How to Look Good to Your Boss Without Looking Like a Brown Noser
Back in 2008, I noticed how the closer you are to your boss, the more secure your job is going to be (when you’re in the manufacturing industry).
I used to think that’s unfair, but today, I now accept it as the reality. Instead of complaining about those guys who seem to suck up to their boss, I finally learned how to play that same game but in a more strategic and authentic way. It took me more than 10 years in the industry to realize this super obvious approach: provide unique value.
Those who accuse others of being a brown-noser are the ones that suck at getting their boss to notice them.
Based on my 15+ years in the manufacturing industry, here’s what I learned about “ass-kissing” your boss without kissing their ass:
Approach work to make your boss look good to their boss
There’s a hierarchy in a corporate company. Your boss cares about themselves as much as you care about you. The more you do things to make your boss’s team (your team) look good, the more valuable you are to your boss.
A higher rating on their annual review is more valuable than taking them out for lunch.
Make it easy for them to make a decision
We often approach our bosses to make a decision for us especially if we’re talking about items that puts the company at a financial risk. However, more often than not, we suck at providing all the necessary information to help them make a decision.
Our busy-ness makes it easy for us to forget that these people are also super busy. They don’t have the time to research and get the full context of what you’re asking them to approve.
Instead of getting them to do all thinking and analyzing, come up with your own conclusion, explain why and get them to approve it.
See it as an opportunity to demonstrate your critical thinking.
Provide frequent updates (to reduce the number of their worries)
Understand that your bosses also have their own tasks to worry about (in addition to your team’s problems). This makes it so easy for them to forget about critical items that needs to be addressed. Thinking, “They should know” about all the issues of the team is unfair because they forget things just like you.
Providing frequent updates could get annoying but it is much better than staying silent on an issue.
Conclusion
These approaches may seem obvious, but they weren’t that obvious to me until recently. Notice that they have less to do with pleasing the boss, but more of a demonstration of your concern for your team.
There’s no need to throw verbal compliments if you can demonstrate value.
