When I worked in the office environment, I went from getting along with my boss to being recognized by her as a very good member of her team. Along the way, I felt discouraged. It was like walking through a fog. I didn’t know where to go, or what to do exactly.

Reflecting on what took me from a fragile and vulnerable point to one of work and personal trust , I came to the conclusion that the key was to effectively support my boss.I wanted to support her since I joined the organization, but I didn’t do it effectively; I didn’t even know how to do it. Universities don’t give us that knowledge… and that’s a problem.

Creating a trusting work environment

Do you have a boss who’s too demanding? Have you asked yourself how you can gain his trust?

Often, conflicts within an organization are not due to a lack of skills on the part of employees and subordinates in general, but rather to a failure to communicate and an atmosphere of distrust. Here you can see some tips to gain the trust of the bosses.

1. Listen carefully to their directions

This is very obvious, but every time I leave my house, I realize how little people listen carefully. Many times, the belief that you already know what kind of instructions you are going to receive makes you disconnect and stop paying attention to what you are told , and such a simple mistake can lead to serious errors.

When your boss gives you a direction, stop doing everything you’re doing and focus on what he’s explaining. If you can get a notebook, take notes.

Practice active listening with your boss. The ability to listen is one of the things that distinguishes a true leader from others.

2. Ask questions without shame

One day when I stayed up very late finishing something, a very experienced colleague came up to me and said: “whenever you have a question, ask it. To me, to your boss or whoever. Remember that there are no stupid questions, there are only stupid people who don’t ask.

I was very grateful to him for his advice, because when I joined the organization, I was somewhat afraid to ask questions , especially since I am very inquisitive. I like to have very clear objectives before getting down to work.

Take that advice from my partner too, and don’t be ashamed to ask! Clarify any details that aren’t clear from the beginning with your boss and you’ll see that his confidence in you will gradually increase, because he’ll see you as someone who does care about his work.

3. Keep him informed of your progress or lack thereof

I remember in those days, we had to report something to my boss. Not pleasant news: we were late again on a delivery date.

These things happen quite a lot in the software development industry. They often put up very unrealistic deadlines. Anyway, my partner was afraid of my boss’ reaction and said:

– Could you inform him?

– Yeah, I’ll tell him. I stood up from my chair to go and inform him and my partner stopped me:

– Are you going to go right now?

– Yeah, the longer we wait, the worse it gets.

I went to report things to him as honestly as I could. Of course I felt embarrassed and nervous, but in the end, I knew I had to do it because it was critical to the project.

My boss’s reaction was of course annoying, but after telling me she wouldn’t accept another delay in an imperative tone, she thanked me for telling her. My colleague asked me something scary:

– What did he say to you?

– What you had to tell me, there will be no more extensions. We have to end it right now.

One of your best allies in gaining your boss’ trust is telling him transparently both the good and the bad . Don’t make assumptions about “what your boss wants to hear”, just tell him what it is. Communicate with courage and honesty the good and the bad without fear of reprisal.

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There aren’t that many people willing to tell the truth in this world, don’t you think? For a boss, that’s highly valued.

4. Seeks to satisfy their expectations

Entrepreneurs have only one way to survive: to meet the needs of their customers.

If you work in an office environment and are not used to entrepreneurship, you could do the following: think that your boss is the most important customer in your “business”.

If that were the case, you would do everything necessary to meet their requirements. By imagining that you are an entrepreneur or business owner, it will be easier to understand how important it is to deliver the right work from your boss’ perspective. That’s the most important thing.

You can put a lot of effort into the wrong job. Keep in constant communication with your direct boss, follow his directions and never expect him to come to you for approval.

You may even have to ask him if you are doing it right . Don’t wait for him to give you feedback, because most of them are so busy that they won’t even be able to spend time telling you what you’re failing at. Be the one to ask him, “I’d like you to comment on what you think I can do better.

This will be an indication that you really care about wanting to meet the requirements that are being asked of you, not just about “fitting in”. Listen with great patience to his constructive criticism without interrupting him.

In light of this advice: What other advice would you give to someone who is starting his or her career to gain the trust of his or her boss? I would love to read and respond to your comments.