By Ritika Trikha,
Right now, every job opening gets about seven eligible applicants*, which means you can't afford to do anything but your best work. If that means asking for more direction from your boss, don't be shy, or you might just shy away from having a job.
Whether you
have an absentee, extremely busy or downright horrible boss, there are a
few tactful ways to get more guidance from your hands-off manager.
First,
be realistic. Chances are your boss doesn't have time to make you his
protégé, offering step-by-step guidance on your tasks. Find a balance
that works for both you and your boss. For every inch that your boss
gives you, stretch your own skills as a self-starter to be as efficient
as possible. Consider these seven tips to adapt to a laissez-faire
manager and become a go-getter:
1. Be mindful of her time.
You can extract more information from your boss if you pay attention to
her schedule. Is there a particular time in the day when she is less
busy, maybe just after lunch or as the day is winding down? If you
discuss your project with your boss willy-nilly, you may be
interrupting.
2. Craft good questions. After you've delved
into the project, write up a list of questions and then rewrite them in
as few words as possible. This way, you'll ask questions that tackle the
core of the project as concisely as possible.
You should not ask
for direction without first trying to understand the task at hand.
You'll go much further if you can discuss the project with the
higher-ups by asking questions like, "Here's my understanding of the
project; is this what you're looking for?" versus, "What should I do?"
or, "How should I start?"
3. Practice self-starting. Being a
self-starter is a coveted attribute, especially for those looking to
attain leadership roles. It means that you're capable of identifying
tasks to be completed and seeing them through to produce positive
results with minimum cost of management time.
4. Don't butt heads.
While becoming a self-starter means running with your ideas to complete
a task, make sure that your ideas don't conflict with your boss's
ideas. If he has a different method in mind, abide by his suggestion, to
show that you're a team player. Most of all, aim to stay on the same
page.
5. Set personal deadlines. Once you have a handle on
the project, push yourself by creating short deadlines -- especially if
you work best under pressure. Allowing ample time may leave too much
room for procrastination.
6. Don't fear failure. If you
find yourself way off base during a project, figure out what went wrong
and do your best to apply the lesson to projects in the future.
7. Schedule performance reviews.
After you've completed a few projects, schedule a meeting with your
boss to ask for feedback on how you've been doing. This is the only way
to know where you stand. Remember: In the office, no news is not good
news, so prepare for your performance review.