Starting your career

Dear Daughter,

You asked me the other day about how do you work with a manager, and how do you build a good relationship with a boss? It reminded me why I’m working on this blog for you, and it also reminded me how I felt when I started working. It is not easy to transition from college into the professional world.

I’m proud of you for asking me the question, since the first step in creating a good relationship with your manager starts with being mindful of the relationship and willing to make an effort. So many people don’t even think about the importance of the relationship and that they own a big part in creating it.

So if you ask me I would say

Come prepared to you weekly check-in meetings
Most managers meet with their direct reports once a week, or at least they should. The purpose of these meetings is for the manager to find out how their team member is doing, do they need support, do they have too much or too little work etc. Elsa, you need to come prepare for these meetings so that you are not wasting yours or your boss’ time. It’s not just your manager’s job to make sure these meetings are productive, but also your responsibility. Come ready to give an update on your projects and initiatives, be ready to ask questions, and give an update on how you are tracking on your yearly goals.
Own your career
You, and only you, is responsible for your career. It’s not your manager’s job to map out your entire career, it’s their job to coach you in your current job. So take the time and figure out where do you want to go next, in 2 years, 5 years and what do you want to be when you grow up. Tell your manager about your plan so that he/she/they can partner with you to map out the plan to get promoted, and what areas you need to develop your skills further.
Crush your goals
Whatever your yearly goals are (the ones you established with your manager), make sure you complete them plus a couple of more. This will show your manager that you are dedicated to your job, role and career. This will take focus and weekly tracking ongoing. You know how the saying goes - fail to plan, plan to fail.
Take initiative and manage up
Did you finish your project early? Ask for another one. Do you see something that needs improvement? Suggest a solution and volunteer to own implementing that solution. It’s worth a lot to a manager to have a team member that they don’t need to babysit and watch ongoing, so this is an easy way to build a good relationship with your manager. With “manage up” I mean always communicate up to your manager as much as you communicate with peers or your team. I have a rule to always communicate updates to my manager before he/she/they ask me about it. I’m always stay a step ahead, with the goal to make my manager’s job easier.
Ask for feedback
You know that I see my entire life as an retrospective where I apply my learnings to my life ongoing. In order to grow we need feedback on our performance. Feedback is a gift, which my coworkers know is one of my sayings. Even if it is feedback you don’t want or like, you need to be open to it and appreciate it. That is the kind of feedback that will help you grow and improve.