Most managers know when they’re being brown-nosed, and most of them don’t appreciate it. It’s understandable; when you try way too hard to get on someone’s good side, it comes across as annoying and superficial, and more than likely, you’re just gonna earn their ire. However, it’s not an inherently bad idea to try and endear yourself to your superiors. You’re working with them, after all, it’s understandable to want them on your side. With that in mind, here’s a few little tricks you can use to earn a few brownie points with the boss without being a brown-noser.
- Keep track of your stuff. Some bosses like to ask “what did you get done today?” If you’ve got an easily-accessible list of everything you accomplished that day, you can present an image of someone with a healthy work ethic.
- Be responsive to contact. It’s annoying to be contacted outside of work (and sometimes inside), but it’s the responsible thing to do. Promptly respond to all calls, emails, and requests, and don’t turn them down unless you have a good reason.
- Keep your inbox organized. If you’re in an industry where a lot of email is coming and going, you’ll definitely want to be able to retrieve stuff as soon as it’s needed. Create your own itemized email folders, and ditch any messages you don’t need.
- Work smarter, not harder. Brute forcing a week’s worth of work in a couple of days is more depressing than impressive. Try to find ways to eliminate some of the work, or determine a more efficient approach to it. Anyone can lift a pail of water; it takes a quick thinker to devise a pail-fetching machine.
- Don’t overshare your personal life. Even if you want to have a friendly rapport with the boss, there are some things they don’t need to know. Don’t bring up embarrassing or sad stuff unless they actually express an interest in it, and DEFINITELY do not discuss relationships.
- Don’t be afraid to share ideas. Innovation is the essence of progress, and progress means profits. If you’ve got an idea you think would benefit the company, share it. Even if it gets turned down, most bosses appreciate the initiative.
