Forget what they said in middle school—being teacher’s pet rules. You’re
more likely to perform better, be more productive, and follow workplace
norms when your boss treats you slightly better than your coworkers, according to a new study in the Journal of Business Ethics.
“The conventional idea is that it is important for leaders to treat everybody equally so that they don’t appear to be biased,” says study author Karl Aquino, Ph.D., a professor at the University of British Columbia’s Sauder School of Business at the University of British Columbia. “The psychological finding is that people care a lot about how they are treated relative to others because they are constantly making social comparisons.”
Want to land on your boss’s good side without having to brown-nose? Try these five tips.
Get in the Right Mindset
Don’t think of it as “sucking up”—think of it as “managing up,” says Lynn Taylor, author of Tame Your Terrible Office Tyrant. At the end of the day, you need to be a good employee, not a yes-man. It’s okay to challenge your boss’ decisions—you want these 45-page reports finished by end of day?—but don’t be obnoxious about it. Simply suggest an alternative deadline and try to deliver early.
Shut Up and Listen
Don’t just hear what the big cheese is saying—really listen to him, so you’ll be able to provide meaningful solutions to his problems. The better you do this, the more trust you’ll gain, and the better confidante you’ll become, Taylor says. If you act disingenuously just to impress or appease, you may have to backpedal later.
Share the Credit
If your last project was a hit, it may be tempting to take all the credit for it—but don’t forget to give your boss props, too, says Dan Schawbel, author of Promote Yourself: The New Art of Getting Ahead. At the end of the day, he’s the one who decides who gets the promotions, and he’ll remember the guy who made him feel like part of a successful project—even if all he did was bark orders and drink Starbucks.
Make Him Look Good
Just like everyone else, the goal of your boss is to make his boss happy, and your job as newly-appointed #2 is to make that happen. Find out what your boss’s goals are and how you can help meet them, says Lindsey Pollak, a career and workplace consultant. The more your support him, the more he’ll want to support you. If you find yourself with nothing to do, shoot him an email to see if you can take anything off his plate.
Don’t Try to Be His Best Friend
It’s a good idea to keep some distance in the relationship, says Taylor. Skip inviting the big guy over for dinner with the family, and keep any gifts appropriate for the industry and office culture. Develop a friendly relationship based on mutual respect for each other and your work and you won’t have to deal with the hate-filled stares of your coworkers.
“The conventional idea is that it is important for leaders to treat everybody equally so that they don’t appear to be biased,” says study author Karl Aquino, Ph.D., a professor at the University of British Columbia’s Sauder School of Business at the University of British Columbia. “The psychological finding is that people care a lot about how they are treated relative to others because they are constantly making social comparisons.”
Want to land on your boss’s good side without having to brown-nose? Try these five tips.
Get in the Right Mindset
Don’t think of it as “sucking up”—think of it as “managing up,” says Lynn Taylor, author of Tame Your Terrible Office Tyrant. At the end of the day, you need to be a good employee, not a yes-man. It’s okay to challenge your boss’ decisions—you want these 45-page reports finished by end of day?—but don’t be obnoxious about it. Simply suggest an alternative deadline and try to deliver early.
Shut Up and Listen
Don’t just hear what the big cheese is saying—really listen to him, so you’ll be able to provide meaningful solutions to his problems. The better you do this, the more trust you’ll gain, and the better confidante you’ll become, Taylor says. If you act disingenuously just to impress or appease, you may have to backpedal later.
Share the Credit
If your last project was a hit, it may be tempting to take all the credit for it—but don’t forget to give your boss props, too, says Dan Schawbel, author of Promote Yourself: The New Art of Getting Ahead. At the end of the day, he’s the one who decides who gets the promotions, and he’ll remember the guy who made him feel like part of a successful project—even if all he did was bark orders and drink Starbucks.
Make Him Look Good
Just like everyone else, the goal of your boss is to make his boss happy, and your job as newly-appointed #2 is to make that happen. Find out what your boss’s goals are and how you can help meet them, says Lindsey Pollak, a career and workplace consultant. The more your support him, the more he’ll want to support you. If you find yourself with nothing to do, shoot him an email to see if you can take anything off his plate.
Don’t Try to Be His Best Friend
It’s a good idea to keep some distance in the relationship, says Taylor. Skip inviting the big guy over for dinner with the family, and keep any gifts appropriate for the industry and office culture. Develop a friendly relationship based on mutual respect for each other and your work and you won’t have to deal with the hate-filled stares of your coworkers.
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