How to Succeed (or not) With Your Boss

I first learned of Keirsey Temperament Theory about 10 years ago. What got me hooked was that it explained many things about dealing with people that had been somewhat mysterious to me up to that point. Why did a behavior that created a positive and successful relationship with some people cause painful friction with others? After all, one of the most common and widely held beliefs of 20th century psychology was that people are mostly alike, and you should treat people the way you yourself would like to be treated.

An area where this premise most baffled me was in my relationships with various bosses (or their bosses) as my career progressed. Why did I develop excellent chemistry with some, and a mutual distrust (at worst) with others? After all, I was behaving toward them the way I appreciated subordinates behaving towards me.

One of the lessons I learned through the school of hard knocks, that Keirsey Temperament Theory finally explained to me, is that behaving toward a Guardian boss like you would toward a Rational boss can be fatal - and vice versa. Being a Rational, I tended to do very well with Rational bosses, and often found myself in uneasy relationships with Guardian bosses. Here's a specific:

Guardian bosses tend to be very conscious of positional authority. "Rank has it's privileges." Let's say you're giving a group presentation and the Guardian boss is present (even better let's say it's your boss's Guardian boss). If the Guardian boss asks a question or makes a statement that disagrees with your point, the BEST thing you can do is acknowledge the VALUE of their opinion, even if you disagree. If you disagree strongly, then say "That's an excellent point that I will investigate more closely and get back to you on." (Then do exactly that, conscientiously.) Do not argue the point in front of others, no matter how much data you have that shows you are right and they are wrong. You will be guilty of insubordination and this is a career-limiting move.

Now, consider the same exact circumstances with a Rational boss. The Rational boss is probably testing the level of your research and the strength of your conclusions. If you have data to back up your position, you need to use it then and there. If you back down (as recommended above with the Guardian boss), the Rational will start tearing into you to find out what else you are lying about. Rationals tend not to care about positional authority - they care above all about competence. So, backing down shows you are incompetent - you did inadequate research and don't believe your own conclusions. Another career-limiting move. (Of course, if they pointed out a true flaw, you’d better own up and take your lumps on the spot - don't compound the problem by defending it and further demonstrating your incompetence).

Since there are about 4-5 times as many Guardians as Rationals in the population, you are more likely to run into Guardian bosses. especially at the first supervisoral level. So, most people become accustomed to the first scenario of deferring to the boss when challenged. The worst public scenes I have witnessed during my career have been at the hands of the Rational bosses. Fortunately, as a Rational myself, I never experienced this type of public humiliation. However, the Guardian bosses tend not display their displeasure, when you defend rather than defer to them, quite so publicly. Instead, feedback would come through channels: "Big-boss is questioning your judgment on such-and-such project..."

Next month I'll also talk about Artisan Bosses and Idealist bosses. But statistically, the higher up you go in an organization, the more likely you are to run into either a Guardian or a Rational. In fact, according to one study I saw recently, once you get to "upper management", Guardians make up around 45% and Rationals 40% of this population. So having a good idea of how to handle these two temperaments is a necessary tool in your skills kit.

Bottom line - not knowing the temperament of your boss may be hazardous to your career.

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