Success at Work: People Skills : Working With Your Boss

By Stephen Bucaro

Most advice about success at Work focuses on becoming a good leader, but you can't become a good leader until you first become a good follower. Your boss is the most important individual to work with to achieve success at Work. Your boss can provide you with training, assignments, opportunities, and advancement within the organization.

Many young people entering the work force are surprised to learn that their boss is not perfect. Your boss is a unique individual that can get in a bad mood, make a bad decision, or exhibit imperfections just like anyone else. The key to achieving success at Work is to Work around the idiosyncrasies of Your boss.

Meeting Your Bosses' Standards

Some workers never take the time to understand the requirements of an assignment. At Motorola, I worked on a project that was getting behind schedule and over budget. At a project meeting, the boss asked us to not embellish our assignments with all kinds of extras. He said "Just meet the requirements".

After that meeting, every time I received an assignment I stopped and thought, "Exactly what are the requirements for this assignment?" Stopping to consider the requirements has served me well through the years - including getting me through college.

What are your bosses standards for quality? Some bosses just want a quick and dirty job. Some bosses expect everything to be perfect. Some bosses SAY they just want a quick and dirty job, but when they don't get perfect results, they complain. The solution is to determine the requirements of the assignment and just meet the requirements. Nothing more, nothing less.

Accommodating Your Bosses Work Style

Some bosses like to involve them self in your assignment. I've seen cases where the boss gives an assignment, and then sits with you while you're working on the assignment. Most of the time, boss involvement relates to making decisions. Some bosses want to make all the decisions, especially when the worker is new and unknown.

Some bosses expect you to make all the decisions yourself. They give you an assignment and then make them self scarce so you can't ask any questions. They just want you to get the job done. They don't want to be bothered with the details. Some bosses want to know every little detail of the progress of the assignment.

You need to learn how to accommodate the work style of your boss. It's best to make as many decisions as possible yourself. Keep your boss informed about the progress of your assignment with regular updates. Recognize when the importance of a decision requires you to consult with the boss. Respect your bosses time. If you need help, approach the boss at an opportune moment for the boss and ask when would be a good time to talk. Before you approach the boss for a decision, be prepared to offer possible solutions that the boss might choose from.

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