6 ‘Quick’ Ways to Super Impress Your Boss And Gain Their Trust
By: Kapil Goel
Tags: Work, Relationships, Trust, Advice, Workplace

“People don’t quit jobs, they quit bosses.”

You may have heard it before, but do you also know as per research…

57% of employees quit because of their boss (apnews.com).

75% of people say their immediate supervisor is the most stressful part of their job (hogan assessment).

Indeed you can’t control your bosses' bad behavior, but you can certainly put an effort to have a healthy relationship with them and create psychological safety for yourself.

I’m in a servant-leader role for eight years now. In this tenure, I observed many bosses with different traits like taskmasters, result-oriented, people-friendly, empowering leaders, and so on.

Their expectations differ based on their maturity, personal style, and the current need. And to gain your boss's trust, there is no silver bullet that works all the time.

However, here are the six ways I’ve tried that work with most of the personalities, and these may help you as well:

1) Prefer Questions Over Statements

Asking the right question creates the impression that you want to know more, and you don’t assume. It creates a safe environment where you don’t judge people. Moreover, it prevents confusion and brings clarity in the conversations.

“Questions are really powerful in creating safety because they indicate to someone that you actually want to hear their voice.” — Amy Edmondson

To elaborate on the power of asking questions, here is an example.

Boss asks: “Can you work with John on the hand over process and start helping the team sooner than later?”

Here are the two different ways a conversation can go.

Use more questions

Your reply: “Did you mean to take over the work from John first and then start helping other people in the team thereafter?”

If the boss says “Yes.”

Your next reply: “Okay sure, by when you are looking to finish the handover? And to accomplish the work, I need so and so…”

Use statements

Your reply: “Okay, sure. I’ll ask John to handover, and I’ll work with the team.”

Boss says “Thank you.” And the conversation ends.

The first option clearly shows you are someone who doesn’t jump to conclusions fast. You prefer to clarify before commitment. You are curious and attentive.

The second option says you follow what is said to you, not more, not less. You may sound committed but not curious. You assume and execute. But, not every assumption turns right, which causes a delay, and your boss may not like it.

In the first option, use the questions in moderation, or else it makes the impression that you don’t understand what’s said in the first instance.

Asking the right questions at the right time will justify your deep interest in any conversations at work. Your boss will love you for this valuable trait.

Want to experiment with it?

2) Clarify the Expectations

Have you ever noticed your boss casually asked you to finish up work, but you weren’t clear and didn’t take any action on it? Later you got surprised when the boss checked the status with you.

Yes, this is where setting the right expectations, mode of operation, mutual understanding is crucial. If the boss hasn’t done it, you need to do it.

How? You can meet them and find out…

What updates they need from you, and how often?

What are their short-term and long-term expectations from you?

How they will measure your performance?

And so on…

Find out what’s your boss thinking about you, but don’t get disappointed if you didn’t get the answers in your first few meetings, keep on checking. If they haven’t thought about it, allow them to come back with details.

If you meet a tough or empowering boss, they may counter ask, what are your expectations from me, and what are your plans? So be ready with your answers before such meetings.

Once you meet your bosses’ basic expectations, look forward to checking, what are the top problems they are currently dealing with, where can you help them? And this will be like icing on the cake.

With these strategic actions, your boss is compelled to think that you are not here for routine mundane work.

Finally, positive results will only prove that you are trustworthy to them.

3) Communicate Indirectly

Not every boss is approachable and easy to meet you. That’s how few leaders operate, and you can’t help it. So you need to earn their attention and time.

How? Instead of you speaking about yourself, let others speak up good things about you. One thing you can try is listen-to-understand and don’t judge anyone. It’s a great way to build a quick rapport.

In other situations, if you are a subject expert and you get tempted to help your peers then offer if they can’t do their own. You think that you are supporting here, but actually, you are interrupting. You are indirectly saying you know the subject better, and this may hurt your peers.

There are many small actions you can take. Like, give credit when someone helps, always be the first one to join the meetings, take notes in the meeting, and so on.

These small yet valuable actions will get noticed by your boss. Don’t forget that they are always observing your valuable traits — directly or indirectly.

4) Commit for Known

If you aren’t 100 percent sure to fulfill your bosses’ demand, then never commit on the spot. Your boss may have high expectations from you, but missing on the promises will damage more than building up. So prefer to get clarity on the work rather than a blind commitment.

How? Understand the eco-system, talk with people, and collect information. If you feel stuck, tell them what help you need to get unstuck on the assignment. It will reassure your boss that you are committed to working.

Beware of result-oriented leaders. They care a damn about small transactional issues, they worry about the outcome. They may feel, why aren’t you trying to find your own ways. So make sure — before you reach out — you keep a summary of your past efforts along with your plans. The best is to make your own judgment when you deal with different types of bosses.

At last, promise what you can fulfill. Repeated such cases will strengthen your credibility, and it will be one of the best foundations of trust.

5) Over-communicate if Uncertain

Your boss will not like you if you fumble on an important assignment because you weren’t clear. In such cases, we often assume and make our own decisions, but every decision may not go right.

So, what can you do?

Practice proactive communications. You never know what your boss is up to, and they may handover key information that may ease out your job.

Also, over-communication is always better than missing out. Don’t worry about buzzing too often. If they have any expectations, they will be waiting for you to reach them.

In other situations, if you are going to miss the deadlines, just inform back early, what are you up to, and what’s next. I know it’s not easy to be very honest with tough bosses, but as long as you have solid reasons, they will understand. Communicate enough so that you can openly talk with them.

Remember, these timely communications will immensely help your boss to manage organizational risks.

And they will love your energy and proactiveness.

6) Discover and Demonstrate

Let me ask you this, will you trust a non-technical person to deliver a software architect?

At least I won’t. Having the right skills and ability is one of the elements to gain trust. Yes, if you want to earn trust, then develop the technical or tactical skills. I would say demonstrate both but in a smart way.

How? First, identify any important but not so urgent problem. Imagine everyone is busy in their mundane work, but you are busy to deliver immediate value, that no one is thinking over.

I remember in one of the organizations, a smart fellow has saved an effort of five man-days per week. He has replaced year old dumb process with a simple macro-enabled Excel file. This change was highly appreciated by everyone.

Likewise, you need to observe and innovate. Focus on something small yet valuable to everyone.

Performance beyond your bosses’ expectations will prove your worthiness. It will not only add credibility but will also make you a trusted advisor to your boss.