What a Boss Wants. A Letter to John

Hi John.

I caught up with your boss yesterday and she mentioned she had a discussion with you recently about her need to see you improve in certain areas. I’ve also been a #manager of people so I thought that given our friendship, I would pass on my thoughts. They are in no particular order and I’ve bullet pointed them to keep me from rambling.

- Frequently ask your boss what you can be doing better; what skills you need to improve.

- Arrive a little earlier than your start time so you can be productive from the time you are paid. The same goes for the end of the day. Work until you are expected to and then pack up after that. Don’t watch the clock but watch your productivity.

- On the occasions when you have deadlines to meet or higher than normal workloads, it never hurts to go the extra mile.

- If you find you are bored in your work, find ways to challenge yourself. It’s also important to continue to learn, grow, and develop your abilities. This will help keep you fresh, motivated, and an inspiration to the others you work with.

- Ask your boss for more work if you find you are getting yours done quickly and always offer to help your colleagues if they are struggling under their workloads.

- Wear a smile when you walk through the office door. Catch the eyes of your colleagues and boss, wishing them a good morning; take an interest in who they are.

- #Leadership can be a thankless job so make sure you thank your boss regularly: for their leadership and the opportunity to work at such a great place.

- And lastly, your boss mentioned you had also asked for a pay rise which she declined. Here’s a little secret… Bosses like to see value for the money they pay people so when it comes to raising your pay, there has to be commensurate value. I’d suggest that for the next few months, improve the areas your boss asked you to and don’t stop there: find other ways of adding more value in your work and to the business overall. If you can demonstrate higher value you are more likely to get higher pay.

I wish you all the best in the coming months.
Ray