“Your boss is the most important person in your life”
This statement of mine is usually met with a few raised eyebrows. But once I explain my reasoning, I get nods of acceptance too!
It goes without saying that family is important and that it comes first for most of us. But your relationship with your boss can create either happiness or havoc in your life.
Isn’t that the reality for most of us?
If you have had a day where your boss has expressed his/her appreciation for you, you would be over the moon. However, even if you have had a really productive day but your boss criticized you, you are more than likely to feel horrible and disappointed.
If you find your boss and your interactions with him/her challenging, this often gets reflected in your personal life too; knowingly or unknowingly.
You may not always be able to share or express these emotions with your family that easily or not all the time.
Hence, it is important to build and maintain a great relationship with your superiors or managers.
How can you do it?
Communicate clearly to your boss that you value having a great relationship with him/her.
Express your desire to make your manager successful.
Remember, it is only when they are successful that your team will get noticed and recognized. When your boss is successful and get promoted or moved to a new role, it opens opportunities for you too!
Spend time understanding what your boss’ priorities and goals are.
Become their Go-To-Player. Be the person they can depend on to get things done.
Approach your manager with ideas and suggestions which can improve the overall team productivity.
Identify and try to relate with your supervisor’s personality and values. The better you understand them, the easier it will be to work with them.
Last, but not least, earn their trust. This does not equate to supporting your boss blindly, but instead is about genuinely helping them to succeed. If you happen to notice errors on their part, your relationship can help to convey this without complaining to others or making them lose face. This can further improve the trust in the relationship between you and your manager.
Which of the above are you already doing?