When I was a little girl, whenever I'd ask my mother about what she'd like to do once my siblings and I had grown up and she could go back to work, she would always respond the same way: "Anything but the boss." Her answer to our question eventually became a repeated dicho within my family. It was especially funny because my mother was always telling people what to do and giving everyone directions on how to organize their lives–and we'd use her expression constantly to explain why she always was actually the boss in our family, even more so than my father!
I share this anectode so you can see that "being the boss" is first a personal conviction, followed by an attitude that you adopt that makes you see yourself and makes others see you as "the boss."
If you think you have the qualifications to take on more responsibility and you act like you're ready to take your career to the net level, then others will start to see that you are also–others will start to see you as "boss" material. I'm telling you this is the way it is! Assuming this attitude works whether you work for a dry cleaning company folding clothes, as a dental assistant, o as marketing manager for a huge corporation. The truth is that most people are looking for others for guidance, to be inspired, and who treats them with respect.
The secret lies in you projecting that image that others are looking for in a boss so that your supervisors notice you and will help you prepare for the next step. Here are the two main areas you need to focus on in order to make your success a reality:
Dress like the boss or like you are already at the position you want. Pay attention to people who have the positions you want. Look at their clothing, their shoes, their hair, accessories, and makeup. How can you adjust yourself to project the appropriate image?
Express yourself as if you already were the boss. Through the way in which they communicate, bosses have the ability to:
- Inspire their employees
- Give clear direction
- Establish a common goal so that everyone is on the same page
What can you do to start communicating and expressing yourself so that your coworkers feel like you can lead them?
Read more ¿Qué más?: 7 Tips to make as much as a man in the workplace
Act as if you were already the boss. Have you noticed how supervisors always assume the responsibility when something goes wrong and give credit where credit is due when things go right? They also volunteer to lead projects that are often outside of the duties that they already have. They're punctual because they know this is a virtue that makes people trust them. And they always find a way to solve problems without drowning in a glass of water, as they say. Which one of those virtues do you already have and which ones can you develop in your current job so you can start thinking of yourself as the boss?
Make sure your significant other supports you. It's hard to maintain a balance between your personal life and your professional life without your significant other's support. How can you convince him or her that their support is essential not only for your own advancement but for your family's improvement and your home's harmony?
I'll expand on each of these key components of getting ahead in a new series about how you can become the boss, whatever level you're at right now. Don't miss the coming weeks' posts that will give you the answers you need so that you find greater satisfaction at work. See you next week!
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