There are few relationships as important as the one you have with your boss. As my friend and colleague Catherine says, “you won’t get very far if your boss doesn’t rate you”.
In fact, part of your job is to make your boss look good (by the way, that’s why it’s so important to choose your boss well – it’s best if he or she is someone who you believe deserves to look good!).
What can you do today to help your boss?
I would ask my boss (let’s call her Pat) what her 3 top priorities were for the year, and then make sure I was doing something aligned with at least one of them. You could do the same with challenges.
That year, her answer was:
I then made sure I was doing my bit on each, and regularly updating her on those 3 areas as it related to my client base. Also, when her boss stopped by our part of the floor to chat (which he did from time to time), I made it a point to say something like, “… and Pat has us all focused on delivering on the top 3 priorities, A, B and C” to emphasize that she had communicated this to her team.
By the way, I’ve found that every senior person can answer this type of question. In fact, the more senior they are, the quicker and more confidently they will answer. For example, it’s an easy question you can confidently ask any CEO. It’s junior people who don’t yet think this way yet (i.e. strategically). As a side tip, make sure you can answer this question yourself when it comes up!
Think of one thing you can do to help your boss today and do it. This could be something that will:
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May is an executive coach, speaker, advisor, and author of the #1 international bestseller VISIBLE: How to Advance Your Career Without Playing Politics, Selling Your Soul, or Working Yourself into the Ground. She’s a seasoned business executive with a passion for helping leaders be the best they can be.
As an executive coach and mentor, May brings 24 years of front-line corporate experience and expertise, most recently as COO of Morgan Stanley Europe, to help professionals overcome (often hidden) obstacles, advance to the next level in their careers and reach their full potential.
