This article, http://management.fortune.cnn.com/2011/09/08/make-sure-youre-not-the-problem-with-your-boss, gives everyone some questions to ask yourself when you are having problems with your boss.
Most times bosses mean well, but if everyone, including the bosses, took a step back and asked a few questions of themselves a lot of office politics could likely be avoided:
- Are you performing up to expectations?
- What emotional baggage are you bringing into the relationship?
- Are your complaints about your boss similar to your complaints about earlier bosses or authority figures?
- Are you able to see your boss as a person?
- Do you take at least some responsibility for the relationship?
Now there are horrible bosses out there, that’s definitely not out of the realm of possibility. But if you can sit and answer these questions honestly, you may actually find a way to do your job better and in turn create a better relationship with your boss. In general, most bosses are just trying to do their job, and sometimes they should sit and consider these questions as well, because there may be ways they can improve upon their management skills.
Remember, everyone is a person and most times there is always another boss they are answering to as well. They may very well be feeling the same pressures you are and have gotten overwhelmed trying to get results. The more you can do to make sure you are giving results to the best of your ability and in a way that builds a healthy working relationship, the happier everyone will be and the more respect you will gain.
Hilary Brooks
Hilary Brooks is President, CEO of A Virtual Edge, a full-service virtual assistant company, and Owner of freelance web design company Small Biz Web Whiz. Hilary and her team offer a wide variety of services to busy entrepreneurs, speakers, coaches, and bloggers, providing the office and creative support they need to succeed without all the hassles of hiring a traditional employee.
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Hilary, being a boss, this is something that grabbed my attention. I question and analyze myself every weekend for my performance and relationship with my staff. But there are still few things that made me think when unexpected office politics pops up. I believe that’s the area where the employee needs to think and where I am almost clueless what’s on their head. I’d so very like to see more of such posts and experiences. I hope I’d be a regular reader here 🙂