Why Improving your Boss Standing at Work is Beneficial for you
If you are career-minded and are looking to be promoted as soon as possible, you will probably be concentrating on making yourself stand out as much as possible at work, so accentuating your boss’ attributes may be the last thing on your mind. However, by improving your boss’ standing in the company, you can actually do yourself a number of favours, thereby reaching your career goals just as quickly, if not more so. There are a number of reasons why making your boss look good makes youlook good at work.
Improves communication skills
You can’t get on in your job if you don’t have good communication skills – if people don’t like you, then they won’t go out of their way to help you, no matter how good you are at your job. If you are willing to help your boss look good, then it will improve the communication between the two of you. Your boss will appreciate that you are doing your best to help him/her do well and in turn, they will give you opportunities that they may not otherwise have entrusted to you. In addition, the atmosphere at work will be an awful lot more pleasant – not just between you and your boss, but for the entire workplace.
Builds long-lasting contacts
Most people have long memories and they will remember an employee who worked hard and selflessly to show them off in the best possible light. Your time with a particular boss may only last for a few months, or it could be a few years. Nevertheless, if you make an impact by working hard for them, you are likely to reap the rewards for much longer than that. You never know, in the future, you could need some career help and you will be able to turn to your former boss then. In turn, other managers will notice the strong bond between you and your boss and will appreciate what are doing for them and the company as a whole.
Shows team spirit
If you want to do well in your career, showing that you have team spirit is an important attribute. If you are going to the trouble of making your boss look good, the chances are that you are making the rest of your team look good too. It is also worth considering that if your boss is in a good mood because of what you have done for him, he is likely to look more favourably on the team as a whole – even if he appreciates that it is you who has done the bulk of the work. Unless there are jealousy issues, the team will appreciate your efforts to keep things moving along and so you will stand out as a good team player.
Proves loyalty
Every management team likes to think that they have loyal employees, because it makes them think that they are working in the right direction. If you prove that you are loyal to your boss by helping him out as much as you can, then you are also proving your loyalty to the company as a whole. It may not be noticed straight away, but in time, it will be. In these times of recession, loyalty and reliability are factors that could just keep you your job, especially if those around you are less willing to go out of their way to work hard for the sake of others.
Opens up opportunities
Good impressions go an awfully long way. If senior management are impressed by your boss, they will consider giving him more important projects for his team to work on. If you can prove your worth to your boss, his opinion of you will rise and he is much more likely to consider you over your colleagues for interesting projects as they come up at work. The more you take up such opportunities, the more you will increase your standing at work, and people much further afield than just your boss and the immediate team come to realise what an outstanding addition to the company you are.
Builds up your skills
If you put in the extra work to improve your boss’ reputation, you develop skills that you might otherwise not have needed. This could be something as basic as goodcomputer skills; if your boss is much older than you, for example, his computer skills may be weak, so you can prove your usefulness by learning skills that make him appreciate you more. The more you learn, the more new found skills you can take away when you finally leave the job. It is worth looking out for training courses that could build on what you already know and will be useful in your job.
Making your boss look good doesn’t necessarily mean that you need to become a sycophant. You can be helpful and reliable without annoying all those around you. Try to be observant of your surroundings and what other people think of you; it will be useful training and will ensure that you look at your best in the eyes of your boss and your other colleagues.
