“Work WITH your boss,” that is by far the best career advice I can give to anyone wanting to enjoy and make the most out of their jobs. I’ve seen brilliant individuals quit their jobs and jeopardise their careers because of huge and unnecessary self-induced stress because they’ve been working FOR their bosses.
Do not just work for someone. If you do so, their goal will become their goal alone and your goal will be to please them. They will achieve their billion dollar revenue target and all you can truly claim is achieving the number of reports they asked you to do. See the difference? You will be detached from the company’s goals, and your boss will end up dictating what you should and should not do. You will lose your analytical skills and creativity. Remember, you are a professional. You have very specific skills. They wouldn’t have offered you a job if they knew how to do things better than you.
Work with your boss. You will limit your own development if you will just follow orders. Working with your boss exposes you to what they do. From there you can better position yourself so you can either maximise the impact of what you do best, or unlock new possibilities if you are hitting your career ceiling. You can accomplish more for yourself without going beyond your scope and stepping on someone’s toes.
Ever wondered why you naturally get along well with your peers but not your boss? Granted, not all bosses are easy to get along with, but there’s also a chance that you are the one building that wall between the two of you. You put them in a totally different plane when in reality, working with them should not be too different from working with Susan from the other department. You have different roles, one might be more critical than the other, but you are delivering one thing. -aB
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i. am. mark. 