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Getting on with your boss

Clare — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:10:48 +0000

Misunderstandings based on cultural differences can be as important as those based on language problems. If you've ever worked in a different country, or had colleagues (or managers) from a different culture, you've probably faced situations where actions or decisions have been hard to understand, because they're based on different cultural factors.

Although management styles vary, here are some general tips for commnunicating successfully with an English-speaking boss.

Maintain a professional distance
People from the UK generally have a sharp sense of hierarchy. This means that a UK boss will probably want to maintain a professional distance with employees. If you're a lot further down the company ladder, expect to have much less face-to-face contact than someone closer to the boss in terms of hierarchy.

Keeping a professional distance also extends to social occasions, so your boss may not frequently socialise with company employees. However, invite your boss to department lunches and other company events, which will give everyone a chance to meet and chat.

Avoid situations where the professional or personal becomes blurred. For example, your boss may feel uncomfortable about friending you on Facebook, especially as it may make you feel uncomfortable about what you post or write.

Stay out of office politics. Don't get involved in gossip, and don't speculate about the boss. What you say could well get back!

"Playing fair" is considered an important personal characteristic, which means that your boss won't want to take sides or be accused of favouritism. Don't involve your boss in petty disputes with other employees, unless harrassment or bullying is involved. But once personal differences or arguments start affecting your work, you can expect your boss to take action. Few bosses will allow personal problems to disrupt the efficiency and smooth running of a department.

Tune in to your boss
Learn how your boss likes to communicate, and use the same method yourself. Does your boss appreciate daily or weekly updates, or only if there's a particular detail or problem requiring attention? Is your boss a "numbers person" or "big idea" type person? Knowing how your boss likes to receive information will help you tailor the way you present this information, meaning you can build a better relationship.

To learn your boss's preferred communication style, either ask straight out, as in "How often would you like updates?" or "What sort of details do you need to have?" or observe how your boss communicates with others. When your boss starts a sentence with "I need to have…" or "Can you get me…" you know what the priorities are.

Keep your boss informed
Make sure your boss has any necessary information before making a presentation, going in to a meeting, and so on. If you've been working with clients, suppliers or other partners, give a new boss the background to these relationships. Don't assume he / she already has this information.

You could ask "Would you like a background briefing on…" or "Do you need to be filled in on our background with…" Keep your briefings factual and give a clear account of relationships and how they're structured.

Also make sure your boss knows what you're doing. Copy your boss when you email colleagues on important matters. This is especially important if you need to congratulate your team on a success (and also means your boss knows about your successes) and if you think there might be trouble with someone not pulling their weight on a team project.

Ask your boss to prioritise
If you've got too much on your plate, ask your boss to prioritise the most important tasks. For many UK bosses, the trigger word is "efficiency". Say something like "I want to get my work done as efficiently as possible, but I'm finding it hard to do this when I have so many ongoing projects. Can you help me prioritise the most important?"

Give cultural advice
If your boss is new to the company – or to your culture – help him or her avoid making cultural mistakes by giving unobtrusive advice. For example, if you've all been invited to a wedding, say to your boss that although attendance isn't obligatory, in your culture you still need to give money, send a present – whatever tradition dictates.

The first sentence in an email

Clare — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 17:56:03 +0000

If you find it difficult to know what to write at the beginning of an email, it could be because you want to say too many things. An objective sentence (the first sentence in your email which tells your reader the reason you're writing) should only have one theme.

For example, your reason for writing may be to ask for help, or to share some information, or to ask a question. Your first sentence for these different situations could be:

"Have you got a few minutes to help me with…?"
"Just wanted to let you know…"
"Regarding X, can you tell me if…?"

If you have more than one reason for writing, give each reason its own paragraph. It doesn't matter if your paragraph is only one line long. In fact, the extra space helps your reader to understand you have more than one reason for writing, and that each reason is different from the other.

Hi Jo

Just wanted to let you know we got the project! They're signing tomorrow, so we should be starting the planning next week.

Regarding your presentation to them last year, do you still have the powerpoint files?

Thanks

Avoiding mistakes when you write

Clare — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 10:18:01 +0000

The smallest words often cause the greatest confusion. Knowing what preposition to use can be difficult even if you have an advanced level of English. If you can replace prepositional phrases with a single preposition, you can avoid confusing your reader, and avoid making a mistake. Here are some common prepositional phrases and their single word replacements.

in the near future = soon
with effect from = from
as of the date of = from
for the duration of = during
by means of = by
in order to = to
so as to = so
in regards to = regarding

When you forget someone's name

Clare — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 11:31:43 +0000

It happens to all of us occasionally. Someone comes up to us saying "Hi!" and "How are you?" with that look on their face that implies we've met before. The problem is, you don't remember the person.

I was reminded of this potentially embarrassing faux pas in a blog post: Six tips for coping with the fact that you've forgotten someone's name.

Of the six ploys mentioned, I particularly like the first and the fifth:

1. The “I know your name, but I’m blocked” dodge:
“I keep wanting to call you "David," but I know that’s not right.”

(The person then corrects you and gives his / her name, to which you can reply "Ah, that's right!" or "Yes, of course!"

5. The “Sure, I remember you” dodge:
“Remind me – what’s your last name?” If you ask a person for his last name, he’s likely to repeat both names. “Doe, John Doe.”

See here for more phrases you can use when you don't remember a person's name.

How would you apply for a new job?

Clare — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 15:05:21 +0000

Job application procedures vary from country to country, and from sector to sector. What would be the most effective way to apply for a job in your industry and country? Is a CV and covering letter the best way, or would you rely more on your network of contacts, and people you know to get a new job?