The final lesson in managing your boss

Sometimes, managing upwards is based on simpler principles that you might expect. That’s definitely the case with the last Law of Executive Behavior: the Law of Maximized Comfort. It states, quite simply, that executives, like almost everyone else like to be as comfortable as possible. They don’t like surprises and they don’t like having to cope with what they didn’t plan for. Above all, they prefer to work with others who make them feel comfortable, at any level in the organization.

What kind of people make executives feel comfortable? People like themselves. People whose actions seem predictable and understandable; who don’t pose awkward questions or behave in unusual or difficult ways.

Of course, none of this is unique to executives. Almost everyone likes to be with people who don’t make difficult demands on them, or cause them to have to think about what they’re doing all the time. Being around others who pick us up on unguarded words, challenge our views, or seem critical of our outlook isn’t anyone’s idea of fun.

How the “Good Ol’ Boy” network stays in place

It’s tempting to view the informal network that links so many of the people at or near the top of organizations in far too dramatic a way: as if it is some kind of organized secret society, like the Ku Klux Klan. In reality, it’s simply the Law of Maximized Comfort in operation.

Executives have the power to promote others into their own ranks, so what’s more predictable that they they’ll use that power to make themselves as comfortable as possible with the newcomers? Not only do executives, like nearly all people with outsized egos, interpret “excellence” by looking in the mirror; they actively promote their own comfort by working to ensure those they have to deal with on a daily basis are as much like them as they can be.

That goes for suppliers, consultants, and anyone else over whom executives have some power of choice. If you want to be seen as the kind of person your boss will be happy to have around, maybe even as a colleague, the most fundamental thing needed is to make him or her feel comfortable with you.

Likability has been shown to be a major factor in promotions and the awarding of contracts, pretty much regardless of ability, the excellence of the deal, or any other factor. I’m not saying that you can get away with anything, just by making your boss like you, but it’s sure going to help.

The effect on minorities of all kinds

Needless to say, the Law of Maximized Comfort is no help whatsoever to minorities trying to make their way up the hierarchy. Whether it’s women, people of color, or anyone else different from the bulk of the current executive team, the Law of Maximized Comfort is going to whisper in the ears of the bosses that having this “different” person around might just make life that little bit more difficult.

A great deal of casual discrimination is little more than those in power wanting to stick with the kind of people they know. That’s why some women who make it through the glass ceiling appear to act like surrogate men: they have learned to put on the kind of protective coloration that lessens the potential discomfort their presence might cause. Consciously or not, they tend to mimic the speech and actions of the existing elite; they’re careful not to rock any boats or expect different treatment.

What this means for middle managers with ideas

The Law of Maximized Comfort can be just as negative for people with different ideas, especially ideas that may seem radical or likely to produce surprises. Executives don’t relish the thought that what they have said or done in the past might be shown to be inadequate, or just plain wrong. If they don’t like the sound of the message, the simplest action is to remove the messenger, so it can’t be delivered.

What’s most predictable? More of what you already have. What kind of information is best suited to making you feel comfortable? Data that confirms what you already believe.

In most cases, the true reason why innovation is squashed and new ideas quietly shelved — and why inconvenient pieces of information are either ignored, shelved, or “lost” — is to preserve the status quo. Executives are comfortable with it. It’s predictable. It makes them feel good. It isn’t going to produce and surprises or undermine their past actions.

Sounds deadly, doesn’t it? As if you can never introduce any new ideas or correct mistakes.

That’s not quite the case.

Using viral camouflage

What it takes to get new ideas past the Law of Maximized Comfort is a trick some viruses play to trick the body’s defenses: they dress themselves up in ways that makes them look like safe, predictable, and known entities. Only once they have slipped past the defensive lines do they turn back into their true state. By then it’s too late.

You can do the same:

• Wrap your ideas in words and appearances that make them look innocuous and predictable.
• Present data as if it’s going to confirm your boss’s beliefs, concealing the awkward parts for as long as you can. Once it’s been accepted, you can gradually reveal the changes demanded. By then, your boss will probably be too embarrassed to admit that he or she never noticed the real implications of what you found.
• NEVER start by suggesting that your idea is radical, revolutionary, bound to produce major change, or even particularly innovative. This will terrify any executive and cause a closing of ranks against you.
• Present ideas as natural, predictable extensions of what is already in place. Suggest that following them is simply going along with the current pattern. Hidden like this, you can slip through some surprisingly radical changes.
• Smile, look relaxed, and find ways to link your idea to things that are well-known and already accepted. The less fuss you make, the more readily what you say will be accepted.

The Law of Maximized Comfort is the simplest and most universal of all the Laws of Executive Behavior. That’s probably why it seems the least sinister. In reality, it probably has as much negative impact on change and progress as all the other laws combined.

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