Culture
The working day has almost come to an end, all employees are tired and a little relaxed. You are tired and relaxed too. However, as soon as you gape at the water cooler, or start a “revitalizing” solitaire game on your computer, the boss suddenly comes into the office. It's good if you and your boss have a normal relationship, and you can at least not twitch, trying to immediately remember all your punctures over the past few days.
If your boss is a dark horse for you that only inspires you with horror and fear, then you are guaranteed a few unpleasant minutes and lost nerve cells. Is there any way to make your office life more peaceful without that nasty feeling of guilt (even if it's not your fault at all)? In fact, there are at least five ways you can keep your Olympic calm even when you're faced with your biggest bosses.
1. You should find a common language with your boss by studying it
If you have a new job, or a new boss has come to you (or even more so, you have both been working for the firm for a long time), do not be too lazy to inquire about your boss. To do this, it is not necessary to hire a private detective – you can use, for example, social media search engines. After all, even psychologists say that students at school initially study not so much the subject as the teacher himself!
Once you know what kind of bird your boss is, who he is friends with, what his preferences and hobbies are, it will be much easier for you to communicate with this person. You'll have a chance to learn to understand what you can expect from your boss at any given time, and you'll certainly be able to successfully manage panic attacks when you meet your boss. However, try not to visit his Odnoklassniki page from your real profile. And even more so, don't post nasty things about your boss!
2. To find contact with your superiors, put yourself in their shoes
So let's imagine that you already know what kind of person you're dealing with, and you also know a few things about your boss's personal environment. Perhaps you also learned something about his weaknesses, his punctures, his shortcomings. You should not immediately treat all this as compromising evidence, and your boss as a failed and overthrown idol. Remember, no matter how professional this person is, he is only a person, which means that he is prone to mistakes and human weaknesses.
This approach will not only reduce the level of criticism that subordinates usually treat their superiors, but will also give you the opportunity to feel like you are in the shoes of your supervisor. You'll start to realize that it's quite normal that your boss might not know things you or your colleagues know. This approach will be especially useful for those who need to accept new superiors by adapting to it.
3. Find out exactly what your superiors expect from you
Stop making assumptions about what your manager expects you to do. If you think that his level of claims exceeds your authority, it makes sense to try to get an appointment with your boss (preferably not in the middle of the day) to try to discuss your official duties once again, outlining some boundaries. At the same time, you should try to soberly assess your own capabilities so as not to take on too many promises and responsibilities.
Among other things, try to understand not only your responsibilities at the workplace, but also try to find out the goals that your boss sees for you personally. Pay special attention to the priorities that your superiors see for your activities in the company in the near future (a week, two, a month). It makes sense to make a list of the most important things to do so that you can complete them on time.
4. Be ready for changes if you are looking for contact with the boss
It often happens that managers come up with new ideas that, in your opinion, only prevent them from working effectively. However, it is no secret that employees often simply do not want any changes, getting used to a well-known daily routine and familiar instructions. Most often, a new boss can “destroy” everything, who has a lot of new ideas on how to make everything work effectively.
The simple secret is that your positive attitude towards your boss's proposed changes will help you find common ground with your manager. If you absolutely do not see anything good in the innovations offered by your boss, at least try to understand what he wants to achieve. Perhaps you were really unable to understand his aspirations at first glance. Suggest your vision of this issue. In general, do something, but don't settle into your own mistrust and skepticism.
5. Don't wait for changes — suggest them yourself!
Be active and far-sighted. For example, if your supervisor constantly criticizes you and your colleagues for poor performance, and you think their attitude is unjustified, meet your boss's expectations. You should not wait for another disappointing month to start inventing ways to improve labor productivity. Instead, come up with a preventive proposal yourself, so to speak.
This method is mainly suitable for those employees who really know their duties very well and are able to bring more benefits to their workplace than they are currently doing. Do not be discouraged if your superiors do not like your ideas. First, this may not be the case; and secondly, the main thing is your sincere desire to do something really useful, rather than sit in the office for days and months on end.
