Archive for July, 2010

Having problems with your immediate boss?

Wednesday, July 7th, 2010

Your immediate boss or the person to whom you have to directly answer for your responsibilities or the in charge of your section — whatever you call him / her — may become a problem sometimes! It is often noticed at workplace that the senior colleague of yours to whom you have to directly answer becomes a nuisance for many reasons. He /she might be insecure because he / she may have realised your potential and might consider you a ‘threat’. In this situation he /she may start finding out ‘ways’ to trouble you in order to ruin your job image in front of the manager or the boss of the entire organisation usually called as ‘General Manager (GM)’, CEO, Director, etc. If your boss starts irritating you for reasons such as asking you to sit late, reach office earlier than your usual time, keeping an eye on each and every activity of yours such as what you are doing on your computer, which websites you are surfing, to whom you have been meeting in office, etc. These are the signs of being insecure and if your immediate boss is doing any such thing, you definitely are in trouble and need to look for ways to avoid these problems.

First and foremost way is to not give him /her any opportunity to point finger at you. Be punctual, remain disciplined, perform all your tasks on time, don’t do unnecessary phone calls (in front of him / her), avoid being too social in the office and try to remain focussed on your work only. (Avoid long chats with colleagues, avoid gossiping and other such stuff).

If you have other colleagues who are working at your level (under your immediate boss), beware of them as they might be working as ‘spies’ for your immediate boss! Avoid badmouthing about anyone especially your ‘immediate boss’ in front of your colleagues as they might leak out your opinions about him /her, which will be harmful for you.

Remain in touch with the Director or CEO of the organisation. Your better relations with the authority figures will compel your immediate boss to avoid conflicts with you and he / she will not misuse you for any reason.

If all this is not working for you and your immediate boss has really become a nuisance for you who does not let you sit relaxed even at your home and keeps you troubling by ordering official work through phone calls and emails; who scolds you and insults you in front of the other staff then it is the time to take action. Talk to your manager! Inform him / her about your sufferings. He /she may either move ‘you’ to any other section or change your ‘immediate boss’!

Good luck!

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New boss, new life

Wednesday, July 7th, 2010

Has your boss left the job and new boss has taken charge? It is not the time to sit relaxed; it is time to be proactive and get yourself introduced to your new boss no matter you have already met with him in a formal ‘welcome party’! It is very essential for your future growth that you let your new boss about yourself, your abilities and your job in the organisation. Consider this fact that whatever you achieved when your previous boss was in charge, has now become a history unless you have already close relationships with the new boss. But if this is not the case, then you must keep in mind that now your promotion, your growth prospects, increment in the salary depends on how your relationship is with your new manager. Keep in mind some important points: When a new boss takes charge, usually a formal get-together takes place and everyone is introduced to him by either the previous boss or someone from the management. But this is not enough! It is compulsory to meet your new boss in personal. For that when he takes charge, wait for about a week; then take an appointment from his personal assistant and go to his office to meet him. Get yourself introduced respectfully; like telling him your name, designation, department you work for and the number of years you have served in the organisation. It is also recommended if you take with you any gift such as a bouquet of flowers (avoid roses) or any official sort of gift such as diary, calendar, etc. Avoid being extravagant in choosing a gift for your boss because it might seem a bribe rather than a compliment.

Keeping in touch with your new boss is very important as he must remember your name and your position. But do not disturb him every now and then and also keep in mind that he is your boss, not a friend, so always keep your meetings with him ‘formal’. Your organisation may have some faults that you may have recognised and pointed out to the previous boss but no action would have been taken to resolve the issues for the betterment of the organisation. Discuss these issues with your new boss and also suggest some reasonable solutions so that your boss may get to know about your analytical and management skills. The success in life whether personal or professional depends upon the ‘networking’ and having formal meets with your newly arrived boss, letting him know about your ideas, etc are all nothing but important aspects of networking at a higher level. So, don’t remain confined to your office, adopt a ‘get up and go’ strategy and keep your eyes wide open in order to remain informed and updated about the latest happenings (official only) in your office. May be your current boss is planning to leave the office so it is high time you adopt a proactive approach and be ready to make better relations with your new boss for better career prospects.

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