Get Appreciated by Your Boss While Making Your Life Easier
As a seasoned professional who has worked for a variety of bosses I’ve found that each boss, no matter what their sex, what their temperament, what their background, each are looking for some common behaviors out of their employees. Once you learn what they are looking for it’s easy to get on their good side and when you can do that, the fast track isn’t far behind.
Talk to your boss alot. But talk smart. What your boss really wants is to know that his or her projects are on track. That takes communication on your part. Update your boss at least every other day - even if they don’t ask. And most importantly you need to let them know early if something looks to disrupt the project you are working on. It’s your job not just to get the job done, but to have their back. When they realize you have their back - they’ll have yours. Trust will lead more opportunities for you.
Be prepared when you meet with your boss. When you meet with your boss, have an agenda or a list of items you want to discuss. Don’t be afraid to let your boss see the list. There’s no shame in being organized. You have a better chance of getting time during the meeting to discuss your issues and ideas as well as his. If meetings with your boss tend to be impromptu, just keep a running list on your desk so you always have it ready when you get pulled into her office.
Be a pest, but only when it’s necessary. Most managers are juggling multiple deadlines and issues on any given day. This means it can be difficult to get his attention when you need to discuss a time-sensitive issue that has arisen. If you must, be a pest. I have been known to post myself outside my boss’s door until she is off the phone, or to ask her neighbor to give me a quick call when he sees her return from a meeting. Realize that being a pest can back-fire if you use it too often. Yes, the squeaky wheel gets the grease, but if grease doesn’t work and the wheel keeps squeaking it becomes an annoyance.
Do what you can to make the boss look good. At the very least, do what you can to make her job easier. We would all like to get credit for every bit of work we perform, but sometimes doing the work and helping your boss look good for that big meeting will pay you more dividends than getting the immediate recognition. And yes, some bosses are better than others at giving credit where credit is due. But if your boss learns he can rely on you to make him look good, chances are he’ll eventually ask you to make that next big presentation instead of him.
Respect your boss. Even if you think that there are areas they are weak in - show them respect. Undoubtedly there are areas of their job you are grossly underestimating in terms of how hard it is and how good they are in it. Give them the benefit of the doubt and it will show in small ways in your performance. When that happens, they will tend to reciprocate with more respect for you.
When you analyze these 5 steps you’ll quickly see that treating your boss as a human with respect and doing your job in a positive organized manner just makes good sense. We can’t all be perfect every day so don’t expect that out of your boss. Start working with them as your ally and all sorts of good things will grow out of it.