This is CEO Nigel.

He’s 5’7 with shoes on, drives a BMW, and maintains an excellent relationship with his secretary. 

His golf handicap is 20, which he swears was under 10 before he did his back, and his blood pressure is 150/90. 

He’s a knob, the worst kind. A knob with power and influence. 

Your Nigel may not be CEO, he could be a manager, a team leader, it doesn’t matter. What does matter is being on his good side. 

Why? 

Because he’s only one bad putt away from making your life miserable. 

And so begs the question. 

How on earth do you get your Nigel to like you?  

Why Bother?

Good question. Why bother going to the effort of getting on Nigel's good side? Can you not just get another job with a better boss? 

Sure you can. 

A question for you. 

How long did it take you to land your current job? 

We’d bet it wasn’t quick. All those nights updating your resume, applying for jobs, and interviewing.  

So what makes more sense? 

Stay at the job that you (presumably) don’t completely hate and win over your boss, or, go through the entire job-hunting process again, starting from square one with no guarantee your next Nigel will be any better. 

We know what we’d pick. 

Mates?

Not all bosses’ are as supportive and sympathetic as we may expect, which can easily be mistaken for disliking. 

The reality is that Nigel isn’t your friend, wanker or not. 

And that’s ok. 

That doesn’t mean he doesn’t like you. And even if he didn’t, should that be your goal anyway? 

Don’t strive to be liked by your boss, strive to be respected. 

Expectations Matter

Whether you’re starting a new job or wanting to improve in an existing one, you need to understand Nigel’s expectations to not only meet but exceed them. 

Expectations are direction. 

Without them, you’re lost when it comes to earning Nigel's respect. 

How do I learn what his expectations are? 

Ask him.  

Organize a 1-on-1, go for a coffee, or whatever best suits, then ask.

Make His Life Easier

With blood pressure like his, Nigel doesn’t need any more problems, and while a stroke may be ideal, a dead Nigel can’t pay the bills. 

So make his life easier. Don’t just solve his problems, solve yours first. 

A massive mistake grads make is jumping to the aid of others too quickly. Everyone in the office is busier and more stressed than you, Especially Nigel. An affair doesn’t hide itself. 

It pays to at least try solving your issues before lumping them onto someone else. 

Doing so will keep Nigel happy and make you look more proactive.

Go Above and Beyond

This one‘s fairly obvious, and it’s not hard to do.

Just think about how you can take each project or task one small step further than what’s expected.

Is it additional information? Another task? A new perspective? Perhaps you buy his secretary flowers and say they’re from him.

Whatever it is, it will get you noticed.

This is why clarifying expectations is so important. If you don’t, it's easy to go the extra mile but in the wrong direction, which just wastes time.

Luckily you’re a grad with fuck all to do so you’ve got plenty of time to waste.

Work to understand Nigel’s goals before you use all that extra elbow grease. What’s he working toward? What’s his team building? What does their end result look like?

Framing your work through this lens will undoubtedly equate to more brownie points.

The Self-Promotion Hurdle

When we promote or lift others up it has a profound impact on how they feel about us.

If someone gave your work praise, especially in a group setting, how would it make you feel

Pretty good, right? 

It’s not a bad idea to try to do the same with Nigel.  

However, this could without question backfire and leave you looking like an insufferable suck-up. 

So be authentic. 

If the project you’re praising just isn’t that good, but you rave about it anyway, then you’ll look like right dickhead. 

Keep it subtle. A kudos in the Slack channel or a quick, sincere thankyou at the end of a meeting is more than enough.

That’s about it, cya.