- Do great work.
- Repeat the words “my job is to make my boss’s life easier” often, until you internalise it.
- A huge part of making life easier for your boss is tweaking your communication style to match theirs. Figure out their communication preferences like where they like to communicate, the language they use and the frequency with which they expect to be communicated with.
- Being tightly aligned with your manager on their expectations for your performance will save you a lot of guesswork. Teach yourself to ask hard-nosed performance related questions like “what are the quick wins I should be looking to have in my first month?” and “what would you consider success in this role this quarter?.”
- When you get the chance to take lead on a project– small or big, rise to the occasion.
- Don’t assume your boss knows important news you hear or read during the day. If you think new information would be valuable to your manager, pass it on.
- When your boss is a pain in the neck, don’t take it personally. Most managers get almost no leadership training and very little support.
- Pay attention to the details. With many managers being very big-picture oriented, the devil of your collaboration with them is in your ability to notice the seemingly small things and resolve them before they escalate.
- Show up early– to work, meetings and virtual hangouts. Not only does it show character and makes you appear more engaged on the job, it also gives you a chance to settle in, gather your thoughts and be prepared for each conversation.
- When you agree with your manager on timelines or commitments, do all that you can to honour it. Amongst other things, it teaches them that they can rely on you and makes you look like a rockstar employee
- Don’t be afraid to negotiate timelines, disagree with opinions and discuss options. But remember to do so respectfully.
- When you take a problem to your manager, have a plausible solution in your back pocket.
- Tell your manager about your long-term aspirations, occasionally
- When your manager does something well or improves on something that was previously a weakness, give them affirming feedback. Not only can it foster positive relationships but it also helps to reinforce behaviour you’d like to see more often.
- There will come a time when something happens and you will desire to confront your boss. Remember that each person has a finite amount of workplace political capital. Ask yourself how important this battle is and if it will be worth it in the long term before you choose the hill you’re willing to die on.
- Office politics often gets a bad rap, but remember that at its core, business is about people dealing with people and people are more driven by emotion than by reason. Do not be afraid to play the politics of the job or the role you are in, ethically.
Point Number 8 Is It For Me and It Goes Beyond Managing Your Manager, It Cross Across Every Spheres Of Life.
Thanks for this.
It’s worth the read.
Cuts Across*
Totally agree! thanks for reading Facus!