The CTO Project

A staff member recently came to me with a list of complaints, sack of woe slung over his shoulder, etc. I am not his boss; I am his boss’s boss. He was seeking me out specifically because he was frustrated with his current supervisor’s lack of attention. We had a healthy though turbulent conversation, and it would have gone smoother if he’d abided by these simple guidelines:

• acknowledge that you’re stepping outside “the chain.” Indicate why you’re doing so. You don’t have to provide a lengthy explanation, you just need to show some awareness of what you’re doing and why.
• wait till the right moment: don’t go when you’re emotionally upset. If you’re crying or screaming, then the focus is usually on changing the emotional state rather than resolving the problem.
• if you’re coming to the boss with a problem, please also have a potential solution or at least some constructive next steps. Don’t complain and then say “it’s not my job” to fix it. If you’re not part of the solution, then guess what–you could be part of the problem.
• be brief and to the point.
• acknowledge that your priorities and knowledge may be different from overall organizational priorities and knowledge. I as CTO may be well aware of the problem but may not be fixing it directly at that moment due to other priorities,or may be addressing it indirectly.
• be nice. and thank him/her for his/her time.

Basically, at the end of the conversation, you want the big boss to want to talk with you, to feel happy to see you again, and to associate you with solutions rather than problems. You don’t want her to feel like “oh, no, it’s that whiner again. Quick, take a call!”