Much has been written about how the “boss” should manage, lead, coach the people who report to them. Some do it well. Others do not. As a consultant I have found it more effective to teach the jobholder how to manage the relationship with the boss, rather than the other way around. I will teach you a tool (the Priority Feedback System) that will strengthen your communication, credibility and influence in this important work relationship.

The Priority Feedback System (PFS) is a regularly scheduled meeting between the jobholder and the boss to review progress, set priorities and provide feedback to each other. What makes the PFS work is that the jobholder takes the lead. In an initial meeting of the two people, there is an agreement on the topics to be reviewed at the meetings. After that the jobholder creates the agenda, takes the lead in the meeting, prepares follow-up notes.

A typical meeting:

The jobholder reviews the progress on the commitments made (and recorded) at the previous meeting. The boss may ask questions, answer questions and provide advice as needed.
The jobholder reviews the priorities for the next period of time (typically one or two weeks). The boss may or may not ask for revisions to the priorities. After discussion there is clarity and agreement.
At the end if the meeting, the jobholder summarizes the actions and decisions agreed upon. The jobholder and boss agree on the date and time for the next meeting.

After the meeting the jobholder prepares meeting notes and gives a copy to the boss (no more than 24 hours after the meeting. Both jobholder and boss keep a file that has the PFS agendas and meeting notes along with any other pertinent information.

PFS Benefits
The jobholder gets clarity about expectations, minimizes unnecessary interruptions and provides real-time opportunities for coaching and support. The boss is assured that priorities are being met, can give timely advice, and increase the quality of time with direct reports. For both the PFS helps them build a collegial relationship serve the team and the organization.

PFS Costs
For the jobholder, it is taking the perceived risk for making clear commitments, communicating results and accepting the responsibility for their actions. For the boss, it is the letting go of the need to manage the self-managed jobholder. As they use the PFS, a performance partnership can be built, and both will grow in the process.

Next Steps
Consider sharing this with your boss and suggest a trial period of time to use the PFS, perhaps a couple of months. Let me know how it goes at dr.mjcolburn@gmail.com and I will share some best practices I have observed for high quality PFS meetings.

Dr. Michael Colburn has built his career on performance improvement at the organization, team and individual levels for a broad range of clients in the private and public sectors for more than 30 years. He recently retired as an Associate Professor of Management at Ashland University where he taught Organization Development, Operations Management, Strategic Management and Self-Management & Accountability. Michael has authored numerous papers in academic, professional and trade publications. His first book, Own Your Job: Five Tools for Self-management and Accountability in the Workplace will help you think more entrepreneurial and teach you self-management skills and increase your performance and influence.