Your Relationship with Your Boss

Your relationship with your boss is your responsibility. No other relationship will be more important to determining how successful you are in your position. It is not your boss's responsibility to manage this relationship; it is yours.

There are several elements of a successful relationship with your boss:

• Keep your boss in the loop. If you don't tell your boss what you are doing, other people will. And you might not be happy with the quality of the information in the updates they provide.
• Alert your boss to problems, preferably before they blow up. It is better to communicate problems earlier than later. It is best if you can present your boss with your plan of action along with the alert.
• Don't expect your boss to adopt your working style. Everyone does things differently, and you will need to meet your boss's expectations, not the other way around.
• Be up front about what you can deliver and on what timeline. Negotiate expectations that you can meet.
• Consider your boss's priorities. Your job is to make your boss's job easier. This includes being aware of your boss's peer relationships and trying not to cause friction.