How to Build a Strong Relationship With Your Boss

A strong relationship with your boss can represent a big boost to your career. Sometimes, this happens naturally. Other times, it requires some effort on your part. The relationship ultimately means more to you than it does to your boss, so you have to be the one prepared to bend to ensure that everything goes smoothly.

As much as we conceive ourselves as the only authors of our eventual success, that just isn’t true. Everyone needs help in pushing their career forward. And, like it or not, your boss represents the key player in your near-term development.

They can either help you gain plum assignments, or they can exile you to the corporate equivalent of Siberia. They can provide you with a stellar recommendation for your next assignment, or they can represent a sore subject in job interviews that you hope doesn’t come up.

Luckily, you have a lot of say which of these outcomes will apply to you. Build a meaningful connection with your boss and it acts as career rocket fuel. As such, here are a few tips to help you build a strong relationship with your supervisor:

Do Your Job Well

Ultimately, your relationship with your boss will be defined by how well you do your job. As much as they may like you personally, a substandard effort on your part will put the two of you on a collision course.

Avoid this tension. Meet (or, ideally, exceed) their expectations, and you’ll have a strong base for a good rapport.

Show Respect

You and your boss won’t agree on everything. You’re bound to second guess some of their decisions and they’re likely to turn down some of your requests. This is all part of normal corporate life, and shouldn’t create unworkable tension.

That is, as long as both of you keep up a professional demeanor. Do your part in that equation (even if your boss sometimes doesn’t do theirs). Always maintain respect and professionalism, no matter how intense the disagreement.

Be Available

When your boss looks around for some help, are you there? If not, it becomes a point of contention.

As much as your boss respects your work/life balance, their top priority is meeting professional goals. They’ll naturally gravitate towards employees who can pitch in the most. Keep that in mind when your boss issues a request for volunteers.

Fit Your Habits to Their Style

Every boss has a preferred style of working. Unfortunately, their process might not represent a perfect fit with the way you prefer to operate. Guess who has to adjust? That’s right…it’s you.

Learn your boss’s style and fit your habits to their expectations. Get on their wavelength and the two of you will get along well.

Speak Their Work Language

Communication is key to any team project. As such, you need to be able to talk to your boss.

However, it’s not always obvious how to do this. Even corporate-speak has its dialects. Learn the one your boss prefers. Once you develop an effective shorthand, it makes the relationship more productive, and, ultimately, more fruitful for your career.

Make Them Look Good

Your boss has a boss of their own. They are likely under pressures you aren’t fully aware of. If you help them achieve their goals, they will look out for you. Find out what they need and do what you can to provide it.

Building a strong relationship with your boss gets easier if you know you are in the perfect position for you. Teaming with a top-flight recruiting partner, like SmartTalent, helps you score those ideal placements that contribute to long-term career growth.

Contact SmartTalent today to learn more.