Build better relationship with your boss WITHOUT LICKING THEIR BOOTS!

Bonding with your boss isn’t something most of us consider imperative to excelling at the office. But a study has found that a negative work environment leads to high employee turnover rates and that employee productivity is directly linked to their relationships with superiors. So, whether you are joining a new organisation or are still where you were last year, these tips are sure to come in handy for a smooth and easy time with your boss.

Know their expectations

It is important to have clear discussions with your boss at the start of the year and clarify areas that you are unsure about. Learn what items are on your boss’s main agenda so that you don’t repeat the mistakes you made in 2018.

Discuss and share with your boss your goals and any major issues you have in mind so that he or she is aware. Sometimes your boss’s priorities might outdo your own; be flexible enough to accommodate these requests. Know what your boss expects from you in terms of work performance and work diligently to meet or even go beyond those expectations.

Meet their deadlines

Deadlines in an organisation are a necessary part of work because they help in proper planning. Deadlines help in aiding the smooth flow of work and lead to perform?  This year you should become known as an employee who regularly meets deadlines and you will be in your boss’s good books. Be a good time manager. You can achieve this by:

Keeping a running list of your main tasks, projects and deadlines.

Looking at the list regularly to ensure that nothing slips through the cracks

Breaking down big tasks into smaller units to make it easier to tackle them

Striving to meet your work commitments at all times.

Being known for doing what you promise you will do.

In the event that you are working on a project and you anticipate not meeting the deadline, it is advisable to give your boss a heads up in good time. Let them know that you are running late and discuss options available such as rescheduling your activities, negotiating on deadlines and getting support from others.

Be responsive and keep your boss updated

Bosses prefer employees who are highly responsive to those who are slow. Different bosses have different definitions about what being responsive means to them.

Some bosses are comfortable with a weekly update; others prefer a daily update while others might even require an hourly update. When working on a project, update your boss on the progress at regular intervals. If you are not able to provide updates, let your boss know in advance.

Don’t be reactive or arrogant because it will create challenges for you, your boss, team and other stakeholders.

Have regular meetings with them

It will create a good opportunity to discuss with your boss what you are working on, progress and accomplishments and any challenges that you are facing and at the end of it all you find things going well.

One-on-one meetings can be scheduled at various intervals such as daily, weekly, bi-weekly, monthly or quarterly. A good interval will either be once a week or once every two weeks. Use these meetings as opportunities to get input and feedback from your boss on how you are performing and take good note of how you will improve. Take good notes during check-in meetings. As an employee, prepare an agenda for each meeting and submit it to your boss prior to the meeting to give them a chance to review it and note down the points that they would like to discuss with you.