The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Know your boss, go up the ladder

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Aug 05, 2006

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Know your boss, go up the ladder

Staff Correspondent

Bangalore: Being in the good books of your boss remains the best way to career success. But in today's world of outsourcing, some if not all of your bosses are likely to be half way around the world.

As in even a local organisation with the top management right in the same building or in another city within a phone call away, your boss in the other country has more than one subordinate to manage, says one corporate coach. While you may have one or perhaps, two bosses to report to, he or she has too has many people to monitor.

All good relationships take time and work to develop and this applies to getting along with your boss. Like all of us, bosses come in all types. Some like to be direct and in control of every move of those reporting to them while the others allow freedom and even appreciate individual initiative. You need to find out which category the boss belongs to and act accordingly.

A boss based in the U.S. or some other Western countries may prefer to be called by the first name without any prefix; that is the way they function there and you have to keep that in mind.

A Japanese or Korean boss may expect more formality and some deference being shown when being addressed. The younger senior executives in the U.K. are almost like their North American counterparts but may avoid the kind of personal enquiries Americans make as part of any conversation.

If your boss is based time zones away, it makes sense to invest in a watch that shows corresponding time zones elsewhere in relations to IST. You wouldn't want to disturb him or her too early or too late in the day or during the lunch break. Ideally, your office too may have a clock showing what time it is at the global headquarters.

The next thing to remember is the important dates in your boss's calendar of events, like birthday and wedding anniversary and perhaps birthdays of children.

It pays to know whether he takes time off to play tennis or golf and when. Ask his or her secretary for such details and be informed in advance when the boss will be on vacation and where and who you will be reporting to while the boss is away from office.

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