Fit Into the Organization 12: Make Your Boss Look Good

This continues our series on how fitting in helps you get the biggest raises and better jobs

Curtis, one of my original mentors, taught me a very valuable lesson when I started my career. He taught that the role of a good employee was to make your boss look good. He emphasized the importance of focusing on ensuring that you contributed to achieving the metrics your boss needed to fulfill. Curtis practiced his own advice very well. As a result, each time his boss received a promotion, he took Curtis along with him. Curtis ended his career as the COO of a global retail chain.

Focus on Achieving and Exceeding Your Boss’ Goals

Discuss your production and quality goals with your boss. Verify that  your goals align with your boss’s. Then,

• Create a graph using a spreadsheet or graph paper
• Write your weekly and monthly goal on the graph
• Adjust your goals for seasonal changes.
• Enter your actual production on the graph each week so you can compare actual production to goals.
• Communicate your success to management and verify that your production meets their expectations.
• Ask your supervisor, on a regular basis, if expectations changed.
• When you are meeting expectations, ask your supervisor if there is anything else he or she would like you to do.
• Offer to do more than you currently do. We used to call it be a work grabber.

 

Improve Something at Work

Look for a process or situation you can improve at work.

• Observe it for a while
• Think of ideas to solve or improve it
• Discuss what you observed with your supervisor
• Share your ideas to improve it
• Ask their opinion and permission to implement possible solutions
• Communicate your success with home run statements

Resist the urge to take credit for all the improvements in your production and the processes at work. Recognize the contribution your supervisor makes to your success. Maintain open communication with your boss. Remember, make opportunities to make your boss look good.

Monday we highlight how to build a relationship with a mentor that helps you fit in better

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