Rate Your Boss!

I get nervous when I am asked to submit an "anonymous" survey where I am supposed to answer questions about my boss. I always wonder how anonymous it is actually going to be and so of course my answers are normally not as truthful as I would like them to be.

What I try to do is be as objective as I can, I remove all emotion and rate the person on their skills and I try to provide constructive feedback.

I have a great boss, but I think everyone could use some improvement in some areas. Very few bosses that I have had in the past have been perfect, but I have had some that have been close.

To me what makes a good boss is someone who is actually interested in you as a person. They want to help you in your career, and they want to find out your personal goals so that they can help you reach them. A great boss will mentor you and give you feedback that will help you exceed not only in the corporate world, but in life.

One of the greatest lesson's that I have learned in the corporate world is that whenver you are trying to get something that you want you have to be sure to do your homework. If you want a raise or a promotion, give them a reason to give it to you. 2 years on the job performing at the same consistent level does not mean you should get an increase in pay - it means you get to keep your job.

I also think people underestimate how important it is for you to "look the part". If you want to be a manager, you need to look and act like a manager. I've also learned that it is necessary to speak up again and again when you want something, but to do it in an extremely positive way so that it doesn't come across as nagging.

So how is your career coming along? What are your goals personally and financially? How would you rate your boss? And if you are the boss, how would you rate yourself?