Have you ever said something nice about your superior at work to someone and have them raise an eyebrow? People are surprised when they hear employees saying positive things about their manager because most of the time when you hear employees talking about their manager it is not in a favorable way.
Recently, when I was at a conference, I had a conversation with a couple of staff people and they felt that their manager was (using their words) “horrible”. As they continued the conversation I listened to see if I could pick up anything that this manager was doing that might be worth a good word or two. One of the women then stated “at least she buys us lunch when we have office meetings”. I asked her if they ever told their manager how nice it was for her to do that or even thanked her.
They said that they always said “thank you” but admitted that they never personally went to her and let her know that they appreciated the fact that she provided lunch at the meetings. I challenged them to begin to look for even the smallest thing that their manager did that was a “positive” action to them and then respond with a simple praise or word of appreciation.
As an employee, you should want to make your manager look as good as possible. Sometimes this is very easy and at other times it takes effort. This is a person that you need to work with and if you can find the good and encourage it, your work life will be much better.
Here are a few things to remember when making your manager look good:
There is a fine line between “kissing up” and being supportive and complimentary, be the latter.
Let your boss know you can be relied upon and will always do your job.
Be honest, Never compromise your values or integrity. If you need to handle something with your manager, do it professionally behind closed doors.
Work hard and stay connected, keeping your manager in the loop.
Make sure that you understand your manager and employer’s priorities.
Keep your praise simple. Praise ideas and projects that people have done well, not the person themselves.
“Whatever good things we build end up building us.” ~ John Rohn
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