There’s no set formula for impressing your boss as individuals differ.
Some are sweet and understanding while others may have come directly from hell, like Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada.
The key to impressing your boss, however, is getting to know him or her.
Is your boss a stickler for time? Does she like when you take initiative? How much sugar does she take in her morning coffee? What are his weaknesses? The more you know about your boss, the easier it will be for you to impress him or her.
Of course, some standard rules apply.
Get there…on time
Showing up early is at the top of the list. Don’t make it a habit to traipse into the office at half-past-nine when work starts at eight. Or worse, try not to be that hot mess consistently dashing into the office at a quarter-past-the hour every day because you keep missing your bus. Your boss doesn’t care that you missed your alarm (again) or that there was another traffic pile-up on the toll road for the fortieth time this week.
How many times are you going to call and tell your boss you’ll be a few minutes late? Best believe he is counting, and for every minute that you’re late, he looks at it as a dollar lost. As for that promotion you’ve been waiting on for the past six months? You’ll probably end up being a day late and a dollar short for that too if you don’t start acting right. So, buy a watch, iron your suit from the night before, set three alarms, get a really loud rooster—just make sure you get there on time.
“Arriving early shows that you’re committed to the job and that you take it seriously,” said Charmaine Heslop-DaCosta, Digicel’s Director of Human Resources. “Especially if you have the kind of boss who is concerned about your input. Don’t make being late the thing they have to say about you.”
What’s that you’re wearing?
Don’t believe what you hear, what you wear and how you wear it says a lot about you. Those wrinkled pants can get quite chatty and those dirty shoes can be a regular blabbermouth. ‘She’s lazy’, ‘He takes no pride in his appearance’, and ‘He can’t represent your company.’ Even if you work in the store-room at the back of the office, dress as nicely as you can. Dab a little polish on those shoes, and take care to stitch up that droopy hem-line. Tom Ford said dressing well is a form of good manners—don’t be disrespectful.
Don’t be a slacker
So you’ve done all your work for the day. What next? Go forth and search the office for some Pokémon, Skype call your bestie and plug in your headphones to block out the world. While you’re at it, check Facebook for the latest gossip and snap a few selfies for the ‘Gram, #BoredAtWork. Or, you could take the opportunity to earn yourself some brownie points by asking your boss if there’s anything you can help with, finding the solution to a long-standing problem or just impress someone with your productivity and willingness to help.
Leave the baggage at home
This one can be quite tricky, and it’s not always easy to separate church and state. However, keeping your personal business out of the office and off the grapevine is essential. Find ways to deal with your problems at home without letting it affect your work, or request some time-off from your boss to get things under control. Don’t let your home-life get in the way of your work.
To continue reading, purchase Vol.8 #10, 2017 Issue.