Want to improve your relationship with your boss? Most people look at their relationship with the boss as one-directional. That makes sense given the power dynamic. However, as with any relationship, the one you have with your boss is a two-way street. As such, you have to own your role in that relationship.
Improving your relationship with your boss takes doing a series of small things daily. Furthermore, they only take minutes at a time. Do them intentionally, and practice them daily. Building these habits will not only improve your relationship with your boss they will help you advance your career.
Build trust to improve your relationship with your boss
They say trust takes years to build, seconds to lose, and forever to repair. Trust develops through small actions. Doing what you say. Doing it when you said. Being consistent in your efforts. Above all else, what you say matches your behaviors. Trust in any relationship is accelerated when you are the first to trust. Therefore, if you feel your boss doesn’t trust you, find an opportunity to offer them yours.
Be coachable
Your boss is responsible for coaching and developing you. They are accountable to meet appropriate performance levels, which are delivered by you. As a result, you have to be open and receptive to the feedback they provide. Demonstrate that you are coachable and interested in their feedback. Ask clarifying questions and apply the feedback quickly. Doing so will improve your relationship with your boss.
Meet regularly to improve your relationship with your boss
Your boss is busy. But any good boss will always make time to meet with you. If regular meetings aren’t on your calendar, be proactive, and schedule one. Try to meet at least once a month. Talk about the tasks you are working. Discuss the problems you are solving for the business. If you’ve made a mistake, talk about it, what you learned, and how you improved as a result. Ask for help. Bring a problem you aren’t sure how to solve. Even more, bring some of the solutions you’ve thought would address the issues. Many of these topics can be boiled down to water cooler, or pre-meeting discussions. Weaving these topics into conversations with your boss will improve your relationship with them.
Ask questions
Asking questions demonstrates curiosity. It shows you care about the work you are producing. It screams you want to get better. That you want to understand. More so, asking questions indicates you are engaged. Some people go about thinking they should do a lot of talking and they need to know all the answers. However, the smartest people in the room are the ones asking more than telling. For this reason, building a habit of asking questions will improve your relationship with your boss.
Participate
Remember is school how participation was half the grade? The same applies to business. Participate in meetings, in your development, in peer discussions. Be an active participant in your career path. I once had a boss who said there are no victims in business. Everyone makes their choices. Build a habit of choosing to participate, and you will improve your relationship with your boss.
Practice gratitude
Practicing gratitude changes everything. Showing appreciation when someone helps you. Saying thank you or returning kindness. Gratitude transforms the workplace. It shows empathy and as a result, is an exceptional trait in future leaders. Build the habit of readily showing appreciation in front of the boss and to them. Doing so improves your relationship with your boss and co-workers.
Challenge your boss to improve your relationship with them
Understandably, you want to avoid rocking the boat. It is easy to accept the status quo and poor decision making. Maybe you even have a boss who wants to be surrounded by “yes people.” But you were selected out of dozens of candidates because of the valuable contributions you could make to the organization. Being silent creates problems. It prevents you and those around you from being the best. Most senior leaders are looking for employees to speak up, bring new ideas, and innovate. A great boss wants to be challenged by their team. Therefore, building the habit of articulating concerns and new ideas will improve your relationship with your boss.
If you want to improve your relationship with your boss, you can do so by building these habits in just a few minutes a day. These are good habits to have and will serve you well with the boss. Additionally, these habits earn you an exceptional reputation with peers and co-workers that will ripple throughout the organization.
