Rate Your Relationship With the Boss

Does dealing with your boss cause knots in your stomach? Do your co-workers seem to have an easy time of asking for, and getting, what they want? Do you hesitate to approach your boss for what you want because you're unsure of his/her reaction?
Your boss determines much of your happiness at work, if not all of your satisfaction. Wouldn't it be helpful to know how strong your relationship is with your boss?

This quiz will help you rate your relationship with your boss. Check each answer you agree with. Each checked answer counts as one point.

I know the best time of the day to approach my boss with a question or request.
I can almost always read my boss’s mood and thus avoid inopportune times.
I have successfully negotiated with my boss in the last year (for time off, a raise, project ownership, etc.).
My boss takes an interest in my career growth: s/he has approved a seminar or additional learning.
I learn from my boss, s/he shares information and expertise.
I respect my boss; s/he has integrity.
I don't dread spending time with my boss, we can laugh together.
My boss shares his/her vision for the department/staff.
My boss values my ideas and suggestions.
I know where I stand with my boss.
My boss is a good leader; s/he walks the talk.
I get timely answers to my questions from my boss.
I receive sufficient direction from my boss.
My boss provides opportunities that challenge and stretch me.
I receive written and timely performance appraisals that my boss reviews with me.
I have discussed my future career goals with my boss.
My boss doesn't take all the credit for my work.
My boss listens when I speak.
My boss seeks and respects my opinion and ideas.
I know my boss’s preferred communication style.
I am a trusted member of my boss’s team.
I am treated with respect by my boss.
I don't dread meetings with my boss.
When I mess up, I quickly inform my boss and take responsibility for the mistake.
I am competitively rewarded (base salary, bonus) for my work.

20-25:  Congratulations! Your relationship with your boss is great! Talk to your boss about contributing at an even higher level.

16-20:  This is a very good score. Speak with your boss about how you could advance your boss’s agenda and what additional challenges you might undertake.

11-15:  Your relationship with your boss is OK, but there’s room for improvement. Learn how to improve your communication skills with your boss by watching what successful colleagues do.

6-10:  You have work to do. Select one or two areas to focus on and ask your boss how you might improve.

0-5:  OK, nobody’s perfect. But there’s help at hand. Working with a career coach could help you define what kind of changes you could make immediately and also help you establish a long-range plan.

Advice for dealing with gossip, favoritism and the office politics

Office politics exist in every workplace. Whether you work at a small design agency or a major financial corporation, internal power struggles arise. Following are three common political problems in the workplace and tips for handling each situation.

Q: I would like to avoid the office rumor mill, but people always try roping me into gossipy conversations. How should I handle this?

A: Water cooler chatter can be both helpful and harmful. The trick is recognizing when to listen and when to cut and run. Walk away when the gossip involves non-business-related topics or mean-spirited mudslinging.

Q: I'm a loyal employee and a hard worker, but my boss plays favorites and always gives the plum assignments to a particular co-worker. What can I do?

A: Before crying foul, make sure you communicate to your supervisor your interest in taking on additional responsibility. Your manager might simply be waiting for you to step up and show initiative.

Q: One of my colleagues seems like she's out to get me. Whenever possible, she does something to make me look bad. How should I respond?

A:If someone's purposely undermining your efforts, you can respond in several ways.
One option is to pull the person aside and ask her about her troubling actions. Focus on the facts and don't let your emotions get the best of you.

If you feel confronting your co-worker is futile, document her behavior, collecting concrete evidence supporting your claims and making note of how your performance was adversely affected. Then, bring the matter to your manager's attention in an objective, professional manner. Your goal is not to complain or vent but to apprise your manager of the situation, emphasizing how your co-worker's actions are impeding productivity.

Key drivers of job satisfaction

Few people are exactly alike when determining what makes them happy at work,
but there are some key drivers of job satisfaction.
Before making a leap into a new job, Lakis suggests you consider each of these areas and ask these tough questions of yourself and your potential employer:

A. Relationships

·      With manager: How employees and their managers get along is one of the strongest employee retention drivers. Ask your prospective manager during the interview process how he makes decisions and how he evaluates talent or superior performance.                                                                                                       

·      With peers: Ask who you will be working with and how the people within the department interact. How have the relationships been in the past? Is there much interdependence?                                                       

·      With subordinates: Ask about the strengths and weaknesses of employees who might be working for you. Then decide if you have the skills to effectively manage them or if they have the skills to help the team achieve success.

B. Work/life balance

·         Location/commute: Be honest with yourself in deciding how far and how much time you are willing to devote to your daily commute.

·         Travel: Will having a job that requires frequent overnight travel be an issue? Where will you draw the line?

·         Amount of work: Try to determine if the culture is one where there is frequent overtime.

C. The kind of work

·            Autonomy: Do you like to work with little supervision or do you prefer detailed assignments?

·            Type of work: Ask questions that will help you gauge what portion of your new job involves project work, building client relationships, developing strategy, implementing tactics or doing creative work?    

·            Contribution: Will the work you do make a notable difference in your department? The company? Society? Does it matter to you?

·            Growth opportunities: What is the internal environment like relative to promotional opportunities? Ask if internal candidates have been considered for this job.

D. The company

·         Values: People who feel disconnected with the values of the company often want to leave. Ask what the values are and how they are manifested in the day-to-day environment..

·         Leadership: Are the leaders of the company people who you and others respect, admire and want to work for?

·         Industry: Does the company/industry provide products or services with which you would want to be associated?

E. Financial considerations

·      Base pay: Are you being offered a salary commensurate with your worth in the marketplace? Make sure it is enough to warrant leaving your current job/company.

·      Incentive pay: If you perform at a superior level, is there an upside opportunity or incentive pay? Consider how the total compensation compares to your past earnings and current expectations.

Lakis suggests that once you have the answers to these questions, make a list of pros and cons and assign them relative weights of importance before making the final decision to accept a new job. You will be better off and better-prepared for what lies ahead.

3 Things Every Worker Should Know

1. Your interests
2. Your strengths and weaknesses and
3. Your options

Before handing in your resignation, be sure
you have considered all of your options.

Work/life balance

Location/commute: Be honest with yourself in deciding how far and how much time you are willing to devote to your daily commute. Will it impede your ability to do things that are important to you, your significant other or children? Consider people important to you in making your decision, because home stress can make you less effective at work.

Travel: Will having a job that requires frequent overnight travel be an issue? Where will you draw the line? Are you willing to travel 20, 30 or 50 percent of the time? Ask how much travel is required and if it's spread out evenly or concentrated during certain seasons or business cycles.

Amount of work: Try to determine if the culture is one where there is frequent overtime. It's reasonable to assume that many professional jobs will require you to do the work necessary to complete the job, but excessive overtime could mean insufficient resources or poor planning.

More Excerpts from Book: "Why Not Me"

“It’s so important that we do those things that make us smile, those things that causes us to reflect on the good times. When R & B Singer Al Green sang “For the Good Times” it was at a time when many Americans were shut out of the American Dream yet they found something to smile about; something that brought them pleasure and amusement. They reflected on those good times, and smiled. As hard as it was for them, they held on to the good times, so what’s stopping us?”

Excerpt from Book: "Why Not Me" will be out in a few weeks.

“You must remember no one is perfect but as an achiever you must continue to better yourself by continuously adjusting your strategy so you can win. If you give yourself the time to reflect…so that nothing becomes tragic...nothing overwhelms you, then the goal will be yours.”