Five things your boss wishes you'd do more of

There is a lot of conversation in workplaces about what we need our leaders to do more of. And while it’s an important conversation to have, leaders alone don’t make an organisation successful. 

They can take their employees to water, coach them on how to drink, and add a nice slice of lime to make the water more enjoyable, but they can’t make them drink.

As employees, at some point, we need to decide to drink and drink consistently. 

With employees craving workplaces that provide greater autonomy, freedom and flexibility in their roles, many leaders are doing their best to keep up with the changing demands of a multi-generational workforce. 

But this pressure comes at a cost. 

Managers are experiencing more burnout and overwhelm than ever before, with the recent 2024 Global Managers Survey Report from Circle In claiming that 75 per cent of managers are experiencing stress or burnout, and many are walking away from leadership. 

Instead of relying on our leaders to carry the weight, the onus is on employees to step up and prove their value, especially in a tough economy and tight job market. 

Wouldn’t it be great if you could read your boss’s mind and get clear on what they’d love you to do more of? Thankfully, you don’t have to.

I’ve had thousands of conversations with managers and leaders over the years, and what they value most in their team members is universal, and it isn’t about being the hardest worker or even the most technically astute person. 

Be empowered, not entitled 

It is not your boss's responsibility to tell you what your career pathway or growth opportunities will be.

Take some ownership and reflect on the areas in your career pathway or industry that are evolving, and then consider how you can keep ahead of the curve - whether it’s mastering a new tech platform, skill or way of working. 

Trust me, your boss will be stoked with your appetite for learning and your ability to think ahead. 

Be accountable, not abdicating

Demonstrate accountability and ownership for things, even if it isn’t in your ‘formal’ job description to do so. 

It’s easy to sit back and blame other members of the team, declaring that other people should take more responsibility for things, but at what point do you look in the mirror and ask yourself what you’re doing to fix things?

Be an enhancer, not a detractor 

Be that person who amplifies the culture in the workplace, not someone who detracts from it. 

If there is an issue with another person or department, proactively have a go at sorting it out.

Don’t hide behind your computer screen sending passive-aggressive Slack messages or spreading venom by the water cooler behind someone’s back; stemming from point one, take accountability for your part in building an organisational culture you actually want to be part of. 

Make mistakes, but make them trying 

Not all bosses subscribe to the thinking of “don’t bring me a problem, only bring me a solution”, but 99 per cent of the ones I know certainly subscribe to the idea of “bring me a problem anytime, but tell me how you’ve tried to solve it, even if it didn’t work out”. 

Your boss is seriously busy, so what they really want you to do is make their life easier.

Anticipate their needs. Show an appetite to try. If you see a problem or an issue, please don’t just forward it to them saying, “What do you think I should do”? 

Make some suggestions where you can, and if you aren’t sure of the answer, that’s OK. What sets you apart is the fact that you took the time to try and to think for yourself first. 

Communicate the specials, not the full menu 

Think about what your boss needs to know - what’s important to them? What deadlines are they facing? What pushback are they navigating? And what do they need to know from you that will help them? 

Hint: It probably won't be a long essay email that they don’t have time to read. It also isn’t a task list that doesn’t tell them anything other than the dimensions of your job.

Talk to them about outputs and outcomes. What is your hard work delivering? What outcomes is it providing to the team or your department? This is powerful information that sets you and them up for success. 

When it comes to our careers, most of us will spend over half of our lives working in some capacity.

And while you might wish your boss did certain things differently to make your life easier, I wonder what would happen if you asked yourself what you could be doing to make their life easier, too?