Your manager at work plays a huge role in your career progression. It is important to have a good relationship with your manager so that they can manage you efficiently.
Different managers have different leadership styles, so having an open line of communication with yours will help you to have a positive relationship in the workplace.
So how do you build a positive relationship with your manager?
Here’s how to have a conversation with your manager about the way you like to be managed.
Identify if your working styles are different
Different personalities will often account for different management and working styles. To help avoid any clashes with your manager, communicate openly about your ideal working environment and management style. Discuss any differences you may have and try to offer solutions to them.
Understand your work preferences
This may be that you need a quiet working environment with limited distractions. Communicating that you may use headphones to block out the office noise is better than your manager assuming you are being anti-social.
If you are unsure of your work preferences, try talking a personality-based career assessment to offer you some insight. Go through your results with your manager and work out a mutually beneficial strategy to adapt your needs in the work place.
Request the chance to talk
Once you better understand your needs, you can think about how to approach a conversation with your manager. Always be sure to raise issues before they become a burden in the workplace. Make sure your feedback is constructive to avoid sounding negative.
You may tell your manager that you’ve identified that you have different ways of working or communicating and think it would be a great idea to get together and talk about how you both work best.
Keep the conversation positive
When it comes to feedback, keep it constructive and not personal. You don’t want to appear as if you are criticising your manager. Instead focus on yourself and the ideas you have that will make you more effective in the workplace.
Make sure to follow up
After your conversation with your manager, it’s important to put any changes in place, this gives you a chance to say if the changes are making a difference.