Were you happy with your pay review this year? Did you get that promotion you wanted? Did you get a glowing annual appraisal this year? If you answered no to all or any of these then read on. Have you ever wondered why other people seem to get all the 'luck' at work, but not you? Others get promoted but you KNOW you're better at the job than they are. You work much harder. But here are some thoughts. Are you supportive of change in the workplace or do you openly undermine and criticise new initiatives?
Do you constantly pull your boss to one side, or into an office for little private chats bemoaning the way you've been treated, or the way someone else is behaving? Do you openly criticise your boss? Do you moan every time you're given a fresh piece of work that you think is outside your job remit? Answer these questions honestly, because they may hold the key to your success. Now, I'm not suggesting that you should become a real toadying type, sucking up to the boss at every opportunity. In fact that could well do just as much harm! BUT, it's an an unfortunate fact of life that humans tend to have a greater recall for negative experiences than positive ones. What that means for you, is that you may have done a really good job throughout the year in terms of your routine day to day tasks. But if you've undermined your boss, or undermined an initiative, or stirred up some resentment in the office, then guess what? You boss is HUMAN! She'll remember the negatives before she remembers all the good stuff. Here are some brief strategies that work: Be supportive of change and new initiatives. If you have doubts either express them as level headed, constructive criticism or keep them to yourself. DO NOT participate in office gossiping, undermining your boss and the new project/idea. Let the others do that - eventually the boss will get to hear about it. And she's human and WILL feel hurt. Just as you would be in that same position. Openly seek new work and to be a part of new initiatives. Seek to chair meetings and relieve your boss of the burden. I'm not saying overload yourself with work and pressures, but rest assured your boss probably has a lot on her shoulders. Seek to make her life easier. Always over deliver. If you are overloaded - avoid constantly moaning and whingeing to your colleagues and then under delivering because you can't do it all. Take your concerns to your boss in a constructive and planned way. Offer her solutions rather than going in with a 'so what are you going to do about it' attitude. Be cheerful and co-operative around the office. Get the teas and coffees in from time to time. Chat to senior managers at the coffee machine. Do it - you'll be amazed. They're human too. Ask them about their families, their pastimes. They'll remember you for it, I promise. The art of conversation is to listen. A good ratio is about 70% listening, 30% talking. People like to talk about themselves. Let them. They'll remember you as a good conversationalist, rather than someone who talks all the time! Match your boss's body language. If she folds her arms during a one to one, fold yours. If she crosses her legs, cross yours. It may seem contrived but body language is incredibly powerful when it comes to rapport building. Match your boss's language. By this I mean the use of what are called modalities. If she constantly talks in terms of 'Ahh, I see what you mean now, show me the figures again', then she is visually biased. If she says something like 'It just doesn't feel right', then she is what is known as kinaesthetic - in other words she works on feelings. If she says, 'I hear what you say, but...' then she's audial. If you're not using her language then you won't get through. To many, all of this will feel like 'sucking up to the boss' in some way, and perhaps it is. But I'll say it again - your boss is human. I guarantee, based on solid experience, that many, many decisions on pay rises and re-gradings are made not on the back of performance alone, but on whether the employee in questions was helpful, co-operative, cheerful etc. It may not seem fair or rational, but as humans we are ruled by our subconscious minds - which are far from rational! Learn how to harness and influence your boss's subconscious mind however, and give your career a nice little boost. |
