What most motivates your supervisor?
The Challenge
Think about the last four interactions that you had with--or observed other people having--with your supervisor, professionally or casually. For each interaction, answer these questions: (1) what seemed to make your supervisor excited and happy; (2) what seemed to cause your supervisor concern or pause; and (3) what seemed to result in them withdrawing or 'leaving' the interaction. Review your answers to those questions. What is your current theory about what might motivate your supervisor, and what might demotivate them?
Why do this?
Knowing what motivates your supervisor will help you have a better relationship with them and be better able to adapt your work to them. Being able to consider and respond appropriately to the needs and feelings of everyone is important; it's especially important with your supervisor who decides what you will do on a day-to-day basis, who evaluates your performance, and who will be best positioned to help you advance your career in time.
Answering the three questions in this challenge for four recent interactions is one small step toward observing and noticing what motivates your supervisor to improve your relationship. Keep noticing over time, adjust your original theory, and adjust your interactions.
What’s next?
If you notice that each time someone says a particular word or phrase to your supervisor, she withdraws or cringes, consider a different approach. Find another way to communicate. For example, for me, any time someone says: "that's not my fault," I tend to cringe and stop listening; anyone paying attention would notice my negative reaction. So if you are on my team and you know this, please don't say "that's not my fault." Please seek solutions, not blame.
