WORKPLACE SPECIAL.... Winning over YOUR BOSS

WORKPLACE SPECIAL Winning over YOUR BOSS

Impressing your boss may feel like trying to hit a moving target, but there are steps you can take to get there. Follow this guide

Author Nicole Rollender draws on her 10 years of experience as a manager in publishing houses for this list of the five best ways to impress your boss. From generating ideas to simply being responsive, here’s how you can stand out from your colleagues.

Keep track of everything you’re working on

This may sound like a no-brainer but it is important. When was the last time your boss gave you an assignment and then followed up a week later only to hear, “I totally forgot to do that. I just didn’t write it down.” As an executive managing multiple departments and lots of employees, that’s the last thing your boss wants to hear. Whenever you meet with your boss or get an assignment, always note it in your online calendar with the due dates, especially if there are multiple parts. When your boss asks you for a status update, you’re prepared. Even better, provide your boss with a status update before they check in with you. Employees who do this always impress their bosses.

Be responsive

There’s nothing worse to a manager than sending his employee an email or leaving a voicemail and hearing radio silence. Always make it a point to respond to every single communication you receive, even if it’s a simple, “Hey, I received your message. I’ll get this back to you right after lunch.” Being responsive makes you a team member your boss knows they can rely on.

Work smarter, not harder

You’ve probably heard this workplace cliché before. However, it really is true. It’s not the number of hours you work that your boss cares about — it’s the thoughtfulness you put into executing a project. Build thinking time into your project. That upfront time will shave hours off your working time later. The number of hours you log isn’t what gets you the promotion. The smart end product does.

Don’t share everything with your boss

We’re so used to jumping on Facebook, saying, “OMG, I had the worst day ever” or sharing way too many personal details about our lives. Unfortunately, many employees overshare with their managers and co-workers. It’s totally fine to talk about your quirky hobby (yes to ghost hunting or glamping). However, if you’re severely hungover, that may not be the story to share. Everyone has stuff going on in their personal lives, but you need to use a filter with your boss. If you’re going to be late for work, keep your explanation as simple as possible. Say, “I had car trouble this morning,” rather than explaining how you don’t have any money and you ran out of gas. Is what you’re about to share something you’d want repeated in front of the entire company? If not, don’t mention it.

Be an idea person

The employees who impressed their bosses the most always think ahead. They look at the projects they were working on and came up with new ways to expand them. This is a great way to get promoted. Rollender often earmarked employees who came to her and said, “I have five new ideas I think would be fantastic for our products and our department and our company.”

The good news is that hitting these five points is actually really easy, and putting them all into practice will get your name high on your manager’s ‘to promote’ list.

businessinsider.in

ET13OCT18