You strive to make a positive impression on your boss. That is a great attitude to have but it is not enough. Your personal and work habits may or may not please your boss. Do you know what habits does your boss hate and love? I have just read two great articles by Ross Bonander at AskMen and I would like to share them with you via powerpoint presentation, under my Managing Your Boss Series. Hope you like it. Wong Yew Yip attribution http://www.citehr.com/442066-habits-bosses-hate-habits-bosses-love.html#ixzz2V9g9fRGT

1. Prepared by : Wong Yew Yip (December 2012)
Prepared by : Wong Yew Yip
Habits Bosses . . .
Hate Love
Source : Ross Bonander, askmen.com

2. Prepared by : Wong Yew Yip (December 2012)
As an employee, you bring along your
personal habits or have acquired habits that
may or may not please your boss
Habits that bosses hate are avoidable habits
that bore a shared consequence: they devour
your boss’ time and energy
Habits that bosses love to see in their
employees also share a single, larger
consequence: they save your boss time and
energy
As a result, both you and your boss come out
looking better and more competent
Remember : Good habits generally require an
effort to develop, whereas bad habits
germinate in their absence
Habits Bosses ...
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3. Prepared by : Wong Yew Yip (December 2012)
You don’t show initiative1
3
 No boss wants the burden of having
to chronically tell you what to do
 It’s time-consuming, exhausting and
he’ll lose confidence in your abilities
 Don’t wait to be told what to do,
particularly during downtime
 When you give the impression that
you’re not motivated, you send a
clear message of disinterest to your
boss
Habits Bosses Hate

4. Prepared by : Wong Yew Yip (December 2012)
You show too much initiative2
4
 On the other hand, you should also be
concerned with showing too much initiative
 It doesn’t matter if it stems from excessive
ambition, motivation, energy, or even a
basic desire to please, it’s one of many
habits bosses hate
 Be careful not to overdo tasks and
assignments; it’s generally unnecessary
 Instead of giving the impression that you’re
hard-working and creative, it has the
potential for seeming inefficient
 When you go above and beyond the call of
duty, there’s a chance that you’ll step on
some toes
Habits Bosses Hate

5. Prepared by : Wong Yew Yip (December 2012)
You make excuses3
5
 One of the most annoying habits bosses hate
 If you give your boss an excuse, it means that
you have overlooked some responsibility and
are now offering a defense for that oversight
 Whether or not that statement is true, what your
boss hears is: “It’s not my fault”
 Address your mistake by acknowledging it and
by taking steps to correct it - it’s the only thing
your boss cares about and it’s the only thing
you should expect him to care about
 Resist the urge to embellish on an excuse or to
flat out fabricate one - you will have created
another issue for which to be accountable
Habits Bosses Hate

6. Prepared by : Wong Yew Yip (December 2012)
You complain4
6
 Moaning, b*tching and whining are all
reasonable synonyms for complaining
 No one, especially your boss, has any
interest in hearing them; it’s just one of
those habits bosses hate
 Before you open your mouth, know the
difference between a complaint and a
critique. Complaints are personal and
anyone can complain. Critiques require an
effort because they tend to be constructive,
meaning they aim to correct something
 If the comment about to leave your mouth
does not feature a proposed solution, save it
for happy hour, your girlfriend or your blog
Habits Bosses Hate

7. Prepared by : Wong Yew Yip (December 2012)
You ask too many questions5
7
 Asking questions to clarify is encouraged but
asking too many questions, especially too many
stupid questions, is among the habits bosses
hate and can quickly become aggravating
 They are a fundamental waste of the boss’ time,
an emblem of inefficiency, reflect very poorly on
you, your intelligence and on the perceptions
others will develop about you
 A boss will think twice before assigning you an
important job, remembering how the last time
you practically needed someone to hold your
hand all the way through
 The bottom line is that bosses value employees
who are resourceful enough to figure some
things out on their own
Habits Bosses Hate

8. Prepared by : Wong Yew Yip (December 2012)
You show accountability1
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Your boss has more to do than ensure that your
work gets done accurately and on time; he has
his own work to do and he has a boss who
holds him accountable to that work as well as
the work you do
When you deliver on, or before, deadlines and
produce results, you contribute to the smooth,
efficient workings of the office without drawing
negative attention to yourself
Accountability also means that you be a man at
work and take responsibility for your failures as
much as you would for your successes
Accountable people don’t offer excuses -
period. Rather, they do what needs to be done -
and that’s why accountability is one of the
habits bosses love
Habits Bosses Love

9. Prepared by : Wong Yew Yip (December 2012)
You’re prepared2
9
Luck or success is the outcome of
preparation meeting opportunity - so be
prepared always
Habits bosses love come in many shapes
and forms, but when he doesn’t have to
hold your hand and explain new concepts
or strategies to you, because you stay
abreast of your position and industry, he’ll
make you his star employee
Bosses appreciate employees who are
prepared for a variety of reasons: it shows
dedication, self-motivation and confidence -
three factors that happen to play a huge
role in getting you promoted
Habits Bosses Love

10. Prepared by : Wong Yew Yip (December 2012)
You work smart3
10
 There are only so many hours in the workday, and
your boss shouldn’t expect anything more out of
you than to make the most of those hours
 Efficiency is one of the most important habits
bosses love - you would benefit greatly if you learn
to maximize your time with good time
management, where you will learn to comprehend
the working difference between efficiency and
effectiveness
 Working late does not necessarily give your boss
the impression that you’re working hard - in fact,
the more common perception is that you’re
working with some degree of inefficiency
 If you need more time to get work done, you’ll
make a better impression if you come to work early
Habits Bosses Love

11. Prepared by : Wong Yew Yip (December 2012)
You stay current4
11
 Staying current - in news, technologies and skill
sets - is always beneficial, but it is all the more
urgent in today’s fast-paced business climate
 Sign up for email alerts and newsletters pertinent
to your industry and keep an eye out for classes
you can take to keep your skill set current
 Staying current is one of the habits bosses love
because it shows him that you’re motivated,
intelligent, interested, and self-confident
 If you can suggest new and emerging ideas to
apply to your current profession, you help keep
your employer on the cutting edge, you make your
boss look like a genius for hiring you, and you
come out looking phenomenal in the process
Habits Bosses Love

12. Prepared by : Wong Yew Yip (December 2012)
You make your boss look good5
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 This is something of a catch-all category, one
that can be achieved on some level by adopting
all of the previously listed habits bosses love
and striving to eliminate the hated ones
 In trying to make the boss look good, there is a
huge potential to be perceived as a kiss-ass - a
perception that won’t help you at any stage of
your career, your boss does not find this
behavior appealing and you are not likely to be
rewarded - so be very careful
 Learn to resist the urge to trumpet your
successes, rather, take satisfaction in the
knowledge that these successes are scoring
you points with the higher-ups, and that you’ll be
rewarded accordingly
Habits Bosses Love

13. Prepared by : Wong Yew Yip (December 2012) 13
Some employees, even longtime veterans of the workforce, continue to exhibit
the kinds of habits bosses hate. These habits tend to devour the space and
time of your boss that aren’t yours to occupy. By squandering his time you
have delayed him elsewhere and he’ll likely remember the reason why.
In conclusion . . .
On the other hand, learning to exhibit the kinds of habits
bosses love and successfully adapting to the situation
around you - a trait that, once developed, has applications
that will help you secure the promotion you worked so hard
for and will go well beyond the workplace.