“Wonder Woman Files” is a weekly career column on Madame Noire. Stay tuned for more topics, comment or write us at editors@madamenoire.com if you have suggestions!
In a perfect world, we’d all have bosses who wanted to nurture us from mini to mega moguls a la Queen Winfrey herself. Our bosses would mentor us and never be too busy to explain themselves. They’d tell us exactly what their expectations were, we’d meet them, even exceed them and then move our way up the ladder.
In our perfect world, it’d be as simple as that. In the real world, it hardly ever is.
Truth is, we’re much more likely to encounter the frazzled, disheveled, all over the place boss who is more crazy-lady-in-the-back-pew than Momma Oprah in the flesh. Lesser employees feel just fine nodding, feigning comprehension and then struggling to guess the task at hand, but a true Madame knows better.
A true Madame understands no matter how unfair, a boss’ lack of clarity can eventually leave you out of work. Being held at fault for unclear instruction is the toughest part of working beneath someone, but learning how to decode your boss is the key to moving your way up.
Instead of trying to figure out what your boss is saying, work on figuring out your boss instead. Studying your boss may take a while but it’s a worthwhile investment. Stop thinking of him or her as the person who tells you what to do and instead, think of your boss as the project that stands between you and the next level of your career.
Take note of your boss’ personality: is your boss outgoing on a larger stage? Or a nervous wreck even on conference calls? Mapping the patterns of where your bosses are most comfortable will let you know how to meet their needs. The boss who can wing a whole presentation might not need you to write up a script for them, the one who starts sweating when the speakerphone comes on will.
Besides habits, it’s also important you know your boss’ level of pressure from others. Even if your boss is CEO, he is still somewhat subject to the will of others as well. Whether it’s board members or a competitor, your boss has someone who keeps the fire under him. Learn the game he’s playing and stay on the lookout. If you can smell the smoke before they feel the flame your boss will become more forthcoming and less of a riddle. By decoding your bosses’ confusing ways, you could move from assistant to asset in no time.
