Repair Your Relationship With Your Boss By Asking For Their Advice

Repair Your Relationship With Your Boss By Asking For Their Advice

If things have been a little rocky between you and your boss lately, there’s one thing that’s sure to help you begin smoothing things out: Ask them for their guidance.

Image via NBC.

Whatever happened between the two of you, seeking your boss’s counsel is a good starting point for getting both you on each other’s side. As Jean-François Manzoni, professor of management practice at INSEAD, explains to Harvard Business Review, asking for someone’s advice shows that you respect their judgement and intellect. It makes them invest in you and gives them the notion that you’re willing to fall in behind them. All in all, it’s a good way to improve their opinion of you, says Manzoni.

But Harvard Business School professor Linda Hill, and coauthor of Being the Boss: The 3 Imperatives for Becoming a Great Leader, suggests there’s a proper way to go about it. You don’t want them to think you’re putting your problems or work on them. So use phrases like “I’m asking for your guidance,” and “I need some help thinking things through,” so they know you’re still willing to do the actual work yourself. And, most importantly, once you ask for their advice, make sure you follow through on it. If you don’t, your plan to repair your relationship can backfire. You can find more tips for getting along with your boss better at the link below.

What to Do When You and Your Boss Aren’t Getting Along [Harvard Business Review]


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