In an industry of placing candidates in new positions on a daily basis, we understand the fears and anxieties provoked by interviews, and especially the aftermath of interacting with a new boss. Even if you are a veteran of your firm, it is still normal to experience nerves about your boss! However, we hope to calm you down by listing these key strategies to help you relieve your over-thinking habits.

Your Boss Probably Has a Boss Too!

In most settings, your direct supervisor will most likely have a boss of their own. Whether this is the CEO, District Manager, Marketing Head, or any other lead role, there is most likely someone being reported to above your report. Remember, your boss is likely feeling the same nerves that you do, and that their stress may be provoked from higher up positions, not from your sole actions. A small mistake you may write in an email, during a meeting, or through a conversation will rarely be detrimental to your boss’s day, if ever. Don’t overthink small mistakes, and if they are becoming a burden in your mind, set up a meeting and discuss your worries.

Understand Your Actions:

Be honest with yourself! If you’re feeling concerned about how your work is being evaluated, if you are performing well, or if you have in anyway disappointed your boss, it is likely that there may be an underlying concern. Are you distracted from an outside of work source? Are you maintaining a work-life balance? If you feel that your obligations are not aligning with your initial job description, or that you are not holding up your end, evaluate your recent performance. Make sure you are aware of your actions before you correlate them directly with your bosses behaviors; chance are you may be overanalyzing their comments or actions. 

Realize and Channel Sensitivity:

We know this is likely easier said than done… but we highly encourage you to practice differentiating between professional and personal criticism. Putting your greatest effort into a work project will easily generate an emotional tie to your product, however, understand that your manager’s criticism is looking out for your best interest as well as the organization’s! If you truly feel that you are being personally insulted, either initiate a discussion with your boss or talk to a coworker in HR about how to handle the relationship. From past experience, we can almost guarantee you that hurt feelings are a result of miscommunication, not intention!

Make Yourself an Asset:

There is no greater way to truly feel confident in your relationship with your boss than to be confident in your value within the firm. Is your work unique to you? Are you an asset to coworkers, supervisors, and the overall company? Becoming irreplaceable to your organization requires work and dedication, but comes with immense rewards! Make sure to always exude your strongest effort in completing projects, by deadlines, to the best of your abilities, arriving on time to every meeting and event, creating relationships with employees in various departments and across superiority levels, and offering new perspectives that challenge the “status quo.” By initiating these actions, you are sure to be a favorite among your company and a reliable employee.

Open Communication:

Finally, remember the importance of communication! Your boss does not exist to provoke fear, they are put in place to help you reach your greatest potential, stay on task, and increase the success of your company. If you feel uneasy about a situation, conversation, or prior event, set up a meeting to discuss your concerns with your boss. As we’ve said in the past, bottling up emotions will never do any good!

At the end of the day… your boss is just a human… like you!

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