Leverage your contacts, please your boss and maybe even learn to like your colleagues!
Hone your connections
It’ll keep you competitive in the job market. Schedule regular lunches with old colleagues, bosses and mentors, says consultant George Bradt, who writes The New Leader’s Playbook blog at Forbes. “The meetings should be mutually beneficial, so mention trends and transitions in your field,” he says. Don’t say you’re looking to jump ship – that makes you look desperate. Find ways to help; it’ll come back around.
Ditch the training wheels
It’s okay to learn from your boss during your initial weeks on the job, but not to be asking how to execute projects six months in. Each boss has his or her preferences, but
try to send updates only for significant news, says Bradt. This keeps you from interrupting your boss’s workflow.
You know you’ve reached independence when the boss starts coming to you for advice and assistance.
Use gossip for good
Gossip can help you strike up easy conversations with your colleagues, but it can also backfire. So change the tone. Positive gossip (“Did you hear Rick scored an 89 on the course Saturday?”) rather than negative (“Did you hear Rick was chatting up the interns yesterday?”) can cultivate a sense
of shared success. And when it comes back to Rick that you were trumpeting his success, he’ll think more of you.
