Make Your Boss’ Priorities Your Own

If you haven’t already had a conversation with your boss about your work priorities, do so. But don’t stop there; often it’s the unspoken priorities that are the most critical.

Find out what’s important to your boss by watching how she spends her time. Does she sit on a lot of interdepartmental task forces? Does she spend most of her day on customer calls? Or is she a multimedia whiz who always has the slickest presentation at the management staff meeting? These clues will help you determine how she operates–and how you should, too.

On a larger scale, figure out what your boss’ long-term career goals are and help her achieve them. One of the surest ways to increase your value in your boss’ eyes is to make her look good to her supervisor. How? Determine what she needs to take the next step forward in her career, and she’ll most likely see to it that you take the next step in yours.