Choose your boss wisely.

When I left my first company in 2014, my manager handed me a hand-written note that I will forever cherish, which is still on my desk to this day. It read:

“Matt, thank you for all you have done over the last five years. If I had known as much as you do at this age and had your ambition, I’d be in a much different spot today. Read this book, ‘Good to Great.’ It is the most meaningful book I have read in my career and I think you’ll enjoy it.”

I was floored. He was an SVP and was doing pretty well in my eyes. Why did he believe in me so much?

Rewind to 2009 when I first met him on the phone prior to my internship. He had stepped out of a noisy restaurant to take my call and I recall it vividly. After hearing more about the assignment, I hung up and couldn’t care less what it was. I could be mopping a floor for all I cared. All I could think about was how smart my future manager sounded, yet how relatable he was at the same time. Something about his tone, his words and his personality were so apparent in just a fifteen minute call.

Fast forward five years and many experiences later. I had just broken the news to him that I’d be leaving our company. It was bittersweet. He had believed in my as an intern, hired me on, mentored me, jockeyed for my career progression among executive ranks and most importantly, took me ice-fishing on the freezing Wisconsin Dells every winter. At the time, I had just taken another role under him at a more senior level.

10+ managers later, I have had one unwavering constant - I will only work for great people. This is my non-negotiable.

Here is a framework I use with my Manager(s):

1. Selection is key.

   • Make no mistake about it, you always have control of who your manager is, whether you know it or not.

   • Set a criteria for yourself and then ruthlessly advocate for that with every boss you have.

   • Don’t settle. I repeat, don’t settle. A bad manager is a career killer. Does anyone want to get drafted by the Detroit Lions?

2. Surround yourself with the most successful people.

   • Take a long look at your manager’s credentials and trajectory.

   • You may feel like a social climber, but that’s okay. Need I remind you, this person will be your easiest path to professional and financial growth. They need to be credible.

   • Make sure they are doing that for themselves first to believe they’ll do it for you.

3. Embrace the musical chairs.

   • Organizations change, people do too. This happens all the time. Get used to it.

   • There’s a good chance you won’t work for a great manager for long - they’ll likely get promoted.

   • ‘Who’ you work for is out of your control - ‘what’ you do about it is very much in your control.

4. Get your manager a raise.

   • Understand your manager’s objectives and performance measures.

   • Quantify them and exceed them with each performance review cycle.

   • The better you make your manager look, the more they will value you.

   • The more money you make them, the more money you’ll make yourself.

5. Invite them to your wedding. Send them a Christmas card.

   • One of the biggest professional mistakes I have made is not inviting my manager to our wedding.

   • A good manager should know your family, respect your boundaries, and understand your ethics. The best way to do so is by attending someone else’s wedding.

   • What does the father of the bride or groom say during their speech? What are the sibling dynamics? What is the spouse’s personality like? These all come out of the wash during the wedding reception. A good manager will be taking mental notes and gaining an understanding on what makes their employee a human being.

   • Use the ‘Christmas card’ test. If you don’t feel comfortable enough exchanging a Christmas card with your manager, you probably aren’t comfortable with many things at work either. This means you aren’t maximizing your potential together.

6. Articulate your needs (simply, bluntly and frequently).

   • This can be uncomfortable but is extremely important to your professional trajectory.

   • A good manager will respect your needs and work to act on them. A bad one won’t flinch, or will give you excuses why they cannot.

   • The most obvious example of this is when dealing with your salary. If you feel you are worth more than you are earning, say it. A good manager will freely agree or disagree with you and give you reasons behind his/her end decision.

   • This creates a healthy working dynamic when both parties are operating in transparency and clarity on financial motivations.

7. Don’t just talk about work.

   • The more I like my manager personally, the better I work for them. Not everyone has to agree with this sentiment, but this has been my experience and I am quite comfortable with it.

   • Identify what accelerates your productivity at work (mine is personal trust, ethical alignment and a strong relationship with my manager) and act on that.

Remember, even though it is counter-intuitive, you are always in charge of who manages you.

One of the proudest moments of my career is when a star-performer left my team for an opportunity elsewhere. The morning after her last day, I found this on my desk and it all came full circle.

P.S. I hired her back two years later :)