If you are an immigrant new to the Seattle workplace culture, you may be uncertain how to relate to your boss.
One of my clients is starting her first job in the U.S. She wants to prepare an introductory speech to her boss for her first day of work. And she’s feeling a bit nervous about this introduction. I explained to her that it is not necessary to prepare a formal introduction. The work culture in Seattle is probably less formal. In some cultures, this is not the case.
Having good relationships at work is important. This includes our supervisors. They too want to enjoy good relationships with everyone. They don’t want you to tense up when they walk by. Yes, they want productivity. But they want employees to feel good in their work environment too. They want employees to feel comfortable to talk to them. Especially in companies that value team work.
The article How To Relate To Your Boss For Immigrants goes into detail on how you can build good relationships with your boss. It suggests first identifying your current belief and practice about boss-employee relationship. Then observe your co-workers’ relationship with their boss, and identify the ones you want for yourself.
Next, use your power of observation. What feels good about those relationships? Is it shown through body language? Posture? Analyze the elements. Is it also about personality? If so, what is it about the personality that makes the relationship easy?
Now, take what you gathered from your observation and pick one element. One that you feel comfortable doing. Test it out and see if it works for you. Then add another element.
Experiment with this. If one behavior does not help, try another. Or tweak it to fit your personality.
You can read the entire article How to Relate to your boss for immigrants here.
If you find this blog helpful, here is one on How to Improve Your Presentation Skills.
Estrella Chan coaches immigrants and international professionals in English fluency, interview skills, and public speaking. You can schedule a session with her at support@englisharoundtheworld.com
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