You don’t have to love your boss but you need to be able to work well with them. One of the main reasons employees leave thier job is because of their boss.
A troubled relationship with your boss can negatively affect your morale, your productivity your happiness and of course, your career.
A positive relationship can improve your morale, productivity and happiness which could lead to more career success in form of promotions, raises higher self esteem.
Here’s how to strengthen your relationship with your boss:
- Put yourself in your boss’s shoes.
Figure out the challenges that your boss will encounter that day and be prepared to offer solutions. Anticipate the questions that your supervisor may ask about your work or a project and have thoughtful answers or next steps to take. Thinking ahead can really show that you’re an invaluable team member.
- Show value.
You were hired for a reason, so make sure that you’re adding real value to the organization and/or position. Bosses wants employees to be willing to speak up about the realities and challenges in the business that needs to be addressed. Be the person that speaks facts and reasonable suggestions that produce results. This builds your boss’s confidence in you.
- Keep your supervisor informed.
No one likes surprises, so if you are experiencing challenges in your work, communicate them. Don’t hide behind obstacles or mistakes, keep your supervisor informed along the way. Whether things are going well or not, you’re building mutual trust and integrity if you keep your supervisor In the know.
- Under-promise and over-deliver.
Put your best foot forward to exceed your boss’s expectations. For example, if you’re working on an assignment, be sure to provide a realistic timeliness for when you’ll get the work done and surprise your boss by completing it earlier than expected. This will show that you are proactive and that you can manage your workload.
- Know when and how to communicate with your boss.
Does your supervisor like one sentence emails or prefer a detailed account of what’s going on? Do the want to receive an outline of where the project stands or do you need to provide all of the details? Learn how your supervisor likes to communicate and receive communication and mimic this style.
- Ask for feedback.
Don’t be afraid to ask your boss for feedback, don’t assume that your work isn’t valued because your manager is juggling multiple deliverables. Too many people shy away from speaking up for fear of the unknown. Ideally your manager should already be providing feedback but this is your career so don’t be afraid to take the driver’s seat.
- Be authentic.
Don’t be the person that is perceived to be kissing up to the boss. Be authentic in your approach, Stay above office politics and gossip. Your behaviour reflects on your manager, so avoid snarky commentary and when in doubt, be circumspect.
At the end of the day, its all about building trust within the relationship between you and your supervisor. Employees need their supervisors to be a mentor, cheerleader, go to person and advocate all in one and so it is important to instill trust so that this can happen. The relationship you want with your boss is possible to build, and is within your control. It’s all about your vision, your plan and your progress.