Help Your Boss Help You

Chapter 1Making Inevitable Conflict Productive

Conflict with your manager is inevitable because you want different things. That’s okay, though, because conflict means there are ways to satisfy both sides. The fact that your goals and your manager’s goals are different leads to conflict, but you can plan for that and use it to your advantage. As we say in computer science: it’s not a bug; it’s a feature.

In fact, conflict is a fundamental part of all business relationships. Customers want the best quality products for the lowest price, while vendors want to keep costs low and charge whatever the market will bear. Senior managers want the rewards that come with taking risks, but need to avoid risks that threaten the company in its current markets. ...