How do you Become the Employee that Bosses Love to Work with?

When Malcolm joined his new company 3 months ago, he regarded this new position as an excellent opportunity to realize his full potential. ?The company was well-known for launching highly entertaining and imaginative cartoons and stories that entertain audiences young and old globally.

However, a few months into his job, Malcolm realized this was different. ?Not at least under his boss.

Instead of allowing Malcolm a free hand to create new ideas and concepts, Malcolm's boss gave Malcolm very mundane and detailed work. ?Not only did Malcolm dislike the work he had been given, but meticulousness wasn't one of Malcolm's strengths, and as a result, many things could have been improved in his work.

Being a stickler for details, Malcolm's boss was quite upset with the mistakes that Malcolm made, and with the increasing amount of work given to Malcolm, the more mistakes he made, the angrier the boss got.

In addition, whenever Malcolm went to his boss to share a creative idea, the boss would either shoot the idea down or make sarcastic remarks that Malcolm hadn't even passed through "kindergarten" in their department and hence was not worthy of contributing ideas.

While Malcolm saw the potential his company could give, his boss made him feel like quitting every day. ?Malcolm was committed to doing a good job; no matter how hard he tried, it seemed futile.

Understanding Your Boss' Priorities

While it may be true that in the above case, Malcolm and his boss had mismatched work styles, which led to an unproductive work relationship, Malcolm could have improved the situation IF he had understood his boss's priorities.

In short, there are 2 types of priorities that a boss or any decision-maker in an organization could have: official/ business and personal priorities.

It will be rather easy to list the official or business priorities. ?These are either the goals or strategies that the organization or the boss' boss wanted the boss to achieve, and could include:

• Achieving high quality by achieving zero defects (which could be one of the priorities that Malcolm's boss had);
• Achieving operational excellence by improving delivery schedules and process improvements or
• Reduce the amount of downtime and reworking, etc.

The boss' priorities could run against the organization's corporate culture, especially when the organization is restructuring or re-strategizing to move in a different direction.

In terms of personal priorities, typical bosses are thinking:

• "If you mess up, I'll get blamed."
• "I earned this position in the organization, and either I need to keep my position, OR I need to figure out how to get to the next level!"
• "I hope nobody figures out that I don't have all (or any) of the answers!" (Note: above quotes courtesy of LeadershipIQ)

Hence, it can be understandable if some bosses are slightly more conservative when trying out new ideas. ?It would also be more beneficial if the employee could understand the boss's official or business priorities and provide the right support to achieve those priorities.

Understanding Your Boss's Work Styles and Team Role Behaviours

In the case above, in addition to Malcolm's boss having directives from above to reduce production defects and improve delivery schedules, Malcolm's boss could also have high levels of Focus and lower levels of Openness. ?According to the Big 5 personality framework, there are 5 main dimensions of human traits: Openness, Focus, Extroversion, Agreeableness, and Emotional Stability.

Here are the descriptions of the 5 traits:

1. Openness: People who score high on Openness are more likely to be interested in new ideas, experiences, and perspectives, while people who score low on Openness are more likely to be conventional, practical, and cautious.
2. Focus: People who score high on Focus are more likely to be organized, thorough, and have a strong sense of duty, while people who score low on Focus are more likely to be spontaneous, flexible, laid-back, and instinctive.?
3. Extroversion: People who score high on Extroversion are more likely to be outgoing, assertive, and strongly engaged with the social world, while people who score low on Extroversion are more likely to be reserved, quiet, and reflective.
4. Agreeableness: People who score high on Agreeableness are more likely to be supportive and tend to follow the norms and preferences of others, while people who score low on Agreeableness are more likely to be competitive and follow their own standards and preferences.
5. Emotional Stability: ?People scoring high on Emotional Stability are likelier to be calm and resistant to stress and negative emotions. ?In contrast, people scoring low on emotional stability will likely have stronger emotional reactions under stress and conflict.

Malcolm, driven by a higher level of Openness to experience, thrives on creative freedom and embraces fresh ideas. ?However, his meticulousness needs to be revised to his boss's higher Focus levels, who prioritizes detail and flawless execution. ?This difference creates frustration for both; Malcolm struggles with the meticulous tasks, leading to errors that fuel his boss's critical nature.

Furthermore, Malcolm's tendency towards introversion and high Agreeableness make him hesitant to confront his boss, silently accepting criticism despite feeling demotivated. ?This could exacerbate the boss's demanding behavior, who displays lower Agreeableness levels through critical and potentially sarcastic remarks. ?Additionally, the boss's lower Openness to experience might manifest as resistance to Malcolm's innovative ideas, hindering collaboration and growth.

At first glance, it seemed doomed that Malcolm might have found the wrong boss and could leave the company due to not getting along well with his boss. ?However, here are some tips that Malcolm could do to salvage the situation and also build great rapport with his boss as well: ?To bridge this gap, Malcolm could try the following strategies to manage his boss:

• Instead of providing his boss with new ideas for new concepts, Malcolm could channel his creative energies to find out what are the better ways that he could help his boss achieve better delivery schedules and lower defects.
• Instead of just telling his boss his ideas, Malcolm could test those ideas on some of his work and get a result to show his boss instead;
• Instead of trying hopelessly to reduce his own mistakes, Malcolm could partner with a colleague who is good with details but needs to improve in getting the external resources to get the work done. ?Malcolm could use his strengths to help his colleague and get his colleague to help out on the work where he's weak.

Conversely, the boss could foster a more positive environment by encouraging Openness to feedback and considering employee perspectives, especially regarding new ideas. ?Empathy coaching can equip them with better communication skills for constructive criticism and building a more supportive work atmosphere. ?Finally, optimizing delegation based on individual strengths and preferences could allow Malcolm to utilize his creativity effectively. ?By understanding their personality differences and implementing these suggestions, both Malcolm and his boss can work towards a more productive and harmonious working relationship.

Is this all easier said than done? ?YES!

However, there are 2 things that Malcolm could do in his predicament:

• Quit and find a new job, and forego future development at this good company that he joined; OR
• Try to make things better

If Malcolm quits too much whenever he finds a tough boss or a boss whose work style doesn't really match Malcolm's, he might have a CV that will be very unappealing to future employers. ?He could derail his career development.

Furthermore, while bosses will prefer to work with employees who can do what the bosses want, they particularly cannot stand employees who have a bad attitude. ?Rather than showing a negative, problem-bringing attitude, Malcolm could have a positive and problem-solving mindset.

Making Your Boss Trust You

Bosses generally delegate the most important work to the people they trust most.?

Trust, in this case, will have 2 aspects:

• Trust in your integrity and
• Trust in your ability

Being an honest employee does not necessarily endear you to become your boss' trusted aide. ?While being truthful is important, you must demonstrate that you sincerely care about helping your boss' goal and don't mess things up and make things worse while you "try."

Hence, here are some steps on how you can build that trust with your boss:

• Show you care. ?Not so much about the boss' well-being, BUT a lot more on what are the goals and directives that your boss is trying to achieve;
• Show you can. ?Demonstrate your abilities that you can deliver as promised;
• Keep in touch. ?Keep your boss in the loop by providing timely updates, feedback, milestones, and results;
• Keep your word. ?If you promise your boss something or any deadline, deliver as promised. ?If you cannot deliver, it might be better not to make such promises in the first place. ?If you have difficulties, alert your boss ASAP.
• Say positive things. ?While it's true that people tend to complain or bitch about their bosses behind their backs, esp. in informal sessions. ?Most bosses may not mind, but a few could react "violently" if such complaints reach their ears. ?It is better to focus on positive things and not say anything behind your boss' back if you don't have anything positive.

The key message here is simple. ?Becoming the employee that bosses will want to hire and work with has got nothing to do with sucking up to bosses. ?It's got everything to do with how you manage your boss and how you take the initiative to be an influential team member with your boss。

c.j. is a certified consultant for the OD-Tools Trait Map?. ?Trait-Map? is a math-based personality test that reveals 25 traits in 15 minutes. It uses a smart questionnaire and combinatorial optimization to achieve fast and accurate results.

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Schedule a time with c.j. now to find out more, and get your complimentary Trait Map??assessment: https://calendly.com/cydj001 ?

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