Honor God by making your boss a success

I have found that the one of the best ways to advance a career is having as one of your goals to make your boss a success...whether in your opinion he is "good" or "bad" of his oversight of you.  


Regardless of how our bosses relate to us (see Eph 6: 9 below...which doesn't always happen), we as "bondservants" are to conduct ourselves in the following manner toward them according to Paul's exhortation in Eph 6:5-9

Bondservants and Masters

5 vBondservants,1 obey your earthly masters2 with fear and trembling, wwith a sincere heart, xas you would Christ, 6 not by the way of eye-service, as ypeople-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, 7 rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man,8 zknowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, awhether he is a bondservant3 or is free. 9 Masters, do the same to them, band stop your threatening, knowing that che who is both their Master4 and yours is in heaven, and that dthere is no partiality with him.

I was reading through some articles on how to make your boss a success, a biblical principle that I believe honors God.  I found the following tips in an article entitled, "7 ways to make your boss look good".  I have taken excerpts from the article intentionally as some of the content was not as helpful to me as other (including the warning that some of the distracting pop ups of the site are not edifiying...and the website would have content in general that would be counter to a biblical world view in my opinion).  It you still would prefer to read the original content in its full context, it can be found at:  


http://www.askmen.com/money/career_100/108_career.html

Now on to the tips I found personally helpful:

>>>>>>Taken from the Article "7 Ways To Make Your Boss Look Good"


Helping your boss shine has several advantages, including:

It can make his job easier, which reflects well on you

It makes your boss remember you

It provides you with a greater level of job security

It can make you look good

It's good for the overall image of your department

tricks of the trade

Making your boss look good can also be tricky.  Because I'm assuming that you already know how to do your job well, this will not be a lesson on how to be a competent employee.  

Here are seven tricks of the trade when it comes to shining a positive light on your boss.

1- Prepare

•  Being prepared means having things ready when you say they'll be ready. It also means preparing things (like reports) and going over them with your boss so that he understands them as well. This will help him when he has to explain your work to others, and he'll look informed and on top of the situation.

2- Anticipate

• Anticipating what will make your boss look good.   For example, if you happen to know that your boss' boss likes pie charts, prepare them for your boss. You might say something like, "I know your superior likes pie charts, so I thought that these might make your presentation go a little smoother."

• Another example might be a meeting where your boss seems to be at a loss for words. At the appropriate time, you might want to chime in and ask a pertinent question to get him back on track. Give him the wording he's looking for.

• Make him look good, cover his back and share the credit.

3- Market

• You should try to positively market your boss when you get the chance. That doesn't mean that you have to slap everyone on the back and tell them what a great guy he is every chance you get.

• You should also be on the lookout for opportunities to subtly give him credit for good ideas or for helping you in a pinch. 

• And don't hesitate to pitch in unsolicited help when it's required. This can take the form of entertaining a client that has an appointment if your boss is going to be late.

4- Cover your boss' back

• Provide damage control for his actions and be a filter for what he says. This may take the form of you stepping up to bat for him if someone is running him down. It may also mean that you "soften" some of his words, memos or letters if they seem too harsh.

• Clear up any misunderstandings about him. For example, if you know he's late for a meeting because of traffic, then say so. If he's late submitting a report because his wife is in the hospital, tell the right person.

5- Share the praise

• Let your boss take credit for work that you've done or that both of you have collaborated on. Hopefully, he'll recognize your efforts and give you the proper credit. 

• Don't try to grab the spotlight; share it with your boss and chances are he'll share it with you.

6- Do your job well

• This point may seem almost too obvious to mention, but it's one of the most important. If you do good work, everyone benefits, including your boss. Here are some key points to remember:  (1)  Meet or exceed your goals (2) Follow the mission statement (3) Be a cheerleader for the company (4) Be punctual not only for meetings but also for deadlines

7- Look sharp

• Your appearance not only affects what people think about you, it reflects how they perceive your boss as well. 

• Looking sharp gives you an instant boost in the eyes of others. It also has an impact on their perception of how your boss runs his department. This is especially the case when it comes to clients.

• Looking like a slouch may be comfortable, but it does nothing for your credibility. 

Make him look good...It involves doing everything you can to put him in a positive light in the eyes of those around him. Become his invisible hand that gets things done and eventually you'll be repaid with visible rewards.