Dealing with Our Boss
Many people are not happy with their boss for giving them too much work and too much stress. They feel that the boss does not understand them or is being unreasonable. They feel helpless because they are not in control. While we cannot control our boss, we can manage the situation so that we are in control of the situation.
The following are based on my experience in dealing with my past and present bosses. There are also many articles on the internet on how to "manage our boss".
I will list only a few points.
1. The boss is usually right. Yes, because their goals are our goals. Whichever direction they want to head towards, follow. Especially in professional fields like medical, engineering and education etc, the bosses are usually there because of their vision, wisdom, creativity, and good work done. Trust them (barring flaws in their character).
2. If we feel that there are gaps in certain areas, don't complain, but provide suggestions on how improvements can be made.
3. Show our boss that we care about his work and his life too. Wish them on their birthday, and go for lunch with them. There is no need to buy any gifts for our boss, because that may be seen as bribes.
4. Learn from our bosses' wisdom. Analyse and reflect on how they do things and also on their thinking. Most of the time, this opens new doors for us because our perspective is widened.
5. Make our boss look good in front of their bosses. When in the presence of our boss's boss, we can boast humbly about some achievement in the unit, or things we learned from our boss recently, or that we enjoy working there.
6. Speak up at meetings, show that we are interested in the discussions. Understand National and Company policies. If co-workers are not convinced or clear about certain plans, help to elaborate. Support our boss's decision. However, it is also good to rock the boat if we feel that we can improve on the plan. This shows our boss that we are thinking and is passionate about the work we do.
7. Do not speak bad things about our boss, because many people in this world are not able to keep their mouth shut. What we say will eventually reach our boss's ears. If your dissatisfaction is reaching your threshold, it is time to consider leaving the company.
8. Keep our boss informed on what we are doing. Don't give him/her the need to breathe down our neck. When we have an initiative or a good idea, tell our boss fast, or let him/her know that we are onto something and will keep him/her updated.
Observing simple things above can help make our work life better. But the most important thing to do when our boss gives us feedback, is to reflect and ask ourselves how we can do better, instead of getting upset and shift the blame to the boss's personality.
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