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Truth 8. Your Boss Can Make or Break Your Reputation
When you feel that you deserve a raise, when you need to
resolve a conflict, or when you are ready for a promotion,
who do you call upon first? Whether you like it or not, it’s
your boss.
In all but the smallest organizations, the person directly
above you in the hierarchy has more influence over your
career progression than anyone else, however much you
nurture relationships with influential figures higher up.
Your boss conducts your yearly review, assessing how you
perform against targets. He or she also helps decide your
bonus or merit increase. Less officially, your boss talks
with lots of other people in the organization, in places
where you are not. You need to make sure that your boss
talks positively about you wherever and whenever possible.
Clearly, the better your boss knows you, the better he or
she can represent your value and potential to others. Make
sure that you boss has good things to say at the ready by
arranging regular career conversations, formal or informal,
to keep him or her well informed about your achievements,
your concerns, and the challenges you are facing.
It’s not just the good stuff with which a boss can help you
out. When trouble comes along, a supportive boss can be your
trump card. In a conflict with peers, for example, around
issues such as office space or commission sharing, a
supportive boss will act as referee, even as your emissary,
to alleviate tension and resolve issues. Even if you don’t
end up with the outcome you wanted, or if things turn sour,
a supportive boss can back the fact that you tried to work
things out, keeping your reputation intact.
The above is all very well if you have a good rapport with
your boss, but more challenging when interaction is fraught.
If your boss feels affronted by or actively dislikes you, he
or she will not speak well of you and might even make you
look bad in public. So tread carefully, looking for
opportunities to build support. It’s vital that you don’t
acquire the reputation of a “problem” employee by virtue of
what your boss is saying.
Reinforce desired behavior by showing your boss loads of
public respect when he or she treats you well, for example,
but behave just neutrally when the opposite happens.
Whenever possible, thank him or her for any support shown,
however minor. The trick is, whatever you think about your
boss, to always behave respectfully and look for ways to
make him or her feel good about your relationship.
Your boss’ usefulness depends to some extent on how much
others respect him or her. You get a sense of how well a
boss is thought of by tapping in to the office grapevine,
and by observing who is in your boss’ network. If you get a
sense that his or her word is not listened to, you might
want to build relationships with others at your boss’ level
– by asking their opinion on key projects, for example – who
may then speak well of you and your initiative to others.
The quality of the boss-employee relationship is the number
one reason worldwide that people either enjoy their jobs or
feel the need to change them. Pay daily attention to
strengthening that bond whenever you can! |
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