How To Make Your Boss Like You

I have just re-entered the working world. One obvious question on my mind is – how to make my boss like me? making your boss like you isn’t difficult. It just takes a little "common sense." Let’s start with a few obvious ones.

1. Ask When You Do Not Know
Never assume things. Never assume how things are done or need to be done. When you are not clear always ask.
-You probably think, wouldn’t that make me look bad? Well, what is worst? Because you assumed you got the work wrong and spend more time correcting it or asking to clarify?

2. Take Initiative
Asking when you do not know does not mean that you cannot take initiatives.
In fact, you should learn to take initiatives when the need arise or when the opportunity presents itself.
Is there something that can be done better or should be attended to but no one found the time to attend to it. Ask to be the one in charge and make sure you see through the initiative you have taken.

3. Be An Ever Present Help
Be there whenever help is needed. Is there a project that may need more hands? Take the initiative to ask for a role.
-Your boss will appreciate the extra help. Even if your help is not needed, your boss would at least know you are willing to chip in. This is one of the easiest ways on how to make your boss like you.

4. Make Your Boss Look Good
Now, that doesn’t mean you take blame for things that go wrong. It can be something as easy as preparing the background to a briefing or meeting he or she is attending. In this case, ensure that he/she has the pertinent information needed to have a productive meeting/briefing.

5. Stay Out Of Trouble
Do not get involved in office politics. Do not gossip. Do not speak ill about other colleagues – be it in your team or otherwise. Not only will you suffer for your own words and actions, your boss will too. Create good working relationships across departments. Another way on how to make your boss like you is to stay out and avoid giving your boss any trouble. When you go to your boss with challenges you face, always bring two to three solutions and state your preferred solution to the challenge you are facing.

6. Be Like A Dry Sponge
Soak up the working culture around you. Learn the working styles of your colleagues and how you can find competitive advantage for yourself. Observe how personnel dynamics work in the office - like who can get things done due to their influence. Become a quick learner of everything.

7. Pick Up Cues Of How Your Boss Works
Learn, observe and ask how your boss likes things done. The best person to ask is your boss and those closest to him.
-Learn from other’s mistakes when they work with your boss. People will complain when the boss reprimands them, and that is the best time to learn what doesn’t go down well with the boss.


8. No Job Is A Bad Job
People like to pick and choose jobs or projects assigned to them. They choose to believe that some have more value than others.
To a certain extent that is true. But it is also true that bosses know who are the ones who are sincere in helping and uses these opportunities to learn. No assignments are bad at an early level. Every project is an opportunity to learn.

Take the assignment from your boss graciously and do your best. It will not go unnoticed.

9. Don’t Try To Get Away With Things
When you make a mistake, come off clean and do not try to cover up. That’s one way on how to make your boss like you. Don’t try to get away with things also means do not do your work by testing how little effort does it need.

Some people are always trying to get work off with the least possible effort and at a passable rate only. Strive for excellence in everything that you do. Let the quality of your work shine. Your boss will know.

10. Be Early
Or should I say - if you want to know how to make your boss like you, be punctual. Sometimes this can mean be early at work. Do not turn up for work later than your boss. When you leave for the day, let your boss know you are leaving and ask if anything needs to be attended either that day itself or the next day.

Of course, there are many more ways on how you can make your boss like you. These are some of those that can work easily.

Like everything in life, you need to do this sincerely in order for it to work.