• Offers a concise, practical guide to improving your most important work relationship

• Uses fifteen straightforward questions to help you uncover what drives your boss and use what you’ve learned to take charge of the relationship

• Features real-world examples of people who have used these techniques to improve their relationship with even the most difficult bosses

Whether you’re an entry-level employee, a middle manager, or a high level executive, your most important work relationship is the one you have with your boss. If you’re connecting well, everything’s great; but if you’re not getting along, it can be a nerve-wracking and frustrating experience. It’s why executive coach Steve Arneson is so often asked: what does my boss want from me? In this book he offers a powerful set of questions to help you get the answer.

But first, Arneson warns you to give up any thoughts of trying to manage or “improve,” your boss. It’s true, sometimes bosses can be hard to read.  They’re not always clear about their expectations, act in seemingly inexplicable ways, and can have hidden motives that have nothing to do with helping you achieve your career goals  Still, they’re not going to change for you—the solution lies in figuring out what makes them tick and adapting your own work style to make the relationship work more effectively.

In this pragmatic and accessible guide, Arneson shows you how to find the answers to fifteen essential questions that will help you understand your boss’s motives.  The first section, Study Your Boss, features ten questions that will help you figure out your boss’s leadership style, goals, work relationships,  and other factors that drive his or her behavior. Given that understanding, you’ll move on to five questions that reveal How Your Boss Sees You. Finally, you’ll bring it all together and develop a plan to Take Responsibility for the Relationship. Vivid real-world examples  demonstrate Arneson’s advice in action and show clearly how this process can be used to gain a more meaningful, productive, and enjoyable work life.

You can improve your relationship with the boss, but it takes insight, and the right attitude. Following Steve Arneson’s straightforward, step-by-step method will help you reduce your stress, advance your career, and make things more pleasant for both of you.