Pimp Your Work

A 6 Step Guide on How to Earn the Love of Your Boss

by Celine on November 20th, 2007

You’re standing in the boardroom, giving a presentation and you think you’re doing well.  You used great graphics, your ideas are brilliant, etc.  But all your boss could manage is an indecipherable poker face or a smirk.  Maybe she doesn’t like your ideas.  Maybe she was bored.  Or maybe she didn’t get it.

Or maybe she doesn’t love you.

I’m not talking about touchy-feely love.  I mean the type of love that makes your boss want to recommend you to her bosses. Makes her think of your name when someone asks her “Who’s the most valuable member of your team?”.  More importantly, it’s the love that can be converted into a big fat raise.

How do you get this love?

1.  Preparation.  Before you start with your presentation, you have prepared answers for each of their questions.  In fact, an entire section of your presentation is based on answering these questions so that questions are minimized at the end - saving everyone a great deal of time.  When meeting with a client, you’ve done all your research about them.  Including details about their company history, what has worked for them before, and even the name of the owner’s pet dog.  Also, you’re not the type of employee who’ll be asking “Can I borrow a pen?” Ever.  You always have a pen, paper, business card, etc.  If not, you know exactly where to get it.

2.  You get things done (and get them done on time, if not earlier).  If your boss needs a report, you finish it before the deadline.  If you’re asked to lead the decorations committee for the company New Year party, you’ve got design ideas listed and have a budget plan within the day.  How do you manage this?  With effective time management.  There are several time management tips on this blog that you have no excuse to miss deadlines anymore (except probably death and dismemberment).

3.  You don’t point fingers when you make a mistake.  It’s one thing to say “According to the meeting minutes last week, Greg was supposed to accomplish that report, not me.” However, you should never say “I thought he was going to do it because he kept giving me suggestions on what should be done.”  If something was your responsibility, you should claim it, even if you make mistakes.  Pointing fingers will lead to disagreements, and you’ll be perceived as having no leadership skills whatsoever.  If you’re accountable for something that went wrong, let your boss know, apologize, and give a concrete plan on how you’ll do better in the future.

4.  You know when to stick to your guns.  Never show fear or weakness when someone else is “bullying” you at work.  This happens when people who think they know more than you start telling you what a crappy job you’ve done.  Take a breath and calmly explain why your existing ideas are much better for the company, and why their ideas won’t work.  This will earn the respect of your boss and your coworkers, if done right.

5.  You remember everything your boss says or writes, and you quote excerpts appropriately.  Doing this gets tricky, since you’ll appear like you’re brown nosing.   Only do this when it’s relevant.  For example, in the middle of a presentation, you say “In a meeting the other week, our supervisor said ‘I don’t want you to work hard, I want you to work smart.’  Here are some ideas that will help us do exactly that.”  It’s relevant, short, and doesn’t sound like you’re sucking up.

6. Save the day.  Did your boss’ computer crash because of malware?  Fix it right away, if you know how.  Is a colleague left speechless and shaking in front of a client presentation?  Get in there and continue his presentation.  If there’s a crisis and you’re the first one to solve it, you’ll get your boss to love you in no time.

Basically, the bottom line is that you should make your boss and the company look good. You do this by being a productive asset, having confidence in yourself, and by being constantly prepared.   Have you done anything lately to make you work loving?

Share This

Related Stories

• Pimping Bookmarks: Dealing with the boss
• Thinking like management
• Read before you do your Vista upgrade … really, I mean it
• Step outside your comfort zone to get the most out of your software
• Top 7 ways to make your boss hate you

POSTED IN: Workplace pimps, Workplace hacks, Cube life