Impressing your boss can often be the difference between maintaining your position and getting a promotion. In a struggling economy, it can even be the deciding factor between keeping your job and getting laid off.
Here are 6 ways you can impress your boss everyday:
Always Be On Time (Or A Little Early)
Showing up late may not seem like a big deal. But nothing screams “I take my work seriously” quite like being on time every single day.
Even if you have a flexible schedule, make it a priority that you’re never late to your office or job site. Dependability is a huge factor in many of the job projects we place. When you are on-time, you’ll become the go-to person for important placements, meetings and promotions.
When You Say You’ll Do Something, Do It
If you say you’ll complete a task by a certain time, or follow up with your boss about the task, make sure you do it. These small commitments of following up and completing tasks will build your credibility with your boss and anyone else you work with. This will ultimately grant you bigger responsibilities after you have shown you can care for and can handle the small ones.
Ask “What’s Next?”
If you’ve completed all your work for the day and are sitting around waiting to be released, this is the perfect opportunitiy to show your boss how serious you are. Either find your boss, call him/her or even send an email to ask if there’s anything more you can do.
Simply put, by making your bosses job easier, you will get rewarded. Opposite of this, do NOT be the employee who waits around until they are given a task to do. Instead, be the kind who wants to initiate what more can be done.
This type of attitude shows initiative and committment. It also takes extra work off your boss’s plate, which they will appreciate in the moment, and remember down the road when a time comes for a promotion of special project.
Be As Positive As Possible
While you don’t have to go overboard and fake a positive personality, it’s always a good idea to be a force of positivity in your workplace.
Positivity can include things like greeting your boss with a smile in the morning, happily tackling problems when things go wrong, and even just keeping negative comments to yourself. Bad vibes have a way of coming back around to find you. Hurtful gossip can influence a career if it gets back to your boss.
Get To Know Your Boss
If your boss is accessible and personable, it could be beneficial to get to know them on a deeper level. While it may be easy to discuss usual small-talk topics like the weather, kids, pets, traffic, etc., go for something more substantial that ultimately leave a stronger impression.
Ask them about their family, their weekend plans, etc. If you aren’t comfortable going that deep, you can also keep it job focused by discussing work stuff in greater detail. If you only have a few minutes together, use the time to express curiosity or recognize a success.
Become Invested
No matter where you work or project you are working on, you can impress your boss by becoming invested in the company as if it were your own.
When you start to become invested in the success of the company or project, you begin to look at your role in the scope of a much greater picture. This leads to a greater sense of responsibility and will allow you to impress your boss with the knowledge you have gained and the ideas you have to move the company or project forward.
If you care about your current career, it will be your best interest to do little things like these in order to impress your boss and show your committment. Making an effort to stand out will definitely help you get ahead when it comes time for raises and promotions.