Unlike a friend, a boss is not someone you can choose. You normally have to accept the person whom you are supposed to report to. Whether you like it or not! It is therefore, important that you get off to a good start in your relationship with your boss. A good boss-subordinate relationship could help you progress in your career as your boss would recommend raises and promotions. On the other hand, a strained relationship could make life miserable for you at work and limit any opportunities for career advancement.

How does one go about managing a boss? To some people it may come naturally, while for others they may have to rack their brains to figure out what to do and yet feel they end up saying and doing the wrong thing at the wrong time!

Understand your boss' working style and work within it
To manage your boss, it would be very useful to find out different aspects of your boss' working style. What makes your boss tick? You could use the following checklist to help you get to know your boss better.
· What are his/her goals?
· What does he/she expect from you?
· Does he/she have any idiosyncrasies e.g. getting the credit for all work done?
· What is he/she particular about e.g. punctuality?
· What irritates him/her?
· When is your boss most approachable?
Getting answers to these questions will help you adapt to your boss' working style and reduce conflict.

Adopt the problem solving approach at work
The next point in boss management relates to handling problems at work. Do not panic when confronted with a crisis. Do not just oppose and disagree with your boss' ideas. Come up with a solution. And justify it with a well thought out plan. This approach could also help in reducing unpleasant scenes and conflicts with
your boss. Work could also proceed more smoothly