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You've dreamt about it at one time or another. Telling off that supervisor or manager who really makes your blood boil would be satisfying, wouldn't it? Well, keep fantasizing all you want because you should never go through with it.
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What Did You Say? Six Things You Should Never Say to Your Boss[By Mary Waldron]
You’ve dreamt about it at one time or another. Telling off that supervisor or manager who really makes your blood boil would be
satisfying, wouldn’t it? Well, keep fantasizing all you want because you should never go through with it. Don’t even save it for
your last day. It’s just not worth it.
In addition to those tell-it-like-it-is moments
that you’d love to let loose at the office, there
are a few specific phrases that you really
should keep to yourself. Read on to find out
some of the most annoying and damaging
comments you can make to your boss.
1. “I know what I’m doing.”
In a successful business relationship,
especially if you are lower on the food chain
than the other person, there should be some
level of humility and a willingness to grow
and improve as a professional. So when your
superior criticizes how you approached a
project or a situation, you really should take
heed. Usually there are some good reasons
that person is above you, and you should take
his or her advice seriously.
Even if what your superior says is illogical,
unethical, or just plain wrong, you should
accept the words with open arms and
attempt to find some sort of use for them.
Besides, an ego-driven comment like “I
know what I’m doing,” no matter how much
you think you know, sounds uncooperative,
closed-minded, ignorant, and rude. Even the
most seasoned professionals admit that they
learn new things every day in their careers,
and that really is the truth. So don’t shoot
yourself in the foot by making such a bold
and arrogant statement.
2. “We need to talk. It’s important.”
This one is a killer. I wish more professionals
realized what a nuisance this is. Bothering
your boss about an insignificant matter is
bad enough, but trying to trap him or her
into a meeting or call with this line, with no
explanation, is disrespectful and tacky.
Any time you want to talk to your boss about
something, whatever it may be, give him or
her a quick synopsis in a phone call, email,
or message. That way, if it’s a matter that
can be cleared up without meeting or at a
more appropriate time, his or her time can
be saved. The one thing you never want to
waste or disrespect is your boss’s time.
I used to work with an employee who would
do this sort of thing to our boss almost on a
daily basis; it was out of control. She would
march to his office, knock on his open door,
say, “I need to talk to you about a couple
things,” walk in, and sit down before he could
even say anything.
Although my former boss should have
stood up for himself and sent her away,
this employee’s behavior was incredibly
disrespectful and annoying. She would
demand our boss’s attention for matters that
he had no time for—he had more important
things to worry about. She usually would
vent about her problems with completing
her tasks and duties, which voiced a more
serious problem, I think. But the point is you
need to value your boss’s time and try to
solve your job’s problems and issues without
cornering him or her in an office.
3. “That’s not part of my job description.”
If your boss asks you to put on a chicken
suit and do the Macarena, you do it. Okay, I
guess that’s a bit degrading, but my point is
you should do whatever your boss asks of
you. Many times, unless your firm is in the
top tier, projects that do not directly relate to
your job will get assigned to you. It actually
happens more often than not.
Don’t look at these assignments as time-
consuming, mindless tasks. These are actually
little jewels that you can leverage to get your
next raise. When it’s time to be reviewed for a
raise, you will have a neat collection of extra
completed tasks that will hopefully boost your
chances of getting more money.
Taking on additional responsibilities also
helps establish your reliability, trust, and
team-player attitude in the eyes of your boss.
This is priceless in terms of your current job,
as well as your career’s future.
4. “I didn’t have time to do it.”
I’m not asking you to lie to your boss. Yes,
sometimes you won’t have enough time to
complete everything on time, but this should
not happen when your boss is waiting for
something. If your boss assigns you a task,
get it done as soon as possible—even before
he or she needs it. This will help build your
credibility with him or her.
If you have a boss who assigns you five to �0
gigantic extra tasks per week, all with the
same due date, okay, yes, you have an issue.
My point is you should take action on every
single task assigned by your boss as soon as
you can. Prioritize your tasks and strive to
complete those which must be done on time.
If you cannot complete a task by its due date,
do all that you can for the time being so that
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when you have to answer to your boss about
the task, you can report on its progress and
pinpoint a date when it will be done. We’re
not machines, but if we manage our time
properly, we can at least get the ball rolling
on most tasks, even if we physically don’t
have the time to complete them.
Some bosses don’t even particularly care
whether the task is done; they just like to
test employees or see how well they can
execute the task. So if you walk into your
boss’s office and tell him or her you didn’t
have time to finish your task, you will have
failed the test and lost major credibility
points.
5. “It’s 5:00 p.m. I’m going home.”
Even if your boss schedules a meeting with
you at 5:00 p.m. on Friday, keeping you
from making it to your dinner date on time,
you need to bite your tongue. Sometimes
you need to work late to complete timely
assignments, and sometimes you need to
work late to show your boss that you’re a
superstar in his or her company. It’s just
the way life is. Again, as with doing extra
work, you need to tough it out to work toward
greater rewards.
6. “That was so-and-so’s fault.”
Blame: another ugly thing to see an
employee do. Never lower yourself to
pointing fingers in front of your boss. If you
did screw up, admit it to your boss and take
the heat. If you simply apologize and do
what you can to help fix the problem, your
boss will see that you learned a lesson, and
hopefully he or she will move on from it.
If the issue is really not your fault, you
should still handle the situation carefully
and gracefully. I’m not asking you to create
a façade for your boss. Choose your words
carefully in situations where someone else
is at fault for the failure of a project. Present
how you contributed to the project and
explain everything from your point of view.
Then your boss will see your side of the story
and figure out whose fault it is without you
even mentioning the guilty party.
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