What To Do If Your Boss Doesnt Like You

What To Do If Your Boss Doesnt Like You Even though managers should try to remain objective at work, its no secret that your anfhrer has a fave at the officeand its not you. Since you have your mind and heart set on moving up in your career, what are your options? Should you focus on winning over your supervisor, or find other ways of reaching your career goals? We spoke with Kathy Kram, Ph.D., hochschulprofessor emerita at the Questrom School of Business at Boston University and co-author of Strategic Relationships at Work Creating Your Circle of Mentors, Sponsors, and Peers for Success in Business and Life for advice.Decide whether its possible to get your boss to like your mora.Despite not being the favorite, if you still get along with your boss, you can attempt ways to improve your relationship. Try to listen and ask questions of your boss to find what he expects of you, and find if he is willing or able to meet those expectations. It would certainly be worthwhile to have a conv ersation, Dr. Kram says. She suggests asking your boss questions like What would it take for you to see me as a high performer?If your boss just doesnt seem that into you, find other people who can support you.You may feel that your manager doesnt listen well or value what you have to offer the organizationboth signs that she wouldnt be of much to help to your career, according to Dr. Kram. But its not the end of the world, because there are so many more people out there who can help. If you feel your boss is not enthusiastic about you, its important to consider who else in your workplace might be supportive, Dr. Kram says.Her suggestion Develop relationships with more people, whether a more experienced peer, a more senior person in another part of the workplace or even people outside your workplace. Cultivate relationships with other people who might value what you have to offer, and perhaps even seek out opportunities to work for one or more of those other people, Dr. Kram says. T he key is to not rely on just one person (in this case, your boss) for supportand this applies even if your boss adores you.As Dr. Kram discusses in her book, its ideal to have a wide circle of ratgebers, both formal (as assigned by a company, for example) or informal (such as a berater from a different organization that you reached out to independently), since mentor relationships can fade over time for a number of reasons.Work to grow your circle of support.Once youve identified some people youd be interested in receiving support frommentors, sponsors, colleagues, peers outside the officemeet with them to learn about what they do and how they got to where they are, in case youre interested in a similar career path, suggests Dr. Kram. Then let the person know what your own career goals are and what you have to offerpart of developing a rapport. Also, ask the person for her opinion on a project youre working on, which could invite the beginning of a mentor relationship, Dr. Kram say s. And remember, your boss isnt responsible for your careeryou are.--Fairygodboss is committed to improving the workplace and lives of women.Join us by reviewing your employer