I am not a mind reader. I never expect to become one. Fortunately so far, none of my roles have required this or listed it in the job description, although some have certainly felt like it. It wouldn’t be fair to expect that of me, and I certainly wouldn’t expect it from my own employees. I’m sure there are times when you felt like your own boss wanted you to be a mind reader. I can’t give you that particular superpower, but I can give you some insights. Although the specific daily needs of each business are different, there are basic principles and behaviors that every manager loves to see in his employees.
I’ll explain some of them here based on my leadership style and those of the men and women who’ve managed me. These won’t address every situation in which you may find yourself, but they may come in handy. This goes double for those of you with bosses who are just plain hard to get a read on. Although there’s no real hierarchy to this list, I suspect I’ll probably be writing them down more or less in order of importance to me personally. I want to point out that these examples of what your own boss might want from you apply whether you’re currently in a management position or not.
Act with integrity. I know what you’re thinking -- okay, I’m wasting time reading this, that goes without saying. This goes beyond simple ethics like “do not lie, cheat or steal” though. Do the right thing for the right reason all the time. In any functioning business where you would actually want to work, earning the trust of your peers, employees and leadership goes a long way.
Look very hard for the big picture. Now, at the end of the day, you should work to live and not the other way around. We fully understand that you’re in this for your own best interests and would be worried if you weren’t. What we want you to get is that what’s good for your personal career are your long-term goals and development within the scope of the business needs. If your personal needs aren’t compatible with those, you’re wasting your time working there. If your supervisor is asking you to do something you don’t necessarily agree with (or stop doing something you prefer to do), open your mind and think about the part you play in things before you push back. You might be surprised by how important your success is to his plans.
Give 100% while you’re on the clock. You don’t always have to have the right answer for every situation, as long as you earnestly attempt to get that answer before all is said and done. You’re not going to get every task done every day, and we know that. Demonstrate that you’re doing your due diligence and don’t be afraid to leave us a little evidence to that fact. We don’t always know that you’re working on a response to our last email, or making progress on a project, so if you’re doing all you can then make sure you’ve got something to show for it.
On the other hand, you may find yourself done ahead of time frequently, or that your job is too easy and you get bored. While we really have no concerns for who you are or what you do after work, while you’re on the job we want to see you give it your all. In this economy there are a dozen people willing to put forth everything they’ve got even when it exceeds their requirements, and you don’t want to get a reputation for coasting along. This is not to say you should be stressed out or running at full speed all the time. No boss wants you to hate your job. Even if it takes you half the effort to do your job when compared to your peers, you should always be looking to contribute more. True leaders are those who improve the people around them, and believe me when I say we recognize those who expend their “extra” energy helping the people around them.
Pay attention and follow directions. Let’s face it, not every manager out there is great at communicating expectations all the time, and sometimes you may have to read between the lines. While your boss should be explicit about what he wants from you, this won’t always be the case. Either way, simple or unclear, be alert for potential “action items” in each conversation, verbal or otherwise. It’s frustrating when we want something done and feel we’ve expressed that, only to find that it’s not being done accurately or at all. Help your boss help himself in this situation -- ask for clarification or takeaways. Just like we restate customer requests by repeating back and restating their issues to confirm we understand their needs, you want to be sure you’ve got all the information you need to do your job. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.
Trust in our intentions. A lot of managers occasionally articulate their thoughts poorly or don’t handle problems as perfectly as they’d like. Every supervisor I’ve ever had, and every supervisor who’s ever worked for me, has had the best of intentions for their own direct reports. I didn’t always realize it at the time (Lance, I’m looking at you) but in the end getting onboard with the vision shared by my boss almost always worked out better for me than if I’d just gone all cowboy about it.
Similarly, I frequently see managers who work for me trying to do right by their customers by enabling and supporting their own employees. The employees don’t always believe it, but I don’t keep supervisors under me who don’t bust their behinds for their employees day in and day out. I can’t necessarily explain that to their employees. The truth is that, while there will always be bad apples, most managers don’t get to be in a leadership position without understanding that they only rise to the top on the success of their teams, not themselves. Finally, sometimes business needs aren’t so great for the employee. No manager enjoys delivering bad news; please understand that a good boss will carefully consider any decision that adversely impacts an employee and it isn’t personal.
That’s it for today; there are more things your own leadership would probably want from you, but let’s save that for another article. Are you in a position where you’re managing people or teams? What do you want most from your employees? Please feel free to contribute to the discussion in the comments section! If you’ve enjoyed spending a few minutes reading “The Boss Perspective,” subscribe and share this site with your friends, Like me on Facebook, or follow me on Twitter @BossPerspective.
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