Your manager keeps getting upset with you, but you have no idea why.
You were telling him about your weekend, after they’d asked, and then you felt as if the response, once you were done, was very curt. Almost as if you’d been talking too much.
Why?
On top of that, you feel as if you know next to nothing about your manager. What do they do with their free time? What are they into? Are you in good standing with them, or are they generally unhappy with your work?
Not a clue, and it’s too awkward to ask.
So, you go into work every day, super anxious about where you stand and, on top of that, your manager seems annoyed with you every time you speak.
If you haven’t been in this situation at work, where you don’t know what your boss is thinking but whatever it is, it doesn’t feel great, then you’re a very lucky person. Most of the rest of the world has been in such a position. Have you ever wondered why, though?
The easy explanation for these miscommunications is that your boss doesn’t like you. Or that the person is not a pleasant person. Or that the manager is not good at their job. Or you’re not, but let’s not dwell on that!
Now, remember, you’re not the only one who has probably had this uncertainty before. The odds are likely that everyone in your company has felt it at least once.
So, what’s the explanation for the disconnect, if it’s not one of the easy ones?
It could be cross-cultural differences. Even if your manager speaks your language or works at your company, they may bring a very different cultural background and work style.
Those differences are the reason we launched Managing Up, a course to help you bridge styles and build better relationships with your manager.
The course draws on the 8 Dimensions of Culture within the Culture Calculator Suite, which measures an individual’s personal cultural workstyle, and it then provides context for some of the differences that individuals may be noticing in how they relate to their managers. With a specific emphasis on the Hierarchy, Communication, Relationships (trust-building), Time, and Group dimensions, the course will allow individual employees to compare their culture profile to their manager's.
Revisiting the example we started with: it may feel like your manager is upset, when in reality, they might just have a different approach. Perhaps they value direct, concise communication and put less focus on building personal relationships.
So instead of worrying that your manager secretly dislikes you, consider adjusting your workstyle. A small shift in how you communicate might ease the challenge and even encourage your manager to meet you halfway.
If you’re interested in learning more about how the Managing Up course can help employees make sense of these cross-cultural misunderstandings in your company, reach out to us!
