Are you having trouble viewing this email? If so, click here to see it in a web browser. | | | | | | | | | | AUGUST 31, 2012 | Get Clear Direction from a Boss Who Is Vague | | If your boss routinely delegates projects without telling you how things should get done, and then picks apart your work and asks you to start over, you need to get proactive. Asking for more clarity upfront is a place to begin, but if that doesn't work, try figuring out your boss' viewpoint in another way. When you're asked to handle a project, draft a preliminary plan for how you intend to approach the task. Set up a meeting with your boss to review it and see what he thinks. Incorporate his feedback into a revised plan and share that with him again. Keep doing this until your boss signs off. If you do this often enough, your boss may eventually realize that he can save time by being more specific at the outset. | | | | Buy the course to apply tools and techniques for managing your time » | | | | | | FEATURED PRODUCT | | | Ebooks on HBR | | HBR Press | | Get instant access to 30 of HBR Press's bestselling books including: The First 90 Days, Blue Ocean Strategy, The Innovator's Dilemma, Leading Change, Understanding Michael Porter, and the entire HBR's 10 Must Reads series — without the hassle and cost of shipping. Visit our ebook page to browse all 30 titles and learn more about this exciting new offering. | | | | | | | | | ADVERTISEMENT | | | | | | | | | | Follow the Tip: | | | | | | | | PREVIOUS TIPS | | | | | | BEST SELLERS | | | | | | | | | | | | | | UNSUBSCRIBE | UPDATE YOUR PROFILE | MORE EMAIL NEWSLETTERS | PRIVACY POLICY | | | | Was this email forwarded to you? If so, sign up to start receiving your own copy. | | | | ABOUT THIS MAILING LIST You have received this message because you subscribed to the "Management Tip of the Day" email newsletter from Harvard Business Review. If at any point you wish to remove yourself from this list, change your email address, or sign up for other email newsletters and alerts, please visit the Harvard Business Review Email Newsletter Preference Center. | | | | OPT OUT If you do not wish to receive any email messages from Harvard Business Review, click here. | | | | ADVERTISE WITH HBR This enewsletter is read by thousands of decision makers every day. Learn more about connecting your brand with this audience. | | | | | | | Copyright © 2012 Harvard Business School Publishing, an affiliate of Harvard Business School. All rights reserved. Harvard Business Publishing | 60 Harvard Way | Boston, MA 02163 Customer Service: 800-545-7685 (+1-617-783-7600 outside the U.S. and Canada) | | |