6 Ways To Show Your CIO Some Love This Valentine’s Day
Your IT leader deserves a little (appropriate-for-work) love, too.
Valentine's Day is a holiday typically associated with love and romance, a time in which we shower loved ones, family members, and dear friends with gifts and kindness that show how much we appreciate them in our lives.
While most of us don't think about love when we think about work, we think it's time to change that. After all, doesn't your IT leader deserve a little love, too? Maybe you really appreciate the hard work your IT manager does for your group, and you want to show that appreciation meaningfully. Or maybe your motives are more selfish: You want to impress the boss to try to better your career. Or, dare we suggest, you even have a crush on your higher-up? You could take the tried-and-true method of buying candy, liquor, flowers, or a card. But clichéd trinkets can only be so memorable. And, they might raise HR questions.
Instead, here are six suggestions from InformationWeek on ways to show safe-for-work love to the man or woman in the corner office. Though we're presenting these ideas in honor of Valentine's Day, they're really appropriate for any time of year.
Acting on these suggestions may even serve as a modest career investment, although such thinking goes against the Valentine's Day spirit. Love does not demand reciprocity or dividends. Love is selfless -- even at work.
Once you've reviewed our gallery of the best ways to show your boss some love, tell us what you like (or hate) the most about our suggestions. And, take a moment to share your best and worst workplace Valentine's Day stories with us in the comments section below.
Bosses have numerous obligations -- many of which aren't specified in the job description. One way to stand out and also help your boss in a seemingly small, but very memorable, way is to take it upon yourself to be the person in charge of one of the mundane, thankless, or "one-off" tasks that just have to get done. It gives your boss one less thing to do, or to worry about delegating.
Does your office celebrate birthdays? Be the person who gets the cake and ice cream. Does the company need an emergency preparedness plan? Volunteer to be a floor warden. Sensing a morale problem? Bring donuts for the office every Monday. The possibilities are only as limited as your ability to imagine how to be an unconditionally nice and giving person. The important thing is to find something to help the team that no one is currently responsible for and just do it. Not only will your boss (and co-workers!) appreciate your efforts, but you'll stand out as a compassionate person who identifies pain points and takes charge.
(Image source: Joel Dueck (via Creative Commons license)
Flattery won't necessarily get you everywhere, but bosses like -- even need -- earnest praise just as much as you do. They are, despite their positions, still human beings like the rest of us. As such, they have hopes, dreams, and insecurities. An apt, honest, well-timed compliment, a word of thanks, or other positive feedback can make your boss's day. And if your boss is having a good day, chances are you, and your co-workers, will have a good day too.
(Image source: Jeff Golden via Creative Commons license)
Your boss's job is probably hard. Don't make it harder by burdening him with buzzwords, technical mumbo jumbo, and a litany of alphabet-soup acronyms. The next time you have to write a memo, give a presentation, or otherwise communicate with your boss professionally, check the corporate-speak at the door and say what you have to say in plain language. Even if the news is bad, the clear communication will allow your boss to make a better decision faster -- thereby making him look better. And, everybody knows, if you make your boss look good, you look good too.
(Image source: Satish Krishnamurthy via Creative Commons license)
February is a popular vacation time. The curse of being the boss, though, is the pressure to be always-on, even during vacation, which means he usually winds up working instead of unwinding.
If your boss has a vacation coming up, do him a solid this V-Day by offering to help cover while he's gone. Your offer may be as significant as volunteering to babysit a project, or it could be as basic an undertaking as keeping him in the loop with a daily status update via phone or email. Your gesture will help keep things simple during the boss's vacation, while easing his anxiety about the what-ifs while he's away. Most vacation happiness comes from the simple act of planning a vacation. If you manage to remove distress from your boss's vacation-planning, you will add significantly to his happiness -- making for an appreciated and memorable Valentine's Day gift indeed.
(Image source: Giorgio Montersino via Creative Commons license)
February doesn't just mean that it's cold; it also means that there are colds -- and worse.
Yes, sick days get abused. Yes, your boss might be annoyed to be down a staffer on any given day. But if you are truly sick -- and especially if you are contagious -- keep your germs to yourself and stay home so you can speed your recovery to full productivity. Even if your boss doesn't acknowledge the good you are doing, he'll appreciate not having a pitiful snot-rag sitting in the office infecting him and the rest of the department.
(Image source: jfcherry via Creative Commons license)
A good conference is like a blend of work and vacation, full of terrific talks, networking opportunities, workshop training, sponsor dinners at top restaurants, and swag.
So why not show your boss some Valentine's love by finding the perfect conference -- given her position and interests -- for her to attend? If you can recommend an event to your boss that's seeking speakers on a topic in her wheelhouse, all the better.
Play your cards right and you might get to tag along. (Or, if you secretly hate your boss, you'll get a week of work with her out of the office.)
(Image source: tpsdave via Pixabay)
Now that you've reviewed our gallery of the best gift ideas, tell us what you love (or hate). Have you ever received a Valentine from one of your workers? Have you ever given your boss a gift? Take a moment to share your best and worst workplace Valentine stories with us in the comments section below.
(Image source: PIX1861 via Pixabay)
Now that you've reviewed our gallery of the best gift ideas, tell us what you love (or hate). Have you ever received a Valentine from one of your workers? Have you ever given your boss a gift? Take a moment to share your best and worst workplace Valentine stories with us in the comments section below.
(Image source: PIX1861 via Pixabay)
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