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Managing the boss is critical to every employee's career. If you are a manager of anoverseas subsidiary and your boss is 5,000 10,000 miles away, managing him or her is

critical not only for your own career but also for the subsidiary you manage.

An often-quoted cardinal rule is never to let your boss be surprised in front of others.

Outstanding performers do more than simply keeping the boss briefed on significantdevelopments. As well as carrying out instructions, they also take the initiative in key

areas that will affect the outlook of the local operation.

When you are managing a subsidiary, you will often find yourself dealing with increasing

ambiguity and paradox. React fast or take time to consider? Grasp a new opportunity or

stay operationally focused? Control or collaborate? Do what works best locally or what is

mandated from 10,000 miles away?

For those managers who opt for unquestioning obedience and dependence on the idea

that head office knows best, they can expect the idiom plan or be planned for to come

true. Most head office strategic plans are only performance improvement plans. While it

is necessary for survival to meet performance expectations credibility comes out of the

barrel of performance as one manager remarked it is not sufficient to secure subsidiary

survival. Even superior performance is not enough.

That is not to say that the task stops at reputation management. More multinational

companies no longer view their subsidiaries as dumb sub-contractors. Head office may

think they know best and certainly they have every right to prevent self-serving initiatives

or local empire building. However, the evidence of high performing subsidiaries is thatlocal managers see autonomy as a disadvantage. They are instead looking for increased

influence so that they can grasp opportunities within the integrated global organisation.

Their actions are not designed to undermine the parent but to increase the parents

reliance on them by genuinely adding value. This leadership position requires executives

that, having built credibility, display an attitude of Ask for forgiveness, not permission

towards their boss.

Multiple Boss Syndrome is one of the reasons why subsidiary managers cannot shirk

their responsibility to get beyond short-term performance optimisation. The turnover of

subsidiary managers is about one third that of their bosses. It appears that many are not

actively seeking promotion by moving abroad. An important implication is that the local

manager knows more about whats going on, where the bodies are buried and whereopportunities lie than do the succession of bosses who rely on second-hand reports in

their briefing sessions. Indeed it is not uncommon for Executive Coaching assignments to

have to focus on repairing damage caused by a subsidiary manager failing to manage his

new bosss transition and quickly finding not only his job, but also his organisations

position marginalised.

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As well as proactively interacting with their boss, high performers are organisationally

aware of where their subsidiary stands. Such political awareness is important to the art of

getting things done. Four types of subsidiary typically exist.

Lone Stars are stand-alone subsidiaries with a basic mandate and no significant

influence elsewhere in the organisation.

Passive Stars are typically dependent on headquarters for taking responsibility for

selected parts of the value chain.

Dominant Stars or product / service specialists can influence other subsidiaries,

including corporate headquarters in a particular area of excellence.

Constellation Stars are strategically independent, influencing and being influenced by

other subsidiaries, including headquarters, as they develop business lines in selected

market areas.

High performing managers evaluate where they stand in their mandate and defend,

consolidate and develop. They understand that a couple of visits to headquarters eachyear is not enough. They get out to each market they serve and learn to appreciate the

dynamics in each. Even if the corporation has not explicitly stated it, multinationals buy

their subsidiaries creative effort towards the group as a whole as well as the operational

requirements of the minimum contract indicated in the budget.

You cant change your boss.

Make his/her job easier.

Make promises you can keep. Then keep them! Give your boss information just the way he/she wants it.

Invite him/her to some team sessions.

No surprises in front of others.

Agree the focus of your efforts and manage realistic expectations.

Dont underestimate your boss however frustrated you may be.

Help your boss answer exceptionally well to people he/she is answerable to.

Be involved in the transitional on-boarding of the new boss. Listen with an open

mind as much as defending your subsidiarys mandate, highlighting its consolidation

accomplishments and promoting its development.