Most of us have had a bad boss, right?
Here’s the next bit of news – odds are you’ll have another bad one.
There are not enough folks to fill the open jobs we have now, so the likelihood of having an untrained, uninterested boss is going up. Way up.
Here’s a suggestion to address your boss.
“Hey boss, you got a minute?”
“Sure.”
“How do you think I’m doing?
“Oh, you’re doing fine.”
“Since no one is perfect, is there anything you think I should improve upon?”
The art here is you’ve given your supervisor SAFE permission to share anything. And that anything could be smack dab in the middle of your blind spot. Maybe you have a grumpy face in the morning. Maybe you should offer more in the meetings. Maybe you didn’t make a new pot of coffee and your boss walked in right behind you.
Perhaps your boss is an introvert, and the prospect of giving feedback or initiating conflict is frightening.
Want one more?
“Hey boss, thanks for the feedback. If you ever notice something else, don’t wait for the review to tell me. I want to know because I want to get better.”
Simple, right? Seems obvious.
Unfortunately, I can think of only a handful of instances when this happened. I recently had two of my team members ask me for feedback, and it’s amazing how much more I want those employees to succeed. I was pleased they gave a shit about what I thought.
There is a payoff. Just make sure you ask with your heart and your head open. It might hurt a little, but better to know.
Until next time,
Tom Gelin
Air Flow Inc.
8355 West Bradley Road
Milwaukee, WI 53223
414-351-1999
