Make your Boss look good

OK people, its a good time to share the secret to success in a good professional career. I was amongst some good senior colleagues at work this last week and one of them was in a good mood to share some lessons from his professional life. That's where he said, "Son, I've learnt from experience...whatever you do...make your boss look good...".

Of course there are stereotype words like be honest, be a team player, dedicated and keep learning new things...keep improving etc but the bottom line is that you have to make your Boss look good...

It is important to understand that its not only you who wanted to join that particular job and do well, it is also your boss who wants you to do well so that he could do well. If you slow down, that slows him down as well. That's what the team is all about. If you do something that has been assigned to you which may usually be a small thing in the whole department's objectives, your boss will be able to take it up and say my dept produced this much under me. Its a good thing for everybody including you and your boss.

If somebody is honest, committed and all the other good adjectives you get to hear when you prepare for an interview, he would get the opportunity to work on a million things. There is so much in this world to do and learn and get better but since we are only human and there is only "One Instance" of us in this world, we can only do so much.

Hence, we usually prioritize and concentrate on the task at hand and even if we venture into something new, there is an element of thinking that it should help my current and future job. In all cases, whatever good you do, you cant go ahead without your boss's recommendation. Its the reality of life that he is there to guide you, nurture you and give you support and in return you have to
do the good stuff to make him look good.

It is very natural to think at times that we know more than our boss and we are much better and it may be true also but there is one important thing to remember. He was once where you are and he moved up because he did the right stuff to make his boss look good. That is how the professional world works.

Oh yeah, there is another element which many people try. Trying to go further than their boss and trying to impress the boss's boss. Heheh....Get back son!! You can never go far with that strategy. You think you can step over your own boss? No way. The moment he realizes that he has given you too much freedom and now you are stepping out of your circle, he has got all the authority to cut your wings and let you stay in jail. That is one bad strategy for sure which can have long-term repercussions.

Success only comes through hard work and time. We can't quicken up the time and we can't shy away from hard work. My strategy has always been to keep working hard and let the results be left to God. It gets frustrating at times but its a feeling of content at most times so I stick to this plan. It is going to get frustrating anyway, that is how life is. So we might as well keep the faith and not spoil our own image just because things are not working as we planned.

Oh yeah, always remember, its a big big market out there who is hungry for talent. Not all people may be as lucky as other people who have a good boss but that is not the end of the world. Make yourself worth it that much that people come asking for you.

I want this guy, I don't care about how much he costs. Oh yeah, now that's who I want to be and where I want to be. Name my own price. Oh YES!!