The Indianapolis Star
You're sitting innocently at the desk and No. 1 (aka boss) walks in.
"What do people think about my management style?" she asks.
You have a choice: Stick with the masses or become No. 2.
No. 2 means revealing that your co-workers have been talking about her harsh, micromanaging tendencies. If you're feeling really feisty, it means coming clean that they don't like the cafeteria menu. And that a few of them are ready to bolt.
Do it and you, my friend, have earned the title of No. 2.
Every boss has to have a person around him or her who tells it like it is. A person who lets the boss know what's really going on. The rewards can be limitless.
"Part of your role is to be the eyes and ears of the boss and report back," says James Lukaszewski, chief executive of The Lukaszewski Group. "When you achieve this status of No. 2, the boss will really reach out to you."
And in the future? Promotions, posh assignments and even raises are in store.
"Those around you could conceivably think you are a suck-up," says Lukaszewski, author of "Why Should the Boss Listen to You?"
"You have to learn to live with that resentment if you want this position."
Being No. 2, however, doesn't just mean being a good gossip. It also should take a little work on your part.
Here's what to do to gain the title of chief kiss-up, er, adviser to the boss:
• Prepare to give on-the-spot advice. Most bosses want answers now.
• Be a window to the future. Take note of workplace patterns and then predict something for the boss. "You will be wrong 50 percent of the time, but you will also be right 50 percent of the time," Lukaszewski says. "You'll be considered a bloomin' genius."
• Provide options. The boss looks to advisers for the ingredients of the solutions. Provide options and then let the boss decide.
• Help them with what to do next. The higher the boss, the less likely it is that he or she has all the answers. They are too far removed from the daily grind. They need you to lead them in the right direction.
• Don't waste time. If you have three minutes of the boss's time, get to the point. Provide information that is direct, helpful and instructive.
