Ten Simple Ways to Make Your Boss Think You’re Brilliant

Whether it is for a pay raise, a promotion, a great reference, or just
a cubicle with a window, we all want to impress our boss at work. In
tough economic times, we might just be trying to avoid being first in
line for a pink slip. But honestly, do you really want to put in extra
unpaid hours, potentially work weekends, and break your Facebook and
Twitter habits?

Sure, it’s a means to an end and everyone has to
go above and beyond when needed. However, wouldn’t it be nice to have a
little help along the way? Here are ten simple, no-effort ways that will make your boss think you’re both indispensable and brilliant:

1. Beat the Clock
   Most
   bosses are pretty consistent on the time they get into your office.
   Take note. If yours always arrives at 7.50 – get there at 7.45
   (even if your official start time is 8).

   Bonus to you:
   Arriving earlier than the boss makes you look keen and eager. Plus,
   when you’re skiving on Twitter or Facebook later in the day, you
   can justify it to yourself by those 15 extra minutes in the morning.

2. Say “Good Morning!”
   However
   hungover, knackered or grumpy you’re feeling first thing in the
   morning, plaster a great big smile on your face and say, “Good
   Morning!” to your boss.

   Bonus to you:
   Two friendly words can go a long way in putting you in your
   boss’s good books first thing in the day. And (if you’re
   following the first tip), your boss will know you’re in the
   office bright and early.

3. Volunteer Strategically
   If
   you’re in a meeting and someone asks for volunteers, be the first
   to put your hand up. That way, you’ll look keen and engaged. This
   will be a tough one to swallow if your workload is already jammed but
   volunteering for the right, high visibility project can increase the
   perception of you.

   Bonus to you:
   You’ll ­­get the task you want (i.e. the one with least
   effort but highest visibility) and not get lumbered with what the boss
   assigns you.

4. Be the Printer Guru
   Even
   if it’s nothing at all to do with your job description, learn
   where the spare ink/toner is kept and how to fit it. When there’s
   a paper jam or error, get someone to show you what to do.

   Bonus to you:
   When your boss is running around in a flap before a big meeting,
   you’ll be the hero who fixes his
   very-important-report-won’t-print crisis.

5. Say “Thanks”
   Been
   given a pay raise, promotion or extra day’s holiday – or
   even just some of your boss’s valuable time and advice? Make sure
   you say “thanks”. If possible, thank him/her at the time,
   and follow up with a short note to express your appreciation.

   Bonus to you:
   It takes ten minutes of your time and perhaps a couple of dollars to
   buy a “Thank You” card for your boss. If you feel strange
   with this one because a man giving a man a card is out of the norm,
   just send an email. In the end, it’s the thought that really counts
   here. Guess who’ll be first on his mind when the next round of
   pay-raises comes along?

6. Make Coffee
   This will make most of the people in the office like you, not just your boss. However for you boss, occasionally
   take a minute to say “I’m just making myself a coffee, can
   I get you one?” (doing so multiple times per day will have the
   opposite effect as you’re labeled as a brown-noser).

   Bonus to you:
   For virtually zero effort, you give your boss the impression that
   you’re a considerate, friendly employee who cares about him/her
   – bosses often feel unloved.

   
   

7. Use The Right Jargon
   Pay
   extra-close attention to the buzzwords that your boss uses. Drop these
   into the things you say at meetings, and into your emails. This
   isn’t a chance to play buzzword bingo – what you want to
   demonstrate is that you’re on the same wavelength as your boss.

   Bonus to you:
   Sometimes you can get away with something with just the right words.
   You’re not filing your emails for lack of anything better to do
   – you’re “implementing new communication management
   protocols to further the client-company relationship”.

8. Create Procedures
   Closely
   related to using the right buzzwords is creating the right procedures
   – that is, any which get you out of hot water. If something goes
   pear-shaped at work, explain that it was “due to a procedural
   error” or “a fault in the procedure”. Then, try to
   correct the process.

   Bonus to you:
   Explaining that the same mistake can’t possibly happen again
   “once I’ve changed the procedure” makes your boss
   think you’re on top of everything. Even when you so, so
   aren’t.

9. Leave An Email Trail
   If
   you’re ever working from home, a cunning way to demonstrate how
   many hours you’re (supposedly) putting in is to make sure that
   your boss is the recipient of, or copied in to, at least one of your
   emails first thing in the morning and last thing at night.

   Bonus to you:
   Your boss will think you’ve been hard at work between that first
   email at 7.30am and that last one at 9.00pm. You actually sent that
   first email in your jammies (and went straight back to bed), then took
   the afternoon off to catch a movie…

   
   

10. Fake Enthusiasm
    Even
    if your job is as dry as dust, fake enthusiasm wherever possible.
    Plaster a big smile on your face and wave your hands around when
    enthusing to customers or colleagues about your company.