Winning Over the Boss

A big part of job success is learning to get along with co-workers. A new employee has to learn a new job and be able to get to know and work well with a group of strangers. Coming into an established team can be tough, especially if the team has been together for a long time. 

While this is important, getting along with the boss is even more critical. Managers have the ability and authority to assign projects, organize work teams, promote, give increases and even terminate. It’s to your advantage in any job to get along with and even wow the boss. 

Winning over your boss was the subject of a recent Forbes article.  According to two authors, it all boils down to doing your job really well, help your boss reach his or her goals, and constantly express an interest in your boss and the organization. Sounds simple. In order to do these things, you need to invest time and energy into your boss’s world instead of yours.

Added to the first three are things like making your priorities the same as your boss’s priorities. Others include being a problems solver instead of just a problem deliverer. Become interested in your boss’s interests. The tips demand a serious shift to thinking and acting in the best interest of your boss.

While these tips might help make a favorable impression, you can lose yourself in such a focused effort.  Everyone has strengths, and yours may be very different from those of your boss. By focusing and aligning yourself so much with your boss you can minimize your effectiveness. After all, you were probably hired because of your strengths. Your strengths were meant to compensate for and fill in the gaps left by your boss’s and co-worker’s weaknesses. You may end up hurting yourself in the process by becoming less effective.

If you’ve never played tennis or were interested in fantasy football, you can come off as phony and patronizing if you suddenly develop an intense interest in those things. Neither trait will put you on the fast track or label you as a professional. Not only will your boss see through your actions, the rest of the team will be on to you also. Interest can look like sucking-up to the boss. Not the way to ingratiate yourself to the team.

Trying to win over the boss can also seem like a desperate ploy to make up for insecurities or lack of skills. Instead of trying to win her over, direct your energy into doing a great job and adding value to the organization and the work team. You can win the boss over and make her look good to her boss by doing the best job you can. A manager’s success depends largely on the success of the team and the ability to get the work done through others. When the team is successful, the manager is rewarded for his leadership, planning, coaching and organization. 

Too much emphasis on making someone else look good or winning them can take focus off your own success. Getting along and building good working relationships are important for you and your career. To move up, you’ll need enthusiastic references, and helping your boss succeed is a good way to develop your own cheering section. A good balance is important to make sure you and your boss get the most out of a professional working relationship.

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