The relationship you have with your boss is very important
on both a professional and a personal level. It can have a
significant influence on your day-to-day job satisfaction
as well as your long-term career success.
The relationship is also important to your boss who is
counting on you, and your colleagues, to satisfy customers,
meet deadlines and achieve objectives.
But keeping this relationship healthy and productive is not
about 'managing' your boss: it's about understanding them,
and you, and then choosing to behave in a way that gets the
best results for you, your boss and the organisation.
Only by understanding your mutual needs, styles,
expectations, strengths and weaknesses can you develop a
relationship that works for both of you.
In any relationship what you say and do influences the
other person. You can't change your boss but you can
control your own behaviour. It's important, therefore, to
understand what you do that either helps or hinders the
relationship. Here are some actions you can take to make
the relationship work. Take responsibility for your own
career and personal development
Ask for feedback throughout the year - don't just wait for
performance reviews. Learn how to evaluate your own
performance - what are you doing well; what do you need to
improve on.
Take responsibility for performance reviews
Be aware that not all bosses are good at holding review
meetings so help by being as positive as you can be, even
if you don't like some of the criticism you may receive.
Discuss mutual expectations openly
Find out what your boss's expectations are and share your
own. Tell your boss what development and support you need.
Don't assume they'll automatically know. Use your
boss's time well and develop good timing yourself
Your boss's time is limited so make good use of it, don't
waste it. Find out if your boss is a lark (good first thing
in the morning) or an owl (better later in the day) and
choose your moment to raise issues.
Have a 'no surprises' policy
Communicate bad news immediately. There's nothing worse for
your boss than being called to task by his/her boss about
something they know nothing about.
Identify your boss's preferred working style
How do they like to receive information - face-to-face, in
writing, by email? How much do they like to be involved in
decisions? How organised are they - can they cope with a
little chaos? How comfortable are they with risk taking?
How 'hands-on' or 'hands-off' are they - can you use your
own initiative?
Recognise and appreciate your boss's strengths
Compliment your boss when they do something you like; that
way they'll learn the actions and attitudes that work for
you.
Remember, bosses are human too
Bosses make mistakes too. If your boss is reasonable when
you make a mistake then you should be prepared to do the
same for them.
Perfect the art of compromise
If you want to do something one way and your boss wants it
done another, find out why, don't just argue to get your
way. Choose which battles to fight and which to decline. If
it's possible, and appropriate, negotiate.
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Matt Somers is a coaching practitioner of many years'
experience. He works with a host of clients in North East
England where his firm is based and throughout the UK and
Europe. Matt understands that people are working with their
true potential locked away. He shows how coaching provides
a simple yet elegant key to this lock. For a bumper load of
coaching tips and tricks - including FREE resources - visit
http://www.mattsomers.com
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