What Your Boss Really Wants from You 15 Insights to Improve Your Relationship

Your most important work relationship is with your boss. You need it to go well. But even the best bosses can be hard to read, and some seem downright inscrutable. Your boss isn’t going to change for you—don’t waste your time trying. The solution lies in figuring out what makes your boss tick and adapting your own work style to make the relationship better. But how do you do that?

In this pragmatic and accessible guide, top executive coach Steve Arneson shows how to find the answers to fifteen essential questions that will help you understand your boss’s leadership style, goals, motivations, work relationships, and how he or she sees you. Vivid real-world examples demonstrate Arneson’s advice in action and show clearly how this process can be used to gain a more meaningful, productive, and enjoyable work life.

Steve Arneson is the founder of Arneson Leadership Consulting. He has been named one of America’s Top 100 thought leaders and one of the country’s Top 10 leadership coaches by Leadership Excellence magazine.

Introduction
Step 1: Study Your Boss
Q1- When and how is he most approachable?
Q2- What is his preferred management style?
Q3- What behaviors does he reward?
Q4- What is he trying to accomplish in this role?
Q5- What is he worried about?
Q6- What is his reputation in the company?
Q7- Who does he respect?
Q8- Where does he have influence?
Q9- What’s his relationship like with his boss?
Q10- What’s his primary motivation?
Step 2: Consider How Your Boss Sees You
Q11- What does she value about you?
Q12- How vital are you to her mission?
Q13- What does she think you need to improve?
Q14- How does she represent you to others?
Q15- What’s her history with you?
Step 3: Take Responsibility for the Relationship
Modify Your Story
Communicate Your New Story
Change Your Behaviors
Write a Development Plan
Common Boss/Motive Scenarios
Afterword
Resources
The 15 Insight Questions
The Reflective Exercises
Acknowledgments
Index
About the Author