action. The next step is to express yourself with clarity, conviction and compassion – or at least, without blame, judgment, drama or exaggeration.

It is important to note that whenever there is ”drama” around a situation, you can be assured that clear communication is going to be compromised. In these situations, it is even more critical to step back and be objective about the end result you really want to achieve.

Look at all sides, all possibilities and all parties involved. Again, like Feng Shui, it is about creating a space of harmony and balance. Drama creates barriers to accomplishing what you want.

Three Approaches to Clear Communication

1. Make a Request. One way to reduce the clutter in your communication and get what you want is to “make a request.” A request is similar to an invitation. When you receive an invitation, you can accept it or decline. In addition, a request can provide an opportunity for a counter-offer.

When you start a sentence with the words: “I have a request,” it forces you to be clear about what you want. It also alerts the listener to pay attention, without the fear, manipulation or apprehension that can occur when someone barks “I need this now!” or candy-coats “Can you do me a favor?”

For example, instead of blurting out: “You’re late again!” or being passive-aggressive about it by sigh-ing, rolling your eyes and looking at your watch as the offender strolls past your office 30 minutes late, try this:

Think through what you really want and how you want to come across as a leader and manager. Align your thoughts words and actions to that image. Now you are ready make your request.

“Bill, I have a request. When I hired you, you said could work from 8 – 4. The past couple weeks, you’re not here until 8:15, sometime later. I request that you honor your commitment to work from 8 to 4.”

In this example, that the manager is holding Bill accountable for keeping his commitment. There is no drama, blame or opportunity for excuses.

It does provide, however, an opening for Bill to make another request or counter offer, such as: “I’m taking the kids to school now. Would it be possible to start at 9 and leave at 5?”

Remember: when making a request, you need to be prepared for it to be declined or engage in a 3 counter offer. If you are not willing to accept a “no” or a counter offer, then do not make a request.

2. State Your Expectations. Sometimes we think we have communicated expectations, but maybe we have only been rehearsing the dialogue in our heads! Did you actually tell the person what is expected? Or did you say something like: “you should know this is part of the job…”

Please note: saying “you should know” can put the other person on the defensive and rarely results in a good outcome.

So next time, instead of being snarky and saying, “Why can’t you get this right consistently?” Try this:

“Karen, we have reviewed this customer’s specifications for this job. I expect you to consistently do the work according to these requirements. If you fail to meet the requirements, there will need to be a written warning.”

Make sure your expectations are reasonable and actually part of the job. It helps to refer to documentation to support the expectation, such as a job description, product specifications, or legal requirements. People also need to know what happens if they do not meet expectations.

3. Keep your promises. If you say you will do something, do it. If you find that you are over committed or cannot follow through, the best thing you can do is acknowledge it to the person to whom you made the commitment. Do it as soon as you are aware that you cannot keep the promise.

Now we know you are smarter than a fifth grader, but do not act like one by saying “but I didn’t say: ‘I promise.’” In the final analysis all you have is your word. Do not diminish your integrity by not keeping your word to someone.

One of the best ways to have others keep their “promises” to you is to model this behavior. However there are times when we need to hold people accountable for not following through their commitments to us.

For example, “Jim, you said you’d have the analysis completed by today. I was counting on including that information for my presentation next week. What happened and when will it be completed?”

So there you have it. Follow the formula for Feng Shui for the mind and clear communication, and you will reap the benefits of clarity of thinking, aligning your words to your thoughts, and taking action that is consistent with your thoughts and words.

These are the keys to uncluttered communication.

– – –

Marty Stanley, President of Dynamic Dialog, Inc. (www.alteringoutcomes.com) is an author, national speaker and facilitator who helps organizations create their New Normal. For more information, contact Marty at 816-822-4047 or martystanley@alteringoutcomes.com

As the costs of power continue to increase, there are efforts on many fronts to make the transmitter plant more efficient. Just moving to solid state transmitters is the obvious, but can there be more?

For example, better planned and insulated transmitter buildings reduce air conditioning costs. However, while FM can reduce power use by use of more antenna bays, AM stations have pretty much been required to run full transmitter power, including sidebands in order to maximize coverage.

Recent tests, some conducted extensively in Alaska have shown tremendous potential for significant savings. Indeed, on September 13, 2011, the FCC announced that they would accept applications to implement new technologies, generally identified as Modulation Dependent Carrier Level (MDCL). The Media Bureau Public Notice is here.

Data From the Field

Some of the results were explained at the Nautel Users’ Group in April 2012. As an outgrowth of that presentation, Nautel has built a comprehensive resource page on Power Saving MDCL Technology.

The tests in Alaska involved both Nautel and Harris transmitters. Given the electricity costs of as much as $0.46 a kWh, the saving of 25-30% can be significant.

Of course, more information will be posted here. Keep an eye on this page for updates.