Difficult relationship with your boss? Here’s how to fix it

Sometimes even the best office relationships hit a rut, but if your relationship with your boss is suffering, work can be especially challenging.

Here are some strategies for interacting with your manager to get what you need, support your boss’s success and excel at your job.

1. Diagnose the problem – if there is one: ask yourself some questions: is it really about me? Am I working on the issues that my boss wants me to be working on? Have I done something to lose their trust?

2. Take responsibility: if you have done something to undermine your boss or lose their trust, acknowledge that you’re at fault and apologise. Assure your boss that you want to work on things, and ask for help getting back on track.

3. Focus on the positive: focus on what strengths your boss has, not their weaknesses. Try to imagine the situation from their point of view – in other words, try empathising.

4. Connect: another way to build rapport with your boss is to connect with them on a human level. Try talking to your manager about topics beyond work. Learning about who your boss is as a person and finding genuine overlaps in interests will give you a deeper understanding of what makes them tick.

5. Make your boss look good: while sucking up is not advised, you can still compliment your boss in front of colleagues or give them credit where it’s due. Demonstrate loyalty to their vision.

6. Consider moving on . . . or not: if nothing seems to work, consider looking for a new job – or at least a new manager. Alternatively, take it as an opportunity to develop a thicker skin.

– Copyright Harvard Business Review 2016