Understanding the motivations and preferences of your new boss is critical to have a fruitful working relationship.

Here are six strategies to help you make a lasting impression and build a solid foundation for collaboration:

1. Start on the right foot

Focus on a few critical topics for your first meeting. Thoughtfully chosen, these issues will pave the way for a successful partnership with your new boss. Engage in active listening, ask questions, and respond authentically to demonstrate your genuine interest.

2. Tune into their style

Observe and adapt to your new boss’s preferred working style. Do they favour brief or extended discussions, multiple options, or a single ideal solution, hard or soft skills? Discovering their preferences will help you communicate more effectively.

3. Align with their priorities

Recognise that you are not the only one seeking support from your new boss. Use your initial meeting to demonstrate how your collaboration can benefit their broader objectives.

4. Foster teamwork

Bring up issues that matter to you, your boss, and the entire team, and explore opportunities for change and enhancement. As a newcomer, you bring a fresh perspective that can help identify areas for improvement.

5. Embrace honesty

Brave leaders appreciate the challenges of speaking truth to power and rely on it to build high-performing teams. Share stories illustrating how the team has navigated specific situations, and tactfully provide valuable insights to move your new boss’s agenda forward.

6. Cater to their preferences

If your new boss’s style is to delegate, propose a recurring meeting to review tasks and responsibilities. If they dislike interruptions, prepare a concise summary of your findings with a list of open questions for them to study at their leisure. This approach will showcase your productivity and independence while respecting their preferences.

If you want to increase your collaboration with your boss and learn some more valuable tips, then book a 15-minute chat. Here’s the link.

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