Knowing how to get along with your boss can help you be happier and more successful in your job. Managers have a big role to play in an employee’s career. A study shows 66% of employees believe their bosses have a huge impact on their career. Successful supervisors ensure employee relations are well managed to ensure success at work. On the other hand, not every employee gets along with the boss. In fact, it is well known many people quit jobs because of bad or difficult bosses. A Gallup study showed only 21% of employees feel they are motivated by their managers. While there are many employment opportunities for direct hires or temporary help, quitting does not always have to be the solution to the problem.

When everything else about the company or your job is right, it may make sense to find ways to get along with your boss – whether he or she is difficult or just approaches things in a way that’s not ideal. Taking the initiative to improve a situation that is not working can often turn things around. Following these expert tips may help you understand how to get along with your boss.

 Be great at what you do:

The first step is to review your own strengths and your performance in an unbiased way. Nothing succeeds like success and even the most critical boss will find it difficult to argue constantly with success at work! Polish your skills and seek feedback from colleagues that you trust.

Maintain a positive attitude:

A positive attitude not only helps improve your personal wellbeing and reduces your stress in the workplace, it affects those around you. This can have a beneficial effect on how others view you and contribute to workplace productivity.  A positive, can-do approach will reflect well on you and enhance your ability to get along with your coworkers and your boss.

Document your achievements:

Often employees and managers have a different view of how well performance standards are met. Documenting wherever possible the work-related achievements and initiatives will go a long way in avoiding unnecessary disagreements or fault finding. Anything that is measurable needs to be diligently documented. This can also convey the message to your boss that you are serious about your work and have the facts and figures to prove it.

Have a discussion:

Good communication is always important. If you sense things aren’t going well with your supervisor, take the initiative to ask for feedback.  Let your boss know that you want to do the best job you can.  This can provide an opportunity to better understand where your boss is coming from and to communicate what would help you excel.   Prepare ahead for this discussion and anticipate the issues that your boss might bring up. Sometimes even the best of bosses fail to recognize how their actions or words are impacting the employee’s morale or performance.  In such instances, simply bringing their attention to the fact that you need more encouragement or support in certain areas will help. Try not to get defensive or argumentative.   Make the conversation about your strengths or concerns and not the boss’s failings.

Talk their language:

Christen Bavero, coach at ThinkHuman, an executive coaching company, says matching the communication style of the manager is critical. To understand how to communicate better with the manager, it is first important to study the way he or she talks. If the boss is all about details, make sure you have the necessary details. Some bosses skip the details and prefer to get to the point. If so, make sure you have quick summaries ready.

Knowing how to get along with your boss will help you succeed!

Remembering that your boss is also human may help when you are dealing with a difficult boss. And it could also be possible that the one being difficult is you! Being patient and avoiding unproductive confrontations can work wonders in the long run.