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It doesn't always work and can easily backfire. For one you can creating a hostile workplace in where you are creating a divide between you and your coworkers, and for another if the boss doesn't stay in place and goes to another company or is demoted for any reason you're in a situation where your coworkers will try to oust you with whatever new boss comes in place. Your'e particularly vulnerable if the company hires that boss from the outside because you're almost guaranteed that your coworkers will you be talking about you to them.

There are occasions in which a boss that has confidence in an employee will recommend them to upper management; if your boss says anything to you along those lines encouraging you to go out for a position you need to strike while the iron is hot. The last time that happened to me I didn't heed the warning; it didn't jeopardize my job, but I could have been part of management and on a salary instead of an hourly employee. I didn't want to be in that position with my coworkers but a lot of them moved on to other jobs anyway.

I was kicking myself in the teeth about that for a while, but then another door opened at the company I just left and I went ahead and took the initiative. What I have decided to do is to stop arguing or offering reasons why I cannot do something to those suggesting that I take advantage of opportunities that are in the position to truly help me and just go for it anyway. Does it take me outside of my comfort zone, sure, but does it make me a diverse candidate at the end of the day, yeah!

By aligning yourself with the boss in that way you are actually crippling your ability to think on your own and are actually taking away some of your autonomy. You'll always need someone higher up than you to help you through the job. Your boss can help you get ahead in the company, but they may not be able or even willing to help you to get their job specifically or something in a similar capacity. You don't know where your boss sits in the organization in general, just where they do with you in your own mind because you're too focused in getting to where they are at.

But that may not necessarily be the best place for you in the organization, which is something you'll never come to realize otherwise. So work hard, diligently and with respect and honor. People will recognize your potential and help you to get ahead, but relying too heavily on your immediate superior, without the blessing of the rest of the organization, may not be the best route to take. Allow others to approach you first, and show your own initiative through your work ethic and taking advantage of opportunities when they present yourself; loose the focus on your actual relationship and do not allow it to get in the way of what is really best for you at the end of the day.

Learn more about this author, Christopher Kendalls.
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