Do You Know What's Important to Your Boss?

I’ve been listening to some personality-themed podcasts, exploring ‘cognitive functions’ i.e. how we make decisions. In this article, I attempt to distil some of this, exploring what each of four different types of people particularly value. I focus on one of our most important relationships at work: the relationship with our boss, and unpack each type considering what’s likely to be important to them. The underlying theory is that each type has different mental wiring, and they evaluate the world through this process i.e. how they believe the world ‘should’ be.

The four types are split by two dimensions: 
(i) thinking/logically-driven or feeling/people/emotionally-driven
(ii) structured/process-focused or flexible/opportunity-focused

You probably have a pretty good feeling of which type your boss might be, and which type you are – where these differ, it’s important to pay particular attention as valuing different things could lead to misunderstandings between you, especially in pressurised situations. 

Over the remainder of this article, I explore each type in turn, discussing what’s important to them. The more you can adjust your behaviour and delivery to give your boss what they value (while still being true to yourself), the better your relationship with them is likely to be, and the more you will meet their needs – which could lead to better increases, higher bonuses and more promotions. Read more to dive into the detail of each type.

Logic/Thoughts & Structure
Let’s start with what is probably the most common type for senior managers and executives, as their focus on results is what gets them promoted into senior positions. Bosses who are logically-driven and process-focused value effectiveness highly. Subconscious questions they ask to evaluate things include ‘does it work?’, ‘will it get me to my end goal?’, ‘can I rely on it?’. Sustainability and repeated delivery are important i.e. getting things done – they see themselves as a resource too. They also weigh up costs vs benefits. 

These bosses are also the most goal-oriented, and they want to know that you’ll support their goals, and that you can be self-sufficient i.e. that you won’t cause unexpected problems to derail them. Loving predictability, they particularly like to set up systems and processes that last and that are independent of how they feel in the moment i.e. they prefer to set & forget. Related to this is a strong emphasis on loyalty: they want to know that you’ll honour your commitments, and will work inside the system you agreed. They’re unlikely to check regularly if things have changed for you (as they themselves stand by what they previously said, and will explicitly tell you when adjustment is necessary i.e. management by system exceptions). They also subconsciously see people as other systems/resources to learn about and master. How things look in the external world can be important to them, depending on the situation. 

So, how can you tell if they value you? 

• They’re loyal to you 
  
• They put effort into educating themselves about how you operate, including your routine & preferences 
  
• They take pride in your accomplishments and boast about them 
  
• They continue interacting with you i.e. structurally demonstrating respect for you – they’re unlikely to regularly offer praise and verbal appreciation though 

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Some possible areas of misinterpretation include: (i) their preference for taking charge and issuing instructions can be confused with being controlling, (ii) their attempts to get things done (aka task-focus) can be seen as distant, and (iii) they’re unlikely to be spontaneous as they like to know what’s coming up i.e. as a manifestation of their management of resources in the external world. 

Feelings/People & Structure
The next type is far more concerned with the people, relationships, feelings and emotions, and harmony is very important to them. They focus on how people are feeling and relating to one another, asking themselves ‘what will get everyone’s needs met?’. Connection is crucial – they need to feel like you are connected to them, that you accept and approve of them, and will take care of their needs by taking appropriate action. They also want to feel safe with you, that you won’t exploit them. Given they can sometimes forget to take care of their own needs (as they’re focusing on everyone else), they particularly like it when you check in whether they’re okay – they see this as a sign of respect. 

They show that they value you by:

• Meeting your needs before their own, including acts of service 
  
• Checking in regularly that you’re okay 
  
• Doing their best to resolve conflicts quickly, and keep team morale up 
  
• Showing appreciation

Other types can feel that the regular checking in is intrusive. If you feel this way, communicate this in a constructive manner – they want to serve your needs as best they can. 

Feelings/People & Flexibility 
The other feeling type is also concerned with emotions, but more from a personal perspective i.e. what resonates for them on the inside and what makes their heart sing. They subconsciously ask themselves: ‘what feels right in this situation?’ and ‘it is aligned with who I am?’. They are more introspective, and really dislike being fake i.e. authenticity is key for them (rather than morale boosting). 

They value genuineness, and want to know that you are being real with them, not just telling them what they want to hear. Identity and empathy are important too, and they want to be able to trust your motives and intent. Others questioning their intent and motivations can really disturb them, particularly as they can vividly feel how someone else might act that way (stemming from their deep empathy). Often though, they don’t have the language to explain why they feel so strongly about something.

Signs that they value you:

• They trust and support you no matter what 
  
• They give you space to be yourself, including giving you time to reflect if you need it 
  
• They show respect by being patient with you, honouring your individual expression even if it’s not stuff they want to hear from you 

Their behaviour can be misinterpreted as passive or self-absorbed because of their ability to be deeply in tune with themselves, and their desire to allow you to express yourself without interference. 

Logic/Thoughts & Flexibility
The fourth type asks themselves ‘What makes logical or analytical sense to me?’. Their preference for logic is applied trying to understand and to find congruence. Accuracy is key to them and they want to be sure that you see them as competent and capable in anything important to them, including their ability to work things out where needed. Being understood is also valued by them, as is logical consistency. They regularly seek feedback from people they respect as it offers more information to better their skills, and they will often test and iterate in order to improve. 

They expect radical honesty and accurate communication – don’t tell them what you think they want to hear. 

When they value you, they: 

• Seek your feedback 
• Are rigorous in their candour with you 
• Protect you from other people, but not from yourself / your own mistakes as they want you to use those to become better – they often cheer you on without removing the challenges for you

Others can perceive their behaviour as harsh, insensitive or cold, so understanding their motivations is helpful to see the world through their eyes. 

Conclusion
This article covered what four general groups value because of how differently they view the world. Naturally, everyone doesn’t fit perfectly into one box, but hopefully this article has helped you reflect on how others different from you see things. The most direct work application of this is in understanding your boss better so that you can adapt your interactions to give them more of what they value (and be able to tell if you’re meeting their needs). Please do let us know if this is helpful, and what other tips you’d add for Protagion’s readers. You’ll also notice that you could use your understanding of these types to interact with your own team members better too, peers and/or your direct reports – here’s to improving team dynamics at work! 

PS: regular readers of my writing may recognise that I wrote about the structured/process-focused vs flexible/opportunity-focused dimension in my article on Anna the Planner and Norah the Explorer. And, I explored the topic of logic in “Real-life example: is logic a bad thing?”.