Five Ways To Mange Your Boss (without Him Or Her Knowing It!)
I have had the good fortune of being gainfully employed for most of my 17 years since college graduation. In that time, I have worked for at least a dozen different individuals. Heaven knows, they have been a very diverse group of people! Regardless of the boss’s personality and work style, one thing held true - I had to do what I could to make them happy. After all, they were signing my paycheck! Below are my five secrets to managing my boss, and therefore, keeping him or her happy.
Give your boss regular updates, even if he or she doesn’t ask for it. Yes, this is just another form of “communication”. Some bosses will demand regular updates, while others don’t. But all bosses want to know that progress is being made, especially on high-profile projects. Don’t save bad news or problem issues for later. The sooner you let your boss know there is a problem, the faster the two of you can work together to come up with a solution. I know, this can be scary, and some bosses don’t take bad news well. But it’s better to get the issue out on the table. Trust me, you don’t want to wait until the day a project is due to tell your boss that the deadline was impossible to attain!
Don’t be disorganized. Whether you have a set meeting with your boss or not don’t treat it like a social event. Show up prepared. Be organized. Written notes are a good idea unless you have a killer memory. For the boss who just likes to surprise you with surprise visits at your desk, a list you update daily is a good idea to make sure that he or she can’t get the better of you.
Most bosses, if asked, will say they don’t want to be interrupted. But there is a fine art of following up with your boss on important issues. You don’t want to bug him or her but you do need to get attention when you need it. Be persistent but not pesty. Be courteous of their privacy and knock before entering their office and never enter when they are on the phone unless you have a prescheduled meeting and they wave you in.
Make your boss look good and, if you can, make their peers look good also. If you constantly make your boss look good they will keep you with them as they rise. If you occasionally make their peers look good (and they realize it) you are positioning yourself to be seen as someone who’ll make anyone look good and thus become a coveted employee. If they end up with an opening that could be a promotion for you, you’ll be a shoe in if they already know and respect you.
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.
I assure you that if you follow these five steps not only will you see greater success in the business world than do those who don’t, you’ll end up being happier as well. And that’s just goodness no matter how you look at it.