Do you ever feel like your boss is just biding time as you speak? In a glass bubble? He hears you, but isn’t really listening. You feel lucky to get time with him, but that’s often discounted by the seeming lack of interest. When the day strikes that your manager really pays attention, you feel like declaring a national holiday. There are steps you can take to mitigate this dynamic so you don’t feel as if you're spinning your wheels.
One recent study shows that workplace distractions such as e-mail notifications, phone calls, text messages, instant messages and activity stream alerts, cost the average large white-collar company more than $10 million a year. So this is not your imagination.
Tips
As technology continues to take multitasking to new, unchartered levels, our boss's minds can easily jump from one subject to another. Often they seem unable to spend the time to focus successfully on one project (especially yours!)
You can apply some of the same time-honored techniques with your boss that you may have used with easily distractible small children, albeit with more diplomacy and business savvy. Both share the ability to become overwhelmed and then inattentive. Our core, human traits and needs, such as fear, anxiety, need for achievement – and boredom – remain whether we're two or 52. Here are some ideas to consider:
• No surprises. If you descend on your boss when you feel an impulse to reach out, take a pause. Better to outline next steps in e-mails to your boss on pending items, and request a response. Ideally, try to arrange regular meetings, in-person or digital, so there’s always enough notice. If you don’t take your time or hers seriously, how can your boss? Send out an agenda the day before your meetings, and if your boss is off the charts on the “focus bell curve,” resend it that morning. At the meeting itself, make sure your Terrible Office Tyrant (TOT) has the agenda handy so you can both remain on message.
• Less is more. Time is a precious commodity, and sometimes keeping your communications simple yields better results. If you’re the type of person who plays high importance on details or has to explain things in an orderly sequence, try to hit reset. If you tend to stray, an inattentive boss will likely follow. Most executives prefer to hear the “executive summary” first and then drill down to key details. If your boss is a master at taking the conversation elsewhere, come up with a “bridge,” such as, "That’s interesting…oh, I just remembered something I wanted to mention about xyz project."
• Consider your timing. If you realize that the timing of your communication isn’t optimal, consider rescheduling. The danger of staying at a bad time when you have no control over the commotion, is that your boss may not want to cover the same subject twice, at least in any detail. First thing in the morning on a Monday is obviously a bad choice, as is before lunch. If your company’s stock just sank 10 percent or you’re competing with 12 other people in a given hour, your meeting can wait.
• Be intriguing. As we know from watching dynamic speakers, people like to be around energy and like presentations with interactivity. Use what you know about your manager to be more engaging – you’ll draw him in and keep his attention longer. You don't have to hire a singing quartet or be a standup comedian, but you can avoid being dry and monotone.
If your boss is completely reserved or withdrawn, you can still be lively. Many of these personality types are just uncomfortable socially, and need an excuse to relax. By putting your boss at ease with some levity, you and your project will likely be more captivating. Also consider whether your materials are visually attention-getting and easy to read or dull.
• Stay focused. While you don’t have control over your boss's affliction with “BADD” – Boss Attention Deficit Disorder, remember that if there’s something in it for your boss, you’ll generally have better luck. If your meeting includes multiple people, ask attendees to participate: a guaranteed way to increase attentiveness. Don’t be afraid to take control just because your boss is present. State the meeting’s purpose upfront, and if it wanders due to input from participants, bring it back on track with such phrases as, "Great idea. I’d love to come back to that during the xyz section of the agenda." That will also discourage others from taking the meeting into a tangent.
• Hold meetings in a strategic place. If you end up in your boss’s office, you may have less control. Consider suggesting that in your office, you have some web sites open or materials that will expedite the meeting. Perhaps there is a conference room where you’ll have more room to spread out your work.
Now you’ve taken steps for your boss to focus on you, not the clock.