Managing your relationship with the boss
One of the key things you need to do in order to excel in your job and ultimately to have a great career is to ensure that your relationship with your boss is good. Your boss has a lot of influence on you at work and it is therefore only logical that a good relationship with such a person will do you good, compared to a situation where the relationship is not great.
You cannot manage all your bosses in the same way. Just as a good boss manages his subordinates differently depending on the personality, performance, approach to work and many other factors, you are also required to manage different bosses differently. However, there are some key aspects of managing the boss that are constant, common and independent of the boss in question.
The first and most important factor in ensuring that you develop and maintain a great relationship with your boss is that you deliver the best output. Your performance, as viewed by the boss and all stakeholders of yours need to be at the maximum possible levels of measure. You should simply be the best in your job for your boss. With great performance in your job, you will amass great goodwill from your boss and all people that have a major bearing on your career. Great work performance is a great weapon to have.
When we are talking of great work performance here, we are not talking of occasional spikes of brilliance. We mean the production of sustained amazing performance, impressive delivery and distinguished contribution to the department of your boss or the company that you work for. You need to clearly stand out all the time, not just momentarily but sustained over a period. Everyone gets a moment to shine but only great workers sustain great achievement.
The second constant factor that you need to ensure that you always mind while managing your relationship with your boss is avoiding to surprise him or her – especially surprising the boss with negative events. Make sure that your boss knows what to expect well in advance. If there are risks in what you do, let the boss know and recommend to the boss what needs to be done in order to prevent those risks from materialising. When the negative events do occur, let the boss learn about them from you in time before others inform him or her, or indeed before the boss finds out by himself or herself. Bosses are big enemies of surprises. Make sure that you greatly minimise or even eliminate surprises from your boss. Even for the positive events, the boss wants to hear from you first.
The third factor is motivating the boss. Many of us expect, want and sometimes even demand motivation and inspiration from our bosses but it is well known that for one to motivate or inspire others, he or she needs to be motivated and inspired as well in his or her own right. Unfortunately, many of us do not even attempt to inspire or motivate our bosses to empower them to motivate us in turn. Find a way to inspire and motivate your boss. It is magical – you will see how in turn you will benefit in your career.
To motivate and inspire your boss, check what he or she likes and show interest in what he or she likes. Recognition by words of his or her achievements once in a while is a good way of inspiring your boss. Remember that your boss is also a human being and all human beings like to be acknowledged and appreciated, they enjoy to be liked. But do make sure that you strike the right balance and so never overdo it. Make sure that all your motivation to your boss is genuine and based on facts and reality, and in accurate measure – don’t fall victim of making dictators or arrogant leaders.–If you manage your relationship with the boss well, you will go far in your career. Good luck as you seek to rise and shine!
