Eight Behaviors to Avoid with Your Supervisor
13 February 2013
Read by 2657 persons
Regardless of the context, it is best to maintain a good relationship with your supervisor. The quality of your collaboration influences not only your well-being but also your professional success. Your manager can also be a powerful ally, especially if layoffs are being considered within your company: he/she will be more willing to defend you if he/she respects you. Many reasons encourage you to avoid any behavior that could harm the quality of this relationship.
Unfortunately, when your attitude or behavior annoys your supervisor, your supervisor does not necessarily tell you. It is for this reason that we draw your attention to eight behaviors to avoid.
1. Refusing new assignments. Your manager sees you as the ideal person to mentor a new recruit. He/she asks you if you have time to take charge. You are indeed available, but the assignment does not really interest you and you decline the offer. Wrong move! It is indeed unwise for your manager to have the image of a collaborator on whom one cannot count. Moreover, it is always preferable to meet the expectations of your manager, as long as you have the time necessary to perform the additional tasks that he/she entrusts to you. A series of refusals can convince him/her to no longer ask you for this type of assignment, and you could miss out on certain opportunities that might interest you. Finally, this assignment may prove to be much more enriching than you imagine!
2. Asking for too much attention. You constantly need approval or support to remain efficient? You constantly ask your manager if you are on the right track? This constant need for attention could distract your supervisor from his/her important tasks and disrupt his/her work pace. This type of behavior can be infuriating, even for the most patient managers. Try to arrange a meeting with your manager, for example, weekly, to review the progress of the projects he/she has entrusted to you, ask him/her questions (you will take care to prepare them well so that they are relevant and well-focused on your collaboration) and possibly inform him/her of any difficulties encountered or doubts (be careful, your manager should not only be the outlet for your grievances).
3. Communicating inappropriately. You are working on a strategic project and you have just left a voicemail message for your manager to briefly review the progress. He/she gets back to you and, given the importance of the assignment, asks you to give more details by email. To ensure that you are on the same wavelength, try to understand his/her communication preferences and adapt accordingly. Beyond his/her preferred communication method, also consider the quantity of information and the level of conciseness expected by your manager.
4. Asking too many questions. Everyone knows the saying “it goes in one ear and out the other.” So, avoid illustrating this during your exchanges with your supervisor. For example, repeating the same question (“Who should I follow up with again?”) is a surefire way to annoy him/her. To avoid finding yourself in this situation, always listen carefully to what your manager says and, in the context of a new project, try to clarify the difficult points or areas of uncertainty from the start. If you need to follow up, ask specific questions, note his/her answers and comments so that you do not have to bother him/her again.
5. Showing negligence. You rushed to finish a presentation for your manager. He/she reads it and notices a few typographical errors that should not have escaped you. Remember that to gain his/her trust, you must anticipate and pay attention to the smallest details. When you embark on a project, think about your manager's concerns, the questions he/she might ask, and also the obstacles you might face. If you are in charge of organizing an important meeting, for example, have you tested the video projector beforehand? Have you prepared and checked all the documents necessary for the smooth running of this meeting? Have you made arrangements to arrive earlier to set everything up? Even in an emergency, it is by keeping a watchful eye on every detail that you will gain your manager's trust.
6. Refusing to acknowledge your mistakes. Finding an excuse to justify poor performance is neither honest nor professional. Not to mention that there is a good chance that your strategy will not stand the test of time. If you make a mistake, admit it, then go further by finding a solution to not only correct it but also to avoid repeating it in the future. For example, if you have made a mistake in the subject line of an email sent to many recipients, afterwards, always ask one of your colleagues to reread your mass-sent messages before hitting the “Send” button. As an employee, assuming responsibility is proof of professionalism, maturity, and trust.
7. Raising the alarm when it is already too late. Your manager asked you to write a complex report by the end of the week. On Friday afternoon, you realize that you will not be able to finish it on time and you announce the news to him/her: he/she is furious! If only you had told him/her earlier, he/she could have given you the necessary means to complete this project on time. Lesson to learn: as soon as you feel that a problem is growing, let your supervisor know. By being warned sufficiently in advance, he/she can generally provide you with the help to avoid disaster. Anticipating problems is a highly valued quality because it allows your manager to give himself/herself the means to avoid or circumvent them.
8. Spreading rumors. What a manager seeks above all is positive collaborators - an expectation that is even stronger given the current economic climate. Enthusiasm is contagious, and people with this quality can influence the attitude of those around them. Also, you probably don't want to be the one spreading complaints and rumors around the coffee machine…
Noémie Cicurel.
Careerbuilder.fr
Posted online February 13, 2013.
Unfortunately, when your attitude or behavior annoys your supervisor, your supervisor does not necessarily tell you. It is for this reason that we draw your attention to eight behaviors to avoid.
1. Refusing new assignments. Your manager sees you as the ideal person to mentor a new recruit. He/she asks you if you have time to take charge. You are indeed available, but the assignment does not really interest you and you decline the offer. Wrong move! It is indeed unwise for your manager to have the image of a collaborator on whom one cannot count. Moreover, it is always preferable to meet the expectations of your manager, as long as you have the time necessary to perform the additional tasks that he/she entrusts to you. A series of refusals can convince him/her to no longer ask you for this type of assignment, and you could miss out on certain opportunities that might interest you. Finally, this assignment may prove to be much more enriching than you imagine!
2. Asking for too much attention. You constantly need approval or support to remain efficient? You constantly ask your manager if you are on the right track? This constant need for attention could distract your supervisor from his/her important tasks and disrupt his/her work pace. This type of behavior can be infuriating, even for the most patient managers. Try to arrange a meeting with your manager, for example, weekly, to review the progress of the projects he/she has entrusted to you, ask him/her questions (you will take care to prepare them well so that they are relevant and well-focused on your collaboration) and possibly inform him/her of any difficulties encountered or doubts (be careful, your manager should not only be the outlet for your grievances).
3. Communicating inappropriately. You are working on a strategic project and you have just left a voicemail message for your manager to briefly review the progress. He/she gets back to you and, given the importance of the assignment, asks you to give more details by email. To ensure that you are on the same wavelength, try to understand his/her communication preferences and adapt accordingly. Beyond his/her preferred communication method, also consider the quantity of information and the level of conciseness expected by your manager.
4. Asking too many questions. Everyone knows the saying “it goes in one ear and out the other.” So, avoid illustrating this during your exchanges with your supervisor. For example, repeating the same question (“Who should I follow up with again?”) is a surefire way to annoy him/her. To avoid finding yourself in this situation, always listen carefully to what your manager says and, in the context of a new project, try to clarify the difficult points or areas of uncertainty from the start. If you need to follow up, ask specific questions, note his/her answers and comments so that you do not have to bother him/her again.
5. Showing negligence. You rushed to finish a presentation for your manager. He/she reads it and notices a few typographical errors that should not have escaped you. Remember that to gain his/her trust, you must anticipate and pay attention to the smallest details. When you embark on a project, think about your manager's concerns, the questions he/she might ask, and also the obstacles you might face. If you are in charge of organizing an important meeting, for example, have you tested the video projector beforehand? Have you prepared and checked all the documents necessary for the smooth running of this meeting? Have you made arrangements to arrive earlier to set everything up? Even in an emergency, it is by keeping a watchful eye on every detail that you will gain your manager's trust.
6. Refusing to acknowledge your mistakes. Finding an excuse to justify poor performance is neither honest nor professional. Not to mention that there is a good chance that your strategy will not stand the test of time. If you make a mistake, admit it, then go further by finding a solution to not only correct it but also to avoid repeating it in the future. For example, if you have made a mistake in the subject line of an email sent to many recipients, afterwards, always ask one of your colleagues to reread your mass-sent messages before hitting the “Send” button. As an employee, assuming responsibility is proof of professionalism, maturity, and trust.
7. Raising the alarm when it is already too late. Your manager asked you to write a complex report by the end of the week. On Friday afternoon, you realize that you will not be able to finish it on time and you announce the news to him/her: he/she is furious! If only you had told him/her earlier, he/she could have given you the necessary means to complete this project on time. Lesson to learn: as soon as you feel that a problem is growing, let your supervisor know. By being warned sufficiently in advance, he/she can generally provide you with the help to avoid disaster. Anticipating problems is a highly valued quality because it allows your manager to give himself/herself the means to avoid or circumvent them.
8. Spreading rumors. What a manager seeks above all is positive collaborators - an expectation that is even stronger given the current economic climate. Enthusiasm is contagious, and people with this quality can influence the attitude of those around them. Also, you probably don't want to be the one spreading complaints and rumors around the coffee machine…
Noémie Cicurel.
Careerbuilder.fr
Posted online February 13, 2013.
