So you’re at work and your boss is giving you a hard time and you find yourself wondering; how do I make this person like me? It can be hard to get along with your boss sometimes and can make you feel like your job might even be at risk. In this article, we’re going to talk about a few things you can do to impress your boss and take some of the pressure off you at work.
Never miss a deadline. This might seem obvious and in some cases a deadline can be so important that missing it could put your job in jeopardy – but one thing that is sure to at least give your boss a good impression is if you are always early for deadlines. If you don’t let them think that you are the kind of employee who slacks on your work then they might shift their focus to someone else. They’ll consider you ‘the reliable one’ and use you as an example to other employees.
Always be organised. A well organised desk is a well organised employee. If your boss comes to your station and finds it in a mess, they’re likely to assume you’re a messy and disorganised person, which will give them a bad impression of you. Keep your desk tidy and organise your tasks each day so that everything is as simple for you as possible and if your boss happens to notice that’s a bonus.
Suck up a little but not too much. You want your boss to like you, so that’s going to mean the occasional compliment or kind words to boost their ego. You have to be careful with this, so as not to come off as desperate or annoying to your boss. You also don’t want to get a reputation amongst your co-workers for sucking up, so make sure you don’t do it too often. Generally, you should aim to just be polite and friendly to your boss and hopefully they will reciprocate.
Always be professional. Dress professionally, act professionally and speak professionally. Your boss needs to have some respect for you before they can like you and they’re more likely to respect someone who they consider to be professional and therefore closer to ‘their level’. If your boss catches you making an inappropriate joke or walking around with your shirt untucked they’ll likely lose respect for you which will lead to disliking you and could even lead to you being in trouble at work.
Work overtime. Bosses love people who go above and beyond the call of duty when it comes to their work. Your boss will be impressed if you take overtime when it’s offered to you or work longer hours to make sure you finish your project. Your hard work helps them achieve their targets, so it’s in their interest to keep people who work hard like you on their good side. It also means less work for them in the long term, which of course they’re going to be happy about.
Keep your head down. A quiet employee who gets on with their work and doesn’t ask many questions is the kind of employee a boss will love. If you are disruptive or irritating your boss will see you as more of an annoyance than an asset. If you don’t give them something to complain about, they won’t complain. Obviously this doesn’t apply if something serious happens at work that you need to tell someone about but if you have a small problem or question that can be easily resolved try asking a co-worker before asking your boss.
Sometimes in life you will get a boss that doesn’t like you no matter what for their own reasons. Bosses can be unreasonable and unfair when you do everything you can to be a good employee and that can be difficult to deal with. However most of the time your boss is just a person with their own life and problems and it’s important to remember that they are people too. Hopefully this article has helped give you some ideas on how to impress your boss and make your life easier at work. As always, good luck!
