Pet & Animal: How to Please Your Boss

One of the best ways to secure your job position and create a positive work environment is by keeping your boss happy. It's important to be able to balance your work responsibilities with what puts a smile on your boss' face whenever you come to work. If you want to please your boss, then you have to be a model employee while demonstrating the passion you have for your job.

Steps

Being a Model Employee

Arrive early. Make your boss happy by arriving on time or early every day and not calling in sick unless it's absolutely necessary. Showing up early lets the boss know you are devoted to your job and that he or she can rely on you to take accountability for your actions. Not needing the boss to monitor you will reflect positively on you. If you do show up late, make sure you’re truly apologetic and show that you know that this is not acceptable.
- If you aim to get to work extra early, then you’ll end up showing up at least on time if you face any unexpected challenges.
- Getting to work early will also make you do better at your job, because you’ll feel like you have more time to accomplish all of your daily tasks.
Maintain a positive attitude. One way to please your boss is to show up to work with a smile on your face and to whistle while you work, so to speak. Though not every part of your job may be thrilling, you should make an effort to be optimistic, to talk about the things you love about your job, and to avoid complaining about it as much as you can. You don’t want to be the person who brings people down and you don’t want your boss to think that you’re unhappy with your work.
- Of course, if you have a real problem, then you should bring it up as respectfully as possible. But as a rule, you should try to keep things fun and upbeat. You want your energy to make people feel better, not worse.
- It can be easy to fall into complaining with your coworkers. If they start complaining around you, try to kindly change the subject or excuse yourself from the situation. Bad energy can be infectious.
Be neat and organized. Your boss will be very pleased if he knows you to be neat and organized. You want to make sure that your files are in order, that your emails, desktop, and any other important documents are all in place, and that you never have to spend more than thirty seconds looking for a paper that you need. If you’re sloppy with your work, then this will show that you don’t care about your work as much as you should, and that you’re not invested in giving it your all.
- Plus, being neat and organized will save you a ton of time and will make your work easier. It’s a win-win situation.
- If you spend just 10 minutes a day making sure your things are organized at the end of the day, then you should be in great shape.
- If your boss doesn’t think you’re organized, then he’ll be less likely to ask you to help out on additional projects or to think you’re trustworthy.
Avoid the gossip circle. Keep your boss happy by not being one of the employees that spreads gossip, causes problems among coworkers, or requires disciplinary action. Don't give your boss any reason to associate you with any negativity in the workplace. If your coworkers are gossiping, try to kindly say something nice about the person they’re talking about or to say you have some work to do. You don’t have to be confrontational about it, but you should avoid agreeing with or spreading rumors about the people you work with.
- If you hear any gossip about your boss, then you should back away as quickly as you can. You certainly don’t want your boss to hear about it, or he’ll never be able to fully trust you.
- Try to spend more time with the coworkers who don’t have a reputation for gossiping. Though you want to be friendly to everyone, you don’t want to be associated with the office gossips.
Participate when asked. Accept requests to help out with extra duties in the office like assisting with special projects or lending a new employee a hand with a particularly difficult client. Your boss will appreciate your initiative and your ability to multitask. Be sure all of your regular responsibilities have been met before taking on extra work.
- You want to be known as the person your boss can count on when something extra needs to be done, even if it’s last minute.
Accept new challenges. To be a model employee and to make your boss happy, you should always be the first to accept new challenges. Get used to the idea that there’s more than one way to do things and that you can succeed at tasks you didn’t think you were capable of completing. Instead of being hesitant or making excuses when you’re presented with a new challenge, you should be excited about it, ask the questions you need to ask, and show that you’re eager to get started.
- You want your boss to think of you first when there’s a new and exciting task to complete. You don’t want him to overlook you because you’ll put up too much of a fight when it comes to doing something new.
- If your boss asks for volunteers for a new project, be the first to have your hand up. Show that you’re up to the task and that you don’t need to be persuaded to try something new.
- Plus, your job can get stale if you’re doing the same thing day after day. If you’re always taking on new challenges, then you’ll be more likely to actually enjoy the work you do.
Look professional. One way to be a model employee is to look professional at all times. Whether your office has a strict dress code or a more casual one, it’s important not to show up looking too casual or out of place. Take the time to shower, groom yourself, and put on clean, well-fitting clothes before you walk into the workplace. This shows that your job is important to you and that you want to look your best and to do your best. If you can’t put in the basic effort needed to look nice at work, then this tells your boss that you don’t take your job seriously.
- If your job has special “casual” days, or holiday-themed dress days, try to participate. You want to show that you take your job seriously but that you also want to have some fun, when it is allowed.
- Another reason to give yourself plenty of time to get ready for work is so that you look put together when you walk into the workplace.

Building a Strong Relationship with Your Boss

Ask questions. One way to please your boss that can benefit both of you is by asking for his advice or opinion on an issue or with a particular client and then implementing his words of wisdom. This allows you to benefit from your boss' knowledge and experience and lets the boss know that you value what she thinks. This also shows that you’re always looking for ways to improve at your job and that you’re always trying to do the best job possible.
- Asking questions also shows your boss that you’re comfortable admitting that you don’t know everything and that you’re self-aware enough to know when to ask for help.
- Just make sure to ask questions at the right time, so your boss has time to take them seriously. Asking a series of off-topic questions at a company meeting won’t give you the results you want.
Take constructive criticism. Take constructive criticism given during performance reviews or meetings to heart and strive to improve areas of your job that aren't your strongest. Making yourself better and improving areas of your job performance that need work will show your boss your dedication. You want your boss to see that you really care about your job and that you see that there’s room for you to grow. If you’re stubborn or rude, then your boss will think that you’re set in your ways and have no room for improvement.
- Remember that feedback isn’t meant to hurt you or make you feel inadequate; it’s there to help you improve as a worker.
- Even if not all of the feedback you get is useful, make sure to be receptive, upbeat, and thankful for it. Don’t make your boss feel like you resent him for being honest with you.
Be friendly without being friends. You don’t need to be BFF with your boss to please him or her. In fact, trying to get too buddy buddy can lead to complications or can make it feel like you’re trying a little too hard to make a good impression. Instead, you should smile at your boss, say hello, stop to make small talk, and get to know a few things about him that you can ask about, such as the names of his children or his favorite hobbies. Keep things light and friendly around your boss and avoid getting into disagreements or being curt or thoughtless at all costs.
- If your boss is obviously busy or frazzled, then you don’t need to try to make small talk or be extra friendly. As you get to know your boss, you’ll become more aware of his or her moods.
- Try to be friendly but professional in your correspondence, such as emails, as well.
Offer suggestions. Speak up if you have an idea about how something could be improved or done differently in the workplace. Present your idea to your boss in an organized way when he has time to listen and discuss it with you. Even if your idea is not implemented, your effort will show your boss your initiative and a desire to improve the workplace as a whole.
- If you offer suggestions from time to time, then your boss will see that you’re thinking about the company at large and that you really have a stake in the success of the company.
- Just make sure that you offer your suggestions privately so your boss doesn’t feel as if he’s being attacked or chastised in front of other employees.
Be self-motivated. To truly please your boss, you have to show that you’re self-motivated and that you’re the kind of employee who takes initiative in his work. You shouldn’t only go above and beyond when you’re asked to, but should take steps that will impress your boss and improve your company on your own. You want your boss to think that you can work well on your own without being supervised and that you’ll continue to succeed at your job even if he or she is out of the office.
- At the end of the day, you should be motivated to do the best you can because you love the work you do and want to do your best, not just to impress your boss.
- If your boss is out for the day, he should trust you to continue to do your work and to even encourage other employees to do their best.
Be a good team player. You want to have a reputation for working well with others and to be able to collaborate effectively. Your boss should think that he can put you in any team and that you’ll be able to thrive no matter what. Learn to respectfully disagree, share your ideas without being pushy, and to truly listen to what your co-workers have to say and on taking their suggestions seriously. Make people feel comfortable sharing their ideas with you and make sure that everyone is contributing when you work on a team project.
- Though you may feel like it’ll be better if you do all of the work yourself, this will make other team members feel left out and will give them the impression that you don’t trust them.
- Make sure to be open-minded and to consider all aspects of a situation before making a decision. You may think you have your mind made up when you begin a project, but you should be open to and considerate of whatever your co-workers think.
Communicate your feelings well. If you want to have a strong relationship with your boss, then you have to know how to communicate your feelings well and how to tell your boss what you’re thinking in the most respectful way possible. If you disagree with something, you can’t act like you know the right thing to do; instead, kindly suggest or ask if things could be done a bit differently. Make sure you’re articulate, speak clearly, and make your main point crystal clear.
- If you need to talk to your boss about something important, set up a meeting with him. If you try to tell him some important information in the halls or when he’s obviously busy, then he won’t be as receptive to what you have to say.
- You have to be able to not only communicate with your boss, but to also communicate with co-workers, customers, and anyone else in the office. Strong communication is a quality of a stellar employee.

Going Above and Beyond

Advance your education. Show your boss that you're committed to your job and that you want to be the best by advancing your education and job skills. Enroll in courses or skill building programs and attend seminars that focus on learning new aspects of your position and career. These programs can make you better at your job and may even make the work more fun. Additionally, a lot of companies will pay you more if you have more training.
- You can also make sure to stay current in your field by continuing to take courses to refresh your memory about certain protocol or just to make sure you have the most up-to-date training on how to use technology in your workplace.
- Advancing your education will please your boss because he’ll see that you really want to continue to improve at the work you do instead of being stuck in the same role.
Participate in company activities outside of work. You will please your boss if you go above and beyond and attend as many “extra-curricular” company events as possible. Whether these are birthday parties, happy hours, team building activities, team volunteering events, or other special activities, you should make an effort to attend as many of these as you can to show your commitment to your work. Of course, you have a life outside of work and can’t be expected to attend every event, but you should make an effort to be there as much as you can.
- If you really want to take the extra leap, then you can even organize some of these events yourself. This shows initiative and that your job really means a lot to you.
- Plus, if you attend more work-related activities outside of work, this will give you more of an opportunity to bond with your boss on a new level and to put yourself out there.
Build strong relationships with your coworkers. Another way to go above and beyond and to impress your boss is to work on building strong relationships with your coworkers. You don’t need to be best friends with them or to hang out with them outside of work all the time, but you should be friendly with them and make an effort to get to know them a bit. If you have a reputation for keeping to yourself and not opening up to anyone, then your boss will think that you’re only looking out for yourself.
- Even if you’re really busy outside of work or more on the shy side, it doesn’t take much of an effort to smile at your co-workers, to make a bit of small talk, and to ask them about their families, their vacations, or their pets.
- Plus, you want your boss to see that you’re an important part of the office team. If your co-workers love you and the office wouldn’t be the same without you, you’re much more likely to keep your job when it’s time to downsize. If no one in the office even knows who you are, you’re less likely to seem crucial to the team.
Be innovative in your position. To really go above and beyond and please your boss, you have to be able to think outside the box. The times are changing quickly, and chances are that your job and company will be changing, too, especially if you’ve been at the same place for a while. You have to be able to accept whatever changes may come your way and to come up with new and creative ideas for how to solve old problems.
- You don’t want to be known as the guy who is stuck in the same old ways when the company around him is changing. Instead, you should be the first person to come up with innovations and to follow them through.
- If you’ve been doing something the same old way for five years, then it’s time to think about whether or not there are faster, more original, or more effective ways to get your job done. If you’ve found an innovative way to address an old problem and it really works, share it with your coworkers so they know what to do, too.
Offer to do extra work when it’s needed. In order to please your boss, you have to show that you’re a person he or she can depend on when it’s time to do some extra work. Whether you’re suddenly in the middle of a complete work crisis or a project is just taking way longer than expected, you should be there to offer to help out, to stay late, or to complete the extra work that needs to be done. This shows your boss that you’re really committed to your job instead of just being the person who counts down the hours until quitting time every day.
- Of course, you shouldn’t be the person who gets taken advantage of every single time. Make sure your boss acknowledges your efforts and gives you extra compensation when you deserve it.
- When you do offer to help out and do more work, make sure you do it enthusiastically instead of begrudgingly. If you’re offering to help but would rather go home and watch TV, then your boss will be able to see it in your face.
Find meaning in your work. Ultimately, the best way for you to please your boss, and to have the best time on the job, is to truly love the work that you do. If you’re really committed to the mission of your company and love your job, then you won’t have to try so hard to please your boss because being positive and having great ideas will come naturally to you. If you feel like you’re faking it whenever you have to muster enthusiasm for your job, then this may mean that it’s time to consider finding a more fulfilling line of work.
- Even if you don’t love all of your job, it’s important to find something to be excited about. If you’re absolutely miserable at work, then your boss will be able to tell.
- If you love your job, you’ll be more likely to offer meaningful suggestions, to give great feedback, and to be a great person to work with.