You need to get an accurate answer to this question. They may not show it. But if your superiors don’t trust you completely on the job, you may lose career advancement opportunities. And you could even be in danger of being declared redundant.

Here are 3 Checks to Help You Establish How Well Your Boss Trusts You

Now, unless you’re a mind reader, it goes without saying that these checks will not tell you everything. They will however give you a fairly reliable indication of where you stand with your boss in this regard.

And that’s all you really need. (I say this based on 7 years of applying them successfully, to get recognised and rewarded as a high performing employee in a corporate multinational.)

So, here are the checks:

1. What Does She Say?

Sometimes you’ll hear snippets from the corporate grapevine. This may not always be a reliable source. However it can be useful.

Performance appraisal interviews/discussions can also be very useful. But it also depends on how open your boss is about his/her feelings. It will often be a great opportunity to get answers and gain valuable insights.

So, be bold, but tactful. Ask questions, and make requests, to find out.

For instance you could suggest that s/he give you a shot at handling an area of work or task that you’ve never been assigned. Listen carefully to the response, and watch the body language. You’ll often be able to tell.

2. What Does She Do?

a. How often do you get called on, when an important or crucial task is to be implemented?

Those are often periods when decision makers simply cannot afford to take chances with anything going wrong.

If you never get picked to hold fort during such times, be concerned. Except if you were assigned something of greater importance elsewhere.

This rule applies in all areas of endeavor. Even in team sports. A very good measure of a coach’s confidence in a player is often evident from the roles s/he gets him/her to play – especially in important matches.

Another example: If your boss has to go on a planned annual leave, or a week’s break, how often do you get picked to fill in for him/her? If “never”, and you know you’re theoretically “qualified” to get picked, you should definitely be concerned.

b. Another scenario: When a department head from a sister factory calls for help saying “Can you give us your best hand(s) to help us out over here?”

Who does you boss send over to help?

If you rarely get picked, that’s like being on the bench all the time in a football team. When there’s a need for the organisation to “shed staff weight”, you could be a prime candidate.

c. Sometimes you’ll also gain useful insights during normal work periods.

When something goes wrong while s/he’s not around, who does s/he call to find out what went wrong?

And who does s/he task to find ways to rectify it – or to lead others to do that?

How often does s/he call YOU under such situations?

And when you get called, does what you say, or do, get accepted as adequate? Or does s/he call others to double-check what you’ve said and done?

If you keep getting second guessed, that is not a good position to be in either. It suggests you’ve given him/her cause to doubt you!

If that happens, determine why what you say (or do) never seems to satisfy him/her. Then make necessary changes in your work related behavior.

3. How Does She React?

Sometimes your boss may have to be away at short notice. It could be unplanned (like a sudden temporary secondment, or a domestic matter that makes him take time off from work).

During such periods, the team will usually take orders from other decision makers, who may be less familiar with individual team members.

Under such situations, responsibilities for tasks may get handed out differently from what the substantive job holder (i.e. your boss) would do.

You could as a result get assigned to handle tasks that your boss has never previously given you the opportunity to do.

How she reacts on being told (while still away or when s/he returns or calls in), can give you a good idea of how well s/he trusts you on the job.

After the Checks, What Next?

If you were honest with yourself in doing the above, you’ll have gotten a decent idea of how your boss rates you.

A period of one month is enough to be really sure.

If what you learn indicates you’re rated highly, then keep doing what you’re doing – and if possible, do more.

But if you discover you don’t rate well, do a serious self-examination to find out where you’re falling short.

TIP: Study those who seem to be rated better and find out why. Some bosses play favorites – but that is easy to detect. Otherwise, you’ll often find that simply emulating those rated highly, will eventually bring you into reckoning.

Final Words

Results focused decision makers want people they can RELY on, to deliver outcomes that will move the organization forward.

If you deliver performances that make your employer think about you in that manner, you can expect a rewarding career in that organization. It’s that simple.