9 Ways to Impress Your Boss

9 Ways to Impress Your Boss Image via Isorepublic.com Be reliable: Do what you say you will do Bosses are always glad to have reliable employees, because they know these employees can be trusted. Trustworthy, reliable employees take problems away from their bosses because the boss knows if their employee promises something, it will happen without having to nag them. If you want to impress your boss, you should be a reliable employee. This advice sounds silly because it should go without saying. From childhood, we are taught that if you say you will do something, you should do it, right? If you are hired to perform a certain set of tasks, shouldn’t you perform those tasks? Of course! Unfortunately, some people do not do that. They promise they will do something, but they don’t follow through. Unreliable employees like these will be fired very quickly because they will add to the boss’s problems (since the boss will have to be constantly reminding them to do their work) rather than take away from them. On the other hand, you will impress your boss if you actually follow through on your promises and do what you say you will do. Reliability will help you not only in the workplace, but everywhere else in life. Be punctual: Arrive on time and don’t leave early You may have heard it a million times, but it’s cliché for a reason: punctuality is more important than you might think. It is not only about completing a certain number of hours at work, but it is also a sign of respect. Arriving to work on time shows that you are a diligent worker who is serious about their job. The same goes for leaving your workplace early. You could take the easy way out by arriving late and leaving early, but this will not help your credibility as a worker or your relationship with your boss. Being punctual, and staying until you are needed, is especially critical when you’re trying to build credibility at your new workplace. You don’t want to develop a reputation as the newbie who is always late, do you? An employee who cares enough to show up on time will be considered a reliable employee. If you are reliable, your boss will know they can trust you and they will be impressed. Be proactive: When you finish, ask for more work When you finish your work for the day, don’t just leave your workplace. Instead, you should ask your boss for more work. It’s easy to just leave the building once you are finished for the day, but that’s taking the easy way out and it will not impress your boss; that is what an average employee would do. Instead, as the stellar employee that you are, you should take initiative and ask if your boss or if any of your co-workers need help. This shows that you genuinely care about your job and your responsibilities. Your boss will appreciate that you care enough to ask for more work. That will certainly leave a good impression on them, simply because you decided not to take the easy way out. Infographic by Alyssa Laffitte Take initiative: don’t be lazy This goes with the previous point, but bosses love it when their employees  take initiative. They like these employees because they know they won’t have to be “babying” them, they can dedicate their time to something more important. You should not be waiting around to get instructions from someone. Instead, you need to take charge of your own time. It’s especially important to take initiative when you KNOW what you should be doing next, as your boss will be annoyed if they have to tell you what to do next every single time. Remember, the goal is to give your boss fewer problems, not more. Taking initiative means they don’t have to baby you, and thus, fewer problems for them! Be diligent: don’t cut corners. On the contrary, go above and beyond When you do your work, don’t cut corners. It is easy to simply do the bare minimum of what is expected of you, but this is not the way to be a good employee. On the contrary, go above and beyond. When you are assigned a task, produce the best work you possibly can. For example, if your boss asks you to write a report, it will be easy to just fill it up with “fluff” content to make it longer. You might be tempted to cut corners and write it this way because it is quick and easy. However, this will result in a poorly written report. If you want to impress your boss, you should not cut corners this way. Instead, you should write a high-quality report that includes examples and well-thought-out details. Yes, this report will take more time and energy to write, but it will impress your boss. Be present: stay focused when you are at work In general, we young people have a reputation for not living in the present moment. We tend to spend more time staring at a screen than taking in the world around us. This causes us to not only miss out on what’s happening in the real world, but to do a bad job at work, too. For example, if you are focused on your phone, you are not dedicating yourself to your assignment from work at that very moment. In other words, you are not present at work, because your mind is somewhere else. As a result, you will not complete the task as well as you could have because you are too busy being distracted. (For example, it’s very easy to let a typo or a decimal point error slip when you are not paying close attention to the task at hand.) Spare yourself the trouble and be present while you are work. Put away your phone; resist the urge to scroll through Facebook or to play online games during work time. Plus, your boss will appreciate that you are focused on the task and not on your phone. This will help you produce better quality work, which will impress your boss. Be civil: be a team player around your co-workers Another way to impress your boss is to be civil with your co-workers. The last thing a boss wants to deal with is a conflict between two of their employees. Try not to discuss sensitive or extremely personal topics with your co-workers. Especially do not gossip to (or about) your co-workers. These things could lead to a conflict. Instead, keep things civil, respectful, and professional when you are at work. Of course, sometimes a conflict can still arise. In this case, try to resolve the conflict with the co-worker directly, without involving anyone else. If that doesn’t work, then you can get someone else involved. Additionally, many projects require teamwork. When working with a team, don’t be difficult and remember that decisions must be made in consensus. Be sure to contribute your two cents during group meetings, especially because you have great creative ideas, but make sure to consider others’ opinions, too. They are part of the team, just like you, so they also deserve to be heard. If the majority of the group turns down your idea, be civil about it. Don’t give your boss another thing to worry about. Avoid conflict with your co-workers by keeping a civil and professional relationship with them. Again, your boss will be glad they don’t have to deal with fighting co-workers. Image via Isorepublic.com Be creative: solve problems Creativity is an admirable trait, especially in an employee. When you come up with a brilliant idea, it shows that you are invested in your work and that you actually care. You spent time thinking about the problem and came up with a solution no one has thought of before… that’s amazing! Your creativity and your care will impress your boss. Also, creativity is a big part of problem-solving. Use those creative thinking skills to come up with solutions to problems your company is having. You can start by thinking about some problems your company is facing and the root causes of those problems. Then, try your best to implement those ideas. This is sure to impress your boss. For example, if productivity numbers have been low recently, try to figure out why that is and address the ultimate root cause of the problem. Once you have a solution for the cause to the problem, propose it! Your boss will be thankful to have one less problem to worry about and that you took the initiative to resolve it. Creative problem-solving (and the implementation of these solutions) will take problems away from your boss, and they will be very thankful for that. Take ownership: genuinely care about your work It is easy to slack off and to do a mediocre job when you do not care about your work. Your apathy and lack of effort will be apparent in the quality of work you produce. Your boss will notice and they will not like that. However, if you genuinely care about your work and are invested in it, you will want to do a good job. In fact, it will be hard to do a bad job. You will want to do an excellent job because you actually care about it. Your enthusiasm for your project will come through in the quality of your work. So try to genuinely be invested in your work, as this will help you produce good quality work. And of course, good quality work will impress your boss. Your boss is an important person in your life, so you should work hard to maintain a good relationship with them. In a nutshell, just do not be a lazy employee. On the contrary, show them that you are responsible, hard-working, and can handle your workload. Make your boss’s life easier. Do not be the employee who gives them problems; rather, be the employee who takes problems away from them. You can do this by being punctual, not cutting corners (produce only good quality work), taking initiative of your projects, and being present in your workplace. Don’t be lazy and take the easy way out, rather, be responsible and do your best. If you do these things, you will impress your boss and show them that you are a responsible employee.