The REAL Secrets To Impressing Your Boss

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Let’s get real here for a moment. How many of you are so independently wealthy that you don’t have a job you go to and you can just do whatever you want whenever you want? Not many of you – the reality is most people have a full time job. And especially if you have a family, then finding a way to get an edge in that job is very important as it is probably your primary source of income. I’m going to share with you a simple guide about standing out from the rest of your co-workers.

By the end of this rich and in-depth article, you will have several key areas to improve in at work. You will also have strategies for how you can increase your worth and gain favor with your boss at your place of employment. Let’s get started!

Don’t try to impress

Do you try and force attention to work you’ve done? Are you complaining that nobody is recognizing the efforts you are putting in? If you are generally finding yourself unappreciated, then I ask you to think about this. Why are you feeling unappreciated? My guess is that it is you have a perception about those around you and things that are wrong with them. Whether this is true or not is irrelevant. What matters is your attitude.

I had a good attitude when I was 19 years old at a library data entry job. It was ultra boring and I fought to stay awake. But I always smiled at people and treated them with respect. I always gave my best effort. Even if you are working at a tedious job, you have control over how you react to people. You’ll find that people will be impressed with you if you just have a good attitude and look for ways to help others.

Be proactive and innovate

Being proactive means taking steps to do work that nobody else wants to do. How many of your coworkers hear about something that needs to be done and the first thing they say is, “I’m not familiar with that area” or, “That’s so and so’s responsibility.” It’s natural to try and defer work. But if you are going to stand out, then it’s time to fill in the gaps that nobody wants to do. You’ll be known as the person who gets things done.

You can innovate at your job and really stand out. I recently had a project I needed to work on at my full time job. I sat for an entire day thinking about how to write a program to handle a system we were building. There had been talk for a while about ways to do it, but nothing had really stood out as the best way. As I sat and thought, I realized a way that would work and be easy to maintain and save processing power on the web servers. When I presented it to my boss, he was very happy with it and gave it the thumbs up.

What are some ways you can innovate at your place of employment? Chances are that the systems are old, the structure has been the same for years, the employees morale could use boosting, and there are ways to improve upon existing products and services. What are some things you could do right now? Do not let yourself fall into the trap that you can’t make a difference because you are not high enough up. Be aggressive and do it.

Be a leader

Ever seen the movie Braveheart? If you have, think about Willam Wallace, the protagonist of the movie and what a tremendous leader he is. If you haven’t seen it, it’s an inspiring movie. If you wanted to learn about leadership and just watched the movie and examined William Wallace’s character, you’d be well on your way!

There are simple ways to be a leader. Give someone at work a pep talk and boost their desire. Find work that needs to be done and do it. Take charge on existing work and then ask your boss to be in charge of it. Create internal systems and processes that enhance other employees work. Being a leader and being proactive go hand in hand. You must take initiative – and you must work harder than anyone else. That’s what leaders do.

Who are some leaders that you know of? What makes them special? What else would you add to being a leader?

Show savings

Showing how you can save a company money will get you noticed right away. If you can understand how your business works at your place of employment enough to the point you can actually create an improved system somewhere, then diagram that system in great detail and understanding, and finally add charts and graphs that show savings for the company – then you can probably approach the head of your department or even the CEO with your proposition.

Think that could never happen? I have a coworker (as of 2/20/2010) who did just that. He saw a way to improve upon a system the company was using. He created a lengthy and detailed presentation and presented it straight to the CEO himself! He showed how the company would save hundreds of thousands of dollars by using his new system. He was able to work at a new position as a team leader of a team that headed this project! If you just work a little harder understanding your business, you might be able to do something similar.

Learn and increase your skills

Have you learned anything new lately? Are you using skills which are dusty and outdated? Is there anything new you have learned in the last few years? If not, then the wizard humbly asks you to think about something. What would happen to you if you lost your job today? “But I have my job and I’ll deal with it when the time comes,” you say? Would you rather feel the pounding of a massive earthquake, or the discomfort of bumpy ride? This is the difference between losing your job without any valuable skills and taking the extra effort to increase your skills.

You can use new skills to add value to your company. Is there a technology that would make a piece of your company’s website oh so much better? Is there a method of management that would increase productivity? Is there a way to hammer faster, better, smarter, with more quality? Become someone who examines everything relentlessly and you will find areas for improvement and possible skills to solve the problem!

Not sure what skills you need to acquire? Find companies you would like to work for. Then find the position they are hiring for. Then see what skills they are asking for. Then go use Google to go find out about them and learn. Then the fun part – create your own project using these new skills – something YOU are in charge of! You’ll have something you can show a new and better employer as well potentially.

Don’t apologize

Have you ever erased something crucial at work? Maybe you messed up your company’s website somehow. Perhaps you forgot to send off a letter. Or you sent an email that was incorrect. Have you ever panicked because of something you did wrong? The wizard says to stop worrying. The deed is done. Put all your effort into fixing it. Work with whoever needs to be worked with to get things back how they should be. Show that you care by admitting you made a mistake and then fix the problem with zeal.

I personally believe nobody likes someone who says sorry all the time. The wizard says that impressive people are the ones who quickly fix what mistakes they make and then do what it takes never to make the mistake again. Your boss will see that you are cool under pressure. He will see that you’re not focused on your screw up. This will increase your worth in his eyes!

Be happy, positive, and optimistic

Would you rather work with someone who whines and complains or someone who compliments and succeeds? What is your attitude like? Do you dread going into work each day? Do you blame everything on management? Oh yes, that’s a big one! Is everything always management’s fault? If so, an attitude adjustment hammer is in order. Watch most people – they do blame management for almost everything. Be the person who is optimistic and happy. Your boss (and others) will like being around you.

The wizard can’t stress enough the importance of being happy, positive, and optimistic. Be realistic, but always see things as possible. Avoid blaming management as you would a serious disease. It does no good. If management really is the problem, can’t you be the leader who goes and fills the problem by presenting a solution directly to management? Think about that :)

This has been an in-depth review of how you can impress your boss. Let’s do a quick recap.

• Don’t try to impress. Have a good attitude and lead by example.
• Be proactive and innovate. Take charge and find areas your company can improve in.
• Be a leader. Boost the confidence of those around you.
• Show savings. Find ways to reduce company spending/reduce current costs.
• Learn and increase your skills. Learn new and cutting edge techniques/skills. Be worth more than anyone else.
• Don’t apologize. Stop saying, “Sorry about that.” Instead collaborate on solutions.
• Be happy, positive, and optimistic. Be someone who always believes in a solution – someone people want to be around.

Phew, I think you should read this one again. There’s a lot of information about how to impress your boss, including ways you can improve yourself! Your strategy is to now apply some of these key areas at your place of employment. Find people who are having a tough time and lead them. Find flawed processes and systems and make them better. Save your company money. Spend an extra hour each day learning something new and valuable. What do you think of impressing your boss for the right reasons? Have any of you tried these or other techniques?