How To Be Better Than Your Boss – 14 Smart Ways

Do you want to outshine your boss? And become the top dog at work? If so, then you’ll need to be better than them. How to be better than your boss is not a big secret. It’s pretty simple:

To be better than someone, you need to have a clear understanding of what they’re good at. And then you can find ways to improve upon those things.

14 Ways To Be Better Than Your Boss

Starting from the ground up, let’s look at some things you can do to be a better employee than your boss.

1. What Is Your Boss Good At?

The first step to being better than your boss is understanding what they’re good at. What are their strengths? What do they bring to the table that you don’t?

Once you clearly understand their strengths, you can start to find ways to improve them.

So to know what they are good at, watch and listen to them closely. Take note of the things they do well and the things they struggle with.

And try to put yourself in their shoes. What would you do if you were in their position?

For instance, your boss is good at delegating tasks. You should try to be better at delegating tasks.

Or they are good at communicating with other departments. You should try to be better at communicating with other departments.

2. Find Ways To Improve Upon Their Strengths

Now that you know what your boss is good at, it’s time to find ways to improve upon their strengths.

Remember, the goal is to be better than them. So you must find ways to do what they’re good at but even better. Here are a few ideas:

If they’re good at delegating tasks, try to delegate tasks more efficiently. Delegation means giving someone else a job to do with the expectation that they will complete it.

The key word here is expecting. You need to make sure that the person you’re delegating the task to is capable of completing it.

For that, you can provide clear instructions and set deadlines. If they’re not, you’re just setting yourself up for failure.

If they’re good at communicating with other departments, try to communicate more effectively. This means being clear, concise, and to the point. It also means knowing when to speak and when not to.

There is such a thing as too much communication. And it can be just as bad as not communicating at all.

3. Find Ways To Improve Upon Their Weaknesses:

In addition to improving upon their strengths, you should also find ways to improve their weaknesses. This is where you can start to outshine your boss.

For instance, they’re bad at time management. You should try to be better at time management.

You can do so by creating a schedule and sticking to it.

You can also try using a time-tracking app such as RescueTime or Toggl.

These apps will help you see where you’re wasting time and how you can be more productive.

Or, if your boss is terrible at decision making, you should try to be better at decision making.

This means being able to make quick and informed decisions.

It also means being comfortable making decisions even when you’re not 100% sure.

The best way to do this is to practice. Make tiny decisions in your personal life so that you can get better at making decisions in your professional life.

4. Be A Team Player:

One of the most important things you can do to be better than your boss is to be a team player.

This means working well with others and being a good communicator.

It also means being able to take constructive criticism and being able to work under pressure.

So if you’re not a team player, now is the time to start working on that.

Start with:

– Make an effort to get to know your coworkers.

– Being more open to collaboration.

– Practicing active listening

– Giving and receiving feedback

Let’s explain these all:

5. Get To Know Coworkers More Than Your Boss:

One way to be better than your boss is to get to know your coworkers more.

This doesn’t mean being best friends with them. But it does mean making an effort to get to know them on a personal level.

The best way to do this is to ask them about their lives outside of work.

How do they like to spend their free time? What are their hobbies? What are their goals and dreams?

By asking these types of questions, you’ll build better relationships with your coworkers.

And that will make it easier to work with them. That will help when you’re trying to collaborate with them on projects.

6. Be Open To Collaboration:

To outshine your boss, be exceptionally well at collaborations. Every time there’s a project you’re both working on, try to find ways to help the team.

Offer your ideas and be open to feedback. Never think that you’re better than anyone else on the team.

Always be willing to learn from others. Being open to collaboration also means being willing to work with others. It also means being flexible and being able to compromise.

So if you’re the type who likes to do things on your own, now is the time to start changing that.

And when you are working on a project with your boss, make sure to take the lead. And be the one who’s driving the project forward.

7. Active Listening:

Active listening is a skill that you should start working on if you want to be better than your boss.

Active listening means being present and engaged when someone is speaking to you.

It means making eye contact and nodding your head. Also, give verbal cues that show you’re interested in what they’re saying.

It also means being able to repeat back what they’ve said to you. This is important because it shows that you’ve been paying attention.

And it also shows that you understand what they’re saying. How will that make you better than your boss?

If you can actively listen, it will be easier for you to communicate with your boss.

It will also make it easier for you to understand their instructions. And it will make it easier for you to build a relationship with them.

8. Giving And Receiving Feedback:

It’s another essential skill you should work on if you want to be better than your boss.

Giving feedback means being able to provide constructive criticism. It also means being able to praise someone when they’ve done something well.

Receiving feedback is just as important. This means being able to take criticism without getting defensive.

It also means being able to listen to feedback. And then make changes based on what you’ve heard.

Not only will you know your strengths and weaknesses, but you’ll also be able to improve.

And when you’re able to give and receive feedback, it will make it easier for you to work with your boss.

9. Work Under Pressure:

Working under pressure will make you outshine; how? It shows that you’re able to handle difficult situations.

Start by taking on more assignments. And then see how you handle it. You’re on the right track if you can work under pressure and still produce quality work.

And when you’re able to work under pressure, it will make handling complex projects.

It will also make it easier for you to meet deadlines. And it will make it easier for you to handle demanding clients.

10. Be Confident:

Who doesn’t make heads turn when they enter a room with an aura of confidence? If you want to be better than your boss, start working on your confidence.

Start by believing in yourself. And then start by taking on more responsibilities.

And then start by speaking up more. When you can do these things, it will show in your work.

And it will also make it easier for you to take on more responsibilities. And when you can do that, it will be easier for you to be promoted.

11. Be A Good Leader:

Being a leader is different than being a boss. A leader is someone who’s able to motivate and inspire others.

A leader is also someone who’s able to make excellent decisions. And a leader is also someone who’s able to take on responsibility.

If you want to be better than your boss, start by being a leader. Start by taking on more responsibility. And then start by making more decisions.

And when you can do these things, it will show in your work. And it will also make it easier for you to be promoted.

12. Understand The Work Dynamics:

You need to understand the work dynamics to be better than your boss. You need to know how the company works. And you need to understand how your boss operates.

When you know how the business operates, you can devise ways to be more productive.

And when you know how your boss works, you can find ways to work around them.

You can present better ideas and bring innovation to the company, which will put you in good light.

13. Be A Problem Solver:

If you want to be better than your boss, start as a problem solver. Start by looking for ways to improve the way things are done.

And then start by implementing those changes. For instance, if you think of a new way to streamline the process, do it.

You can also look for ways to improve customer service. And you can also look for ways to reduce costs.

Your boss will be well impressed with your ability to find solutions.

14. Be Better Version Of Yourself:

Work on yourself. Be the best version of yourself. The best way to outshine someone is to be better than them.

And the best way to be better than your boss is to work on yourself. So start by setting goals for yourself.

And then start by working towards those goals. When you achieve your goals, it will show in your work and ethics.

It will also make it easier for you to take on more responsibility. And when you can do that, it will make it easier for you to get the promotion.

Final Word:

If you want to be better than your boss, there are many things you can do. You can start by taking on more responsibility. And then start by making more decisions.

You can also start by being a leader. And you can also start by being a problem solver.

But the most important thing is to be the best version of yourself. So start by setting goals for yourself. And then start by working towards those goals.

Last Updated on 9 months by Shahzaib Arshad