You do not have to be friends with your boss but it is at the very least wise to have a good rapport with them. That will put you in a position to get noticed for better opportunities and it will help you be more aligned with the goals that are important to them.

If you have been wondering what you can do to foster such a connection, Work it Daily had some good ideas to help.

Learn Your Boss’s Goals

It can be easy to get tunnel vision on your own responsibilities and not pay attention to the bigger picture. Ask yourself how your work helps the main mission that your boss is pursuing and if you can do more to help with that.

Exceed Expectations

Doing the bare minimum is not impressive. Show your commitment by taking it a step further, like getting a project done ahead of schedule.

Volunteer to Help

If you know a task needs to be done, don’t wait to be called on for solving it. Volunteering to help shows your awareness of what is important.

Bring Solutions Not Problems

Everyone knows what obstacles the company is facing. Pointing them out is just complaining. Thinking of solutions for them is being a problem solver.

Communicate

A great way to build trust in any relationship is communication. It shows you are not trying to hide anything and want to involve the other person equally. If you are going to be late with an assignment, let your boss know rather than hoping they are too busy to notice.

Nobody enjoys a dynamic where the boss has to be like the parent reprimanding a child. If your boss is a genuine, reasonable person, you should be able to build a relationship that is beneficial for both of you.

If you want to see even more tips for improving your relationship with your boss, read what Work it Daily had to say here.

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Jason LeDuc, Founder of Evil Genius Leadership Consultants offers 3 tips for managing up. In the video, he talks about how building trust is essential to managing your manager. LeDuc shows how bringing solutions to your boss instead of problems demonstrates effective leadership. He also talks about leadership skills like solving your boss’s problems before they know they have one.

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