Ten Steps to Having a Good Relationship with Your Boss

No matter how you earn a living, one occupational skill you would do well to cultivate is the knack for getting along with your boss; that dispenser of raises and promotions is probably the key person in your working life. In most organizations, it is your boss’s opinion of you that determines your future in the company. If you are in constant conflict with your supervisor, even if you are a virtuoso performer, you will find your prospects considerably dimmed.

What can you do to get into the boss’s good graces and stay there? Fortunately, most bosses respond to efforts to improve relationships with their staff members.

Here are ten suggestions for making yourself more valuable to the man or woman you work for, based upon the observations of managers and job counselors.

Help your boss do his/her job. Your performance is evaluated by your boss. By noting your boss's reactions to different ways things are done, you learn what is especially important to your supervisor. Your job is to tend to some detail of his or her task. The better you hold up your end, the easier his or her job is, which is bound to make him or her look favororably on you and your endeavors. ?

Get to know your bosses’ standards. Your performance is evaluated by your boss. By noting your boss's reactions to different ways things are done, you learn what is especially important. For example, an accountant who prides herself on her Execl skills?may be surprised to find herself passed up for a promotion if she ignores her boss's frequent complaints about her formula errors or, you are frequently reminded to turn reports in on time, you may not consider for promotion or a new job opportunity within the organization.

If you were a boss, would you promote someone who must be hounded again and again about the same old mistakes or shortcomings?

Keep your boss informed. When the boss gives you an assignment, especially a long-term one, he/she will want to be kept informed about your progress. You can keep your boss up to date with short text messages, e-mails now and then, and by reviewing your progress during informal conversations. If it is a complicated report, better put it in writing. It is especially important if you work with relatively little supervision to let your supervisors know, periodically, what you are doing. Tell the boss about any ideas you may have for streamlining the way you do your job, (not the way the boss does his or her) present your suggested improvements, only if you have carefully thought them through and can explain them clearly.

Don't take up too much time. Spare the boss’s the detail of your weekend activities unless he or she expresses a definite interest. There is a time and place for swapping stories, and if your boss wants to pass some time that way, he or she will take the initiative. ?Get to the point!

Be careful also about bending your boss’s ear every time a minor problem comes up within the facility or office. True, he or she is there to help solve problems, but you can often find the answers without bothering him/her. You want the boss to notice you for the problems you solve, not the ones you toss in his/her lap.

Be reliable. Get to work on time, finish your assignments when you are supposed to. Show the boss that when he or she needs something done in hurry, you are the one who will give it that extra effort needed. If your boss knows he/she can depend on you, the boss will, and that is a difference-maker for you.

Be enthusiastic about your work. One of the most difficult problems the boss faces is motivating a worker who sees his or her job as little more than a necessary evil in the pursuit of a paycheck. Bosses know they cannot teach enthusiasm, and they cannot buy it no matter how high the wage is, but they place much value on it. You want to be the boss's go-to person.

If your enthusiasm is genuine, it will show. Do you take pride in your work? Are you willing to come early and stay late when necessary? Are you optimistic about the future of the company you work for? Do you tackle assignments cheerfully, without trying to think up reasons why they just cannot be done? If your answers to these questions are completely negative, maybe you are in the wrong job. Your positive attitude will help you stand out among your peers.

Learn to take criticism. The inability to accept constructive criticism or advice from supervisors and co-workers alike is a serious handicap. After all, guiding and correcting your work is part of the boss’s job. Listen to what he or she tells you, apply any suggestions for improvement that will help you do a better job. Temperamental workers, no matter how brilliant, are something most bosses would rather do without.

Don't play office politics. Few things can destroy morale faster than the presence of gossipers and other thoughtless workers who start or pass along uncomplimentary and embarrassing stories about fellow workers. Ignore rumors and tend to your business. Do not take sides in disputes between other workers, or you may end up a part of the gossip yourself. Resist the temptation to grumble about minor inconveniences caused by management decisions; if you have a legitimate complaint, take it to your boss privately. Your boss will appreciate hearing it from you before he/she hears it via the grapevine.

Don’t compete with the boss. Everybody wants to get ahead on the job, of course, but if you aim to do it by demonstrating to everybody else that you know more about the business than your boss does, watch out! If you buck your boss at every turn, downgrade his confidence, and generally make his/her life miserable, be prepared to lose when the showdown comes.

Bosses Are Human Too. Chances are your boss is not the world’s foremost authority in his or her field, so don't expect him or her to be. Your boss will make mistakes occasionally, just as you will. He/she may be abrupt or grouchy from time to time, just as you may be, and when he/she applies the heat, it is often because his/her boss or some other authority is putting the heat or pressure on your boss.