Student Question: Hello Master, I’ve been working for about a year since graduating. I’ve read many books about communicating with leadership. I want to get promoted, but in practice I’m not quite sure how to get along with my leader and strike the right balance.
Master Chi’s Response:
How to get along with your leader and advance more quickly is something many working professionals care deeply about.
The most important thing is to first understand: what kind of relationship do you currently have with your leader?
Only then can you prescribe the right remedy.
1. Your strategy aligns with what your leader is already thinking internally — like a key fitting a lock. When it matches, this is the ideal situation. You propose the right approach, the leader agrees, and it gets adopted and put into action.
2. If your leader trusts you, they’ll come to you specifically when something relevant comes up. You can then make your mark and see your ideas carried through. Why would a leader proactively seek you out? Usually because your read on how a situation would unfold turned out to be accurate — things got urgent, and now they need your help solving it.
3. For leaders who are self-righteous and simply won’t accept outside input, the only workable approach is to win their favor through loyalty and sincere praise. Arguing and debating with this type is pointless. Say your leader asks you to write a proposal — on the surface they’re giving you creative freedom, but in the end you’ll still need to follow their vision, and they won’t listen to your ideas anyway. So your only move is to praise them first. Get them in a good mood. Not hollow flattery — genuine warmth. When they feel good and receptive toward you, they’ll be more open to your suggestions. Even better: if you can make them feel like the idea was theirs all along, they’ll unconsciously come to absorb your influence.
4. Another situation: you no longer want to work under this leader and are looking for a way out. Even so, handle the transition carefully and gracefully. Help them understand why staying wouldn’t work for either of you — leave cleanly, with no lingering resentments. A good exit is just as important as a good start.
5. The final situation involves leaders who issue erratic directives, mismanage the team, and allow their favored subordinates to run wild. In this kind of environment, you’ll constantly face rejection and be unable to do your best work. It’s time to think about your exit. As the old saying goes: a wise bird chooses its tree. Leave while you still can, and go find a leader who truly appreciates what you bring.
Of these five situations, the first is best, followed by the second. By the time you find yourself in the fifth, leaving is no longer optional — it’s necessary.
These are the five dynamics a subordinate may find themselves in with their leader. Read the other person’s character, stay alert to how circumstances shift, and you’ll be able to navigate any situation with ease — advancing when you should, stepping back when you must.