Managing your relationship with your boss

As pharmacists, we manage many types of relationships every day. As is true in our personal relationships, our professional relationships need our constant attention and management. While we might pay special attention to building a relationship with a new staff member, how strategic are we in managing the relationship with our direct supervisor? Managing your relationship with your boss has become an acceptable and recommended leadership strategy and has been highlighted by Harvard Business School moguls John Gabarro and John Kotter (see suggested readings). Whether you are a staff pharmacist, clinical specialist, manager, or director, by intentionally investing energy into managing your relationship with your boss, you will become more effective in your role and ultimately find your job easier to perform. Self-awareness and self-management are powerful tools for personal development and successful leadership. Because you are half of the employee–boss relationship, it is critical to first understand and acknowledge your strengths, weaknesses, and personal style. What would your coworkers say are your strengths? Maybe you are driven and results oriented, a creative thinker, or excellent with understanding and manipulating data. Strongly consider completing one or more personal assessments, using tools such as Insights programs (Insights Group, Dundee, Scotland), StrengthsFinder (Gallup, Omaha, NE), and Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (CPP, Mountainview, CA). Once you have identified your strengths, develop and leverage them and give less attention to correcting your weaknesses. Weaknesses can often be managed by identifying and working with other team members whose strengths complement yours.