Your manager is the key to your development in your role as an assistant and within your company. Taking care of your relationship with the person who regularly evaluates you is therefore essential. By positioning yourself intelligently, you will contribute to the good balance of your professional relationship and gain maturity in your work. Whether it's the right attitude to adopt or the way to communicate, you can act concretely and easily. Elisabeth Duverney-Prêt, specialist in assistant and secretarial professions, presents the tips that will help you.
The 14th edition of the Malakoff Humanis barometer is clear: the number of employees declaring themselves in good mental health continues to decline. A drop in morale attributed mainly to the intensity of working hours, but also to the deterioration of social relations in companies. However, this observation is far from being inevitable. Thriving at work is entirely possible by following a few essential tips. Fully occupy your functions, do your job to the end, feel pride in what you accomplish…. A series of easy-to-implement good practices will push you to make a change in positioning and modify your relationship at work for greater serenity and efficiency. At the beginning, you will of course have to practice. For example, by taking the time to congratulate yourself. But little by little this new posture will become natural.
Training: executive assistant, forming a successful pair with your manager
What do we expect from you? That you are excellent in your two areas of expertise: relational and technical. May organization, communication, the spirit of analysis and synthesis no longer hold any secrets for you. This very concrete training allows you to gain assertiveness and efficiency.
Clear communication
By deciding to devote yourself fully and energetically to your work, you will improve your performance, as will your team and your manager. This is an important step that will change the way he views you. And even more so if you rely on clear and honest communication with him.
Setting things straight is indeed essential: you expect your manager to listen, so you must do the same. This will allow you to establish a mode of operation that will suit both. By focusing on honesty and the precise expression of your thoughts, you will be able to tell him everything, in a formal manner. Are you bored at work? Tell him clearly but suggest solutions to improve the situation. Would you like a raise? Present your request as evidence, with supporting evidence of productivity.
Read also: Communicating better to prevent burn-out
However, don't forget that your manager remains your superior: you will therefore sometimes have to accept criticism, and above all express your ability to learn from it to improve. It's not always easy, but your manager will feel particularly useful to your progress.
Also note that if you need to express yourself about difficulties that you encounter in your professional relationship with him, do not wait for the situation to escalate: it is essential to learn to address the problems early enough.
Training: assistant: developing positive relationships at work
Learn to manage delicate situations and difficult personalities, defuse conflicts and get around blockages in order to develop assertive communication conducive to quality exchanges.
How would you define your manager?
These are the foundations of good professional positioning. But your attitude towards your manager will depend a lot on his character and his way of working. He may be manic, indecisive, careerist or even creative.
Adapt to your manager's profile
To identify it, simple techniques exist. This will direct you towards different ways of working with him: by reassuring him, helping him sort out his ideas or working more independently... If he shows concern, for example, you are undoubtedly dealing with a boss maniacal. We will therefore have to learn to systematically provide him with elements of validation and control, in order to reassure him in his decisions. You will also have to appear particularly serious and reliable, a manic boss with a real phobia of unproductive employees. He will be intrusive on your way of working, be sure of it, so try, as much as possible, to always be one step ahead of him.
“Profiling” your boss represents a wealth of information that will allow you to feel fully effective in your duties.
Please also note that, in general, human beings react in a fairly comparable way in certain situations, and your manager is no exception. You can therefore prepare yourself, in advance, to adopt an appropriate attitude.
A few examples
If your manager is wrong, don't contradict him in public. Find the right time during the day. Avoid doing this after an important meeting or appointment. Instead, choose early afternoon, after the lunch break. Speak to him humbly by providing evidence. Don't expect him, of course, to admit his wrongdoing. Just let him think about the situation and slip away. On second thought, if he needs you to change his plans, he will let you know.
Likewise, if he gives you too much work, or if you don't understand the merits of a task he has given you, simple tips can help you respond and communicate with him easily. Every employee has the right to tell their employer that they are experiencing work overload. If he demands that you deliver work in far too short a time, just say no. Knowing how to find the right words to express your refusal is not an easy exercise, but, like many things in life, knowing how to say no can be learned.
The keys to a successful partner
Finally, as you know, you must act as a good relay, both internally and externally. From positive communication, to the shaping of ideas, including the representation of the company at the first contact with a client... your role as a “communicator” is vast. By positively relaying the instructions given to the teams by your manager, you will contribute to the peaceful climate of your company. You are the reflection of his leadership and will often need to use diplomacy to get key messages across. At the same time, your role will also be to serve as a barometer by reporting the concerns and the state of mind of your colleagues – while putting some effort into it!
And it is the way in which you communicate that largely influences your relationship with your manager. Especially since you are a filter between the mass of information you receive and your N+1. By learning to communicate to him only what he needs to know, you will make his task easier, and he will appreciate it.
Training: organize and plan the activities of a director or department
Optimize the planning of your activities, facilitate communication with internal and external contacts, provide summary and relevant information... This training will give you the keys to effectively supporting your director.
ORSYS training courses can help you on the path to personal development and efficiency in your work. Having the keys to forming a successful pair with your manager and organizing your management's activities as best as possible is a major asset of your work. By observing the impact of this positioning in the eyes of your colleagues, you will continue on the path of proactivity. So, when are you launching?
