Posted by: venom

Most people would find the situation of being alone with their bosses for an extended period of time as being uncomfortable. This is because their boss (superior at work) is neither a friend nor a stranger. In fact, most people would want to impress and ensure that their bosses think highly of them. The difficulty is in trying to be considered a friend and yet distant enough to show the respect due to the boss.

As such, if you will be travelling with your boss for an extended period of time, it would be beneficial to prepare yourself for the trip. The following are a few steps you can consider doing during the trip.

Firstly, you should realize that if your boss is comfortable, he will be more relaxed and friendly. As such, size up the situation and try to do your part in making him physically comfortable. For example, if you are travelling with him on a flight, simple things like the following would help:

1. Offer your boss the seat that he prefers let him choose first
2. Do not hog the arm rest between your 2 seats in fact, it would be better if you stay clear of the arm rest until you are sure that your boss prefers not to use it

Besides that, if you are not comfortable having long chats with your boss, bring books or puzzles along with you. During the trip, keep yourself occupied as this will give your boss the impression that you have enough to fill your time. This is an acceptable and polite indication for your boss to leave you alone. Also, your boss will not feel obliged to make small talk if you look idle and bored.

However, it would be beneficial to let your boss have a chance for a chat if he wants to. He may be bored and could be looking for an opportunity to have a casual chat with you. As such, put down your book once in a while to test the situation. If a chat does take place, keep the conversation light so that it will not drag on and you can go back to being alone after a while.

It is also important that you do not get jittery or act awkwardly when there are natural silences. Remind yourself upfront that natural silences are normal. If you are awkward, you may start to jabber and embarrass yourself by saying things that you should not have said. This will give your boss a bad impression and you will come across as being a nervous and insecure person. Your boss may even think of you as being irritating.

From the above, you can see that a little mental preparation and strategy before the trip will make the trip much more manageable.