How Bosses Turn Good Assistants Bad
There are many things a boss can do that will turn a good assistant bad. Assistants have a lot of responsibility and their main job is to make the boss look good. What happens when the boss decides to make him or herself look better?
Lack of confidence
When a boss shows a lack of confidence in the assistants work and constantly checks up on the assistant it makes the assistant look bad. It also undermines the relationship between the boss and the assistant. Double checking work is fine, triple checking work is redundant and reflects poorly on the assistant.
Lack of communication
When a boss becomes unavailable it leaves the assistant in a bind. It also makes the assistant look bad when things aren't done in a timely fashion. It's not the assistants fault if the boss refuses to communicate and relate information that is necessary to their job. Sadly, it reflects very poorly on the assistant when the boss does this. Keeping track of all office communications will go far in helping the assistant should trouble arise.
Too busy
Similar to the communication issue, a boss that is too busy to interact with their staff or assistant will make the assistant look bad. If the boss is too busy it may appear that the assistant and other office staff aren't doing their jobs. The boss could be busy with personal things but doing them at work. This will make it appear it's part of their job when in fact, it is not creating the appearance that the assistant isn't holding up their end of the bargain.
Consistency
A boss that changes their mind after the report is written and after the assistant has gone home for the weekend will often leave the report with changes on the assistants desk. Expecting this to be revised by 9:00 a.m. On Monday morning, in time for the meeting, is frustrating to a busy assistant. Furthermore, the boss changes his or her mind frequently causing the assistant to have to stop one project and revamp another project. The assistant will appear incompetent and lacking in skills if this is a frequent occurrence. Again, keeping track of all communication with the boss will go far in helping the assistant to keep his or her reputation.
When working for someone else one has to take the good with the bad. Learning to roll with the flow can make or break an office relationship with ones boss.
