Everyone has a boss and, according to U.S. News & World Report, your relationship with said boss will directly influence how well you do your job and how happy you are at work.
Nearly everyone has had a boss they hate, which can quickly turn an otherwise dream job into a nightmare. And on the flip side, some of the worst jobs can be a little brighter when a good leader is in charge.
Here are eight tips from U.S. News and World Report contributor Alison Green for improving your relationship with your boss:
- When there’s a conflict, assume it’s because one of you has information or insight the other doesn’t. Share your perspective or ask for your boss’s to help each other understand where the other is coming from.
- If you prefer email but your boss likes face-to-face communication, you should be knocking on the door and approaching your boss’s desk instead of shooting off a quick message.
- Send updates to your boss when you’re having trouble meeting a deadline or you’ve changed directions on a project. If you don’t have something done the way you said you would or when you said you would, your boss will assume she can’t trust you.
- Respect your boss enough to talk to them about any issues you have with him or her, instead of fueling office gossip.
- Listen to and act upon any constructive criticism directed at you. While feedback is sometimes hard to hear, it probably will help you do your job better.
- Along the same line, don’t let yourself become angry or offended when you’re frustrated at work.
- Understand your boss is not out to get you. If he or she is making decisions that affect you, it’s probably not because they want to make your life harder.
- Bosses have to make a lot of decisions and it’s easy to criticize their day-to-day choices, but giving them the benefit of the doubt instead of assuming they’re, again, out to make your life harder, will keep you both happier.
