The game you once played on the school playground is now the game you
play daily in the corporate jungle.
Remember tetherball? There’s a tall metal pole planted firmly in the
ground with a long cord attached at the top. At the other end of the
cord the ball is tied. No matter how hard you hit the ball, which
direction it’s headed or how fast it’s going, the ball remains
attached to the pole. The same goes for your relationship with your
boss – and you can guess which one of you is the pole and which one
is the ball.
For as long as you’re in the game, you’re firmly attached to your
boss, to his history, reputation, politics, choices, and to some
extent his future. How closely you entwine yourself with your boss
will affect your reputation and will have a major influence on what
you can accomplish on the job and where your career goes.
There are five laws that you absolutely must follow if you have any
hope of creating, maintaining, and managing any
productive relationship with your boss:
-
Never outshine the master: You’re making a big
mistake if you’re outsmarting, outwitting, or outmaneuvering
your boss. Always do your best, but do it in a way that
complements your boss’ strengths.
-
Make your boss look good: Engaging in a smart game of
professional flattery positions you as a person who is not
only ambitious, but also supports company objectives.
-
Exceed expectations: If
your achievements make your boss look great, she won’t
see you as a competitor but as an indispensable member of
the
team.
-
Bring
solutions, not problems: The smartest way to succeed
and get promoted is to be the person that your boss looks to
first when there is something that needs to be done,
managed, or fixed.
-
Protect your boss’ back: First, keep confidential any
professional or personal issues that might reflect
negatively on your boss. Second, stand in for your boss
without hesitation if he is ever unavailable – but be sure
to give him credit. Finally, never use your position to
trade information.
