10 Ways to Improve Job Security and Impress Your Boss

If you're like most of us, you enjoy a pat on the back, a few words of praise and you work hard to make sure you do your job well in order to be recognized for your contribution to the team. That probably means you do what you can to impress your boss - with your abilities, your creativity, your dedication or whatever other talents you bring.

If you want to make sure to get noticed for all the right reasons and thereby impress your boss, here are 10 things you can do to make a positive impact.

Be Ahead of the Game

Bosses hate it when you mismanage your time and don't complete your projects when they are due. Instead of sending the wrong message -- disregard for others, you're not dependable - prioritize your workload and be sure to meet your deadlines, or better yet, complete your work ahead of schedule

Play Well with Others

If you want to impress your boss, then you need to be able to build great relationships. Not just with the people who are on your team or in your department, but with people throughout the company as well as outside the organization. Demonstrate how you are able to soothe a customer's complaints or negotiate for time, money or assistance from another department, and you'll have your boss singing your praises.

Develop Credibility

Become a SME - that's subject matter expert. If you can show that you are relevant because of your solid knowledge in a specific field, you not only impress your boss, you may well impress a whole lot of people. And if others come to you because they see you as the "go-to guy," you've developed credibility.

Lead a Team Project

Showing you have the ability to guide, support and mentor others is a great way to impress your boss. But it's also a good way for you to further your career as you learn to hone your project management and leadership skills.

Put in 110%

Without going over the top and being a suck up, you can still be enthusiastic about your work and put in the effort necessary to do a good job. Eventually that extra effort will pay off as your boss recognizes your hard work with additional praise or maybe some additional pay or a promotion.

Keep Your Nose Clean

No, I'm not talking about brown nosing (though that's another thing to avoid). I mean don't be a backstabber, rumormonger or gossiper. Don't talk about others behind their back, be part of a clique or get sucked into thinking this behavior makes you in-the-know. Leave it in high school. Your boss wants a professional with integrity.

Learn from Your Mistakes

We are all human, including bosses. And while you might not always agree with her, she is the boss. This is particularly true when it comes to your performance and how she views it. Keep your eyes and ears open and be willing to see things from a different angle. If you keep an open mind and are willing to consider suggestions for improvement, you will impress your boss.

Be Willing to do the Time

Want to be looked upon as a mature, responsible working adult? Then don't slack off by calling in sick, leaving early, arriving late or extending your lunch break. Impress your boss with your willingness to put in the hours necessary to not only get the job done, but to get ahead in your career.

Share the Success

Hogging the credit or stealing ideas is just wrong. Not only is the glory short-lived and lonely, you will eventually be run out of the department on a rail. However, if you share the spotlight with others and encourage their creativity, you'll reap an even greater reward as your boss and the entire team sees your true character.

Bring Your Boss Solutions

Bosses don't want problems and they don't want surprises. So you have to keep them apprised of what you're doing and the decisions you've made. And while you also need to keep them in the loop on potential issues that are pending, make sure you tell them how you are working to correct them. That will really impress your boss.

The idea is that your boss wants to know he can rely on you, that he can step out of the building and it won't burn down. So if you want to impress your boss, show him he can trust you to get the job done...maybe even his job.