One of the best things about working in the same building/office with your boss is that you can easily be noticed. Those casual conversations in the hall, shared face to face meetings, grabbing coffee at the same shop in the building creates organic opportunities to get your boss’s attention. Now that most of us are working remotely, it can be hard to get the attention of those who influence your future career. Here are a few tips that can help:
Do excellent work.
It can be easy to let things slide when you’re working from your PJs. We get too comfortable and that leads to complacency. Instead, make sure that you are producing the best work product you ever have. Make all of the phone calls, complete every task, do everything you’re supposed to do and then some. This is not the time to coast. It’s time to knock it out of the park. Instead of telling your boss every day about what you’ve done, keep tabs and use it during your review. Another option is to send a Friday update to your boss each week. Include the highs, lows, and opportunities, and areas for improvement. When your boss looks back at this time, they’ll remember you were the one they relied on.
Stop complaining.
“Problems without proposed solutions are complaints. No one wants to hear you complain”. My dad said this to me almost every day of my childhood and he was absolutely correct. Things have changed. Things are different. Things are hard. That’s the case for every single person on the planet. Literally, every single one of us. That’s what a global pandemic creates. Stop complaining. Your boss, colleagues, customers, friends, family, and significant other have all already heard it. Instead be the person who brings solutions, ideas, and alternative ways of doing what you’ve always done. See this time as an opportunity instead of torture.
Be available when your boss reaches out to you
Keep your phone on, be near your computer, and answer your email – especially when your boss is contacting you. Be ready to hop on a Zoom call with no notice. This means you and the space around you need to be clean and presentable at all times.
Reach out to your boss, colleagues, and key stakeholders.
Keep in touch with your boss or other leaders you work with. Reach out. Check-in. Ask questions. Don’t assume. Show empathy when they’re struggling to manage 5th-grade homework and a project deadline, even if you don’t like children. Offer to help or take something off their plate. Empathy is key to managing up.
