Dealing With Your Boss

You will agree with me, dealing with your boss requires techniques. We probably all have an experience where our relationship with our boss was really fine, the kind of boss we love to be with as soon as we have a 2 minutes break, the boss we love to hang out with once off the clock, the boss we do not see as a boss but as a friend. 

I used to be very intimidated by my superiors. Once someone was sitting at a higher hierarchy I wasn’t able to be natural with him. However, through the years, I ended up being one of the closest friends not of all my bosses, going to see them even for 5 minutes just to get some news, being upset when they were absent for a month, and even going to visit them at home for diner or lunch. So, how do we deal with the boss?

1. Do your job – Something that we shouldn’t forget is why we are at the work place for, and that is to work, to do the job we applied and have been recruited for. We are at the work place to produce what will help the company to progress. Have you ever faced a situation where your boss do not like one of the employees but keep him just because he does his job and is irreplaceable? The first thin you need to do when when dealing with your boss is to be reliable and accountable. In three words: DO YOUR JOB.
2. Get to know your boss – One side of a relationship is knowing the person we are or planing to be in relationship with. There are some info you need to know when you deal with your boss: 

• The date of birth: everybody loves gifts, birthday cards at their birthday and for a boss, having the employing wishing a surprise happy birthday represent a great mark of attention and interest.
• What is that your boss like: make a list of everything that your boos like or expects from you
• What is that your boss do not like: Find out from what your boss doesn’t like that you do, what are the things you can change and how can you change it?

1. Care for your boss – Have you ever heard the saying: “people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care”? Well, that works for your boss too. Do keep the eyes only on your eggs, think about your boss sometimes. If he feels like you care about him, his career, and promotion, he will definitely care about yours too. 
2. Be a professional team player – Understand that sometimes your boos can/will be like a tyrant. Your boss sometimes will act like a schoolyard bully afraid to reveal the slightest incompetence. He can be fickle, stubborn or needy or have irrational fears. We are all human, in a bad economy, workplace pressures, and stress, your boss can easily give up his professional facade and become an office tyrant no one would like to approach.  Lynn Taylor, author of “Tame Your Terrible Office Tyrant” explains you can deal with that kind of boss using the C.A.L.M technique.

• Communicate: You cannot build a relationship with someone if you do not communicate frequently with that person. Communicating with your boss can be around different angles. You must communicate about your work, you may ask about his work, and you can establish an open dialogue about his family, your family, sport, movies, and other non-professional interests each of you have. 
• Anticipate: You must be alert for problems and prepared for solutions. When accepting you to be closer to him, your boss expect from you to be an allied. Do not come and ask for a raise when you know the economy is bad, but if you get to know about a critical issue that might happen and you do what is needed to avoid the issue, your boss would love even to delegate more tasks to you. 
• Laugh: About 75% of our 24-hour day is spent at the work place with our colleagues and our boss.  People love to be surrounded by positive and enthusiast people. Laughter helps create bonds and reminds us of our larger purpose: to work together with upbeat, constructive energy. It can and should be esaier to accomplish great things as a team at work, while having some fun.
• Manage up: You need to be part of the team and work towards the accomplishment of the big vision. Let yourself shine by being a problem-solver and collaborator. If in the mind of your boss or co-worker your image is associated to problems then to you need to work harder to be seen as a solution. Your boss do not expect you to know everything, but he’d love if you can keep the room in a positive atmosphere. 

Now understand this not about manipulating your boss, it’s about dealing with him the way he would like you to.