How Crazy Was Last Night? Conversations With Your Boss

Written by Ethan Vernon, senior international affairs and Chinese major at CU-Boulder

Got a boss? Your boss can make or break a job, and there are some things you should avoid talking about with your boss.What conversations should you avoid? Generally, you should avoid talking about anything that calls in to question your professionalism or your personal mental health.

If you’re lucky, your boss is cool and you may even want to be their friend. However, a friendly relationship may lead to snares and pitfalls in your career. For example, how crazy was last night? You probably shouldn’t tell your boss. Telling your boss about your wild antics may lead them to doubt your professionalism. If you get crazy at the bar, your boss may worry you will get crazy at the company dinner as well.

Are you depressed, angry, or overstressed? Take a personal day. Your boss may consider, consciously or subconsciously, your mental fitness when deciding who to promote and who to leave where they are, so don’t go to them for life counseling. If you are looking to climb the company ladder, avoid spreading any doubt as to your mental toughness. Your boss decides your pay, so don’t give them any reason to doubt your professionalism or mental state.

You have to manage the relationship with your boss because they will make many of the important decisions regarding the future of your career. If one moderate their dialogue, when promotion time comes up there won’t be any crazy stories lurking in the back of your boss’s head. If one lets all of the crazy stories and personal problems flow, then their career may seem to unexplainably stall out. The major assumption is that career advancement is more important than fostering employee-boss friendships. This is inevitably a personal decision based on individual values. However, if career advancement is the ultimate goal, then one should consider the tips above. Don’t let your loose lips sink your career advancement ship.