Managing your Manager

We all have to deal with Management. In the best of all worlds, a manager's job is to act as the buffer between the rest of the company and yourself.  In a Metrics-Obsessed Management Environment, it may feel like your manager, whether he wants to or not, is out to get you.

Here are some things to keep in mind, and help you manage your manager:

1. Managers want you to succeed. Most managers are judged on how well their teams function.  Since you're part of the team, how you do in your job reflects on them.
2. Managers don't always understand exactly what your job entails.  If your manager didn't come up through the ranks as a Tech Support rep, or has been away from the position for a while, they many not know the details of what you have to do in order to do your job. If you take the time to explain (and sometimes document - see Write Everything Down) what you actually do, it will help your manager do his job.
3. Communicate - Communicate - Communicate. If you let your manager know that something's up that might affect how you do your job, then your manager has information in context and that adds more data to the raw numbers he has to contend with.
4. Be Patient - Managers don't always speak the same language as reps (Managers speak Manager, Tech Reps speak Tech). Feel free to ask for clarification, and verify that you've interpreted the words correctly.  If this sounds familiar, that's because this is also one of the basic steps in troubleshooting.
5. Coaching is not a personal attack -  Managers get feedback from customers, other reps and QA and are responsible for communicating this information to you. Being told you have things that need improvement shouldn't be considered a personal attack. No one is perfect - acknowledge, make a couple notes so you don't make that particular error again, and carry on. 

Keep these things in mind, and it should be easier to manage the person who's responsible for managing you.