In the movie Jerry Maguire, sports agent Jerry (Tom Cruise) has an iconic scene where he implores his client to “help me help you.” It’s a mantra that applies to employees working with their bosses as well.
Successful staff members learn how to “manage up” and invest time in understanding the issues facing their supervisors. The more you know about their pressure points, the more you can contribute by relieving them. Employees can also benefit by providing their supervisors with sound bites of successes, facts, or interesting stories that the manager can use in other settings. It’s also wise to allow them to publicly receive recognition for a team win, even though you may have played a more substantial role.
At the end of the day, a major portion of your responsibility is to make your boss look good — not only by achieving the team’s results but by doing so in a way that makes their life easier. Think about what you can do to save them time (e.g. anticipating data needs, providing proofed and ready-to-send reports, resolving problems on your own, etc.) and to aid in their looking good for their boss.
Follow Jerry Maguire’s advice and ask how you can help your supervisor be successful. Genuinely striving to “help me help you” is a winning strategy for career success.
