Yahoo’s Hot Jobs list 10 habits that bosses love about their employees:
1. Communicate, communicate, communicate.
2. Acknowledge what the boss says.
3. Collaborate.
4. Build relationships.
5. Understand how you fit in.
6. Learn the boss’s pet peeves.
7. Anticipate the boss’s needs.
8. Think one level up.
9. Open yourself to new ways of doing things.
10. Be engaged in your work.
I thought this list was a little funny, because it sounds like a list for the perfect suck-up employee. Sure, if you want to learn how to bow to your boss’s every need and desire, follow that list. The fact is that most bosses want you to think for yourselves, be self-motivated, and be a team player. I guess that’s what they mean by “collaborate”. I’m not saying that you should defy the wishes of your boss. What I am saying is that if you adhere to these ten habits that bosses supposedly love, you’ll be the guy or girl that everyone else hates at work. It’ll look like you’re just trying to get ahead for your own personal gain. Get ahead the real way by bringing an intense value to the company with your creative ideas, work ethic, and leadership skills.
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Only 3 of these–numbers 2, 6, and 7–are specifically boss-related, and even those are things to which you ought to pay at least some attention in any relationship, working or otherwise. In fact, to a great extent #2 is part of #1.
There’s a difference between anticipating the boss’s need for someone to solve a problem at work, and anticipating the boss’s need for someone to get him a glass of water. Focus on the former and you’re not a suck-up that people will hate; you’re good at your job.
So I don’t see why your suggestions run counter to this list, or why you think this list is designed to create suck-up employees.