Before I proceed
to write about the good habits around communicating with one’s boss, I want to
define four words: habit, communicating, boss and the work-place
A habit is one’s way of doing things as part
of contributing to or getting something out of a society. It is one’s own attitude;
it manifests in the way one maintains relationships; it is also the interaction
and treatment one gives to others. A habit
follows a certain pattern. The pattern is dictated by a place and time. In our
case, it is the work place. One has to cultivate work place habits geared at
being productive, dependable and results oriented.
Communicating is
the use of verbal, written, bodily and non verbal means to convey a given
meaning or reaction towards what has stimulated one to do a certain action. In
our case, the work place related activities. These may include, but not limited
to, the way one interacts with other work mates as well as other aspects that are
in a way related to what one does.
There are many ways one can make work
enjoyable. Some of the ways are: arriving at work on time; giving oneself time
to make preparation at one’s desk (if there is one); check for voice mail
messages; check to see if there is a scheduled in-house meeting to attend; check
in on other staff members; and get started with your work. Take note that whatever
one is engaged in is actually conveying a message to others. Whatever one does
at the work place may be verbal or practical. It has a message it conveys.
A boss is
someone reports to; one to consult about any matter concerning the direction of
the job. This is the person who represents the work place vision, mission and
culture. As much as possible have an open and clear path between you and the
boss. One good habit is to find time to talk with the boss. A
greeting/salutation is one way to start that off. A boss is a human being too.
Tell the boss about an experience on the road as you came to work. Develop a
schedule for a full month. Take time to consult your boss on what to add to or
take out from your work schedule. This is will help you understand the work
place objectives while at the same time it will be an opportunity for the boss
to review and improve on your cultural understanding of this particular work
place.
The input areas
for one to productively communicate with one’s boss are: understanding and improving
on one’s specific work place related habits; communicating verbally and
non-verbally; looking at work as one’s extension of productivity and joyfulness;
and sharing experiences with one’s boss. This will give one an opportunity to be noticed.
