What is Your Boss Not Telling You?

You are accustomed to your boss telling you what to do, but what aren't they telling you?

Management's duty is to lead the team, assign tasks and make sure everyone is doing what they're supposed to do, but here are a few things that they aren't telling you.

Your Outside Life Matters - Management shouldn't be watching your every move. That's creepy, but they are keeping tabs on you. Before you post on Facebook, Twitter, Google + or anywhere else, ask this question: "Would I want my boss to see this?" If the answer is no, then you shouldn't post it. Edith Onderick-Harvey is the president of a consulting firm called Factor In Talent and she says "Be careful about how much you share about your weekend or what a jerk your coworker is" otherwise you risk management seeing you in a less than professional light.

Your Attitude is Important - Like it or not, office politics matter. Doing something even though you don't like it matters and so does your ability to not only work with your boss, but your coworkers, too. Even though you're getting the job done, if your coworkers think you suck, it's going to be difficult to be promoted.

Dress Like You Mean It - "Get dressed for work every day as if you're going to be called into the president's office" says former business manager Sue Thompson. She is now a consultant with Set Free Life Seminars and urges that even though managers have more important things to work on, if you're a sloppy dresser and don't know how to act in a business environment, you may as well just wear a sandwich board that says "Don't promote me". You could also be on the receiving end of a very uncomfortable conversation.

They Like Positive Feedback, Too - When your boss compliments you on something, it likely gives you warm fuzzies, well, turns out they like it, too. Stefanie Smith with consulting firm Stratex says that while bosses lead and nurture their employees, they enjoy when the praise comes back. Especially in front of others. Just be sincere and be brief.

Take Responsibility - Just like parents don't like to hear, "THEY STARTED IT!", bosses don't like it when you try and pass the buck, so if you mess up, say so. From running late to a missed deadline, business owner Deborah Becker says you should acknowledge the mistake, make a concise and sincere apology and don't do it again. She says that "Even if you're a nice person with decent skills, I can't promote you if you refuse to accept the blame when you mess up. The phrase 'I'm sorry. It won't happen again' goes a long way."

According to the full article, tooting your own horn, being a problem solver and following their lead are all things your boss feels you should be doing, but are you? Are you a boss? Do you agree or disagree with this?