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Ever misjudge a hug for a handshake and wind up trapped in some sort of unforgivable in-between? I have.

Ever stumble your way through a few floors of elevator small talk, only to regret 99% of what you said upon returning to your desk? Yup. Guilty of that, too. 

While these confessions don’t appear to give me much ground to stand on when writing a post about being “less awkward” with your boss, just hear me out. Navigating your relationship with your boss can prove complicated for anyone — from the graceless (like me) to the smoothest of smooth talkers. 

To develop a rewarding and productive relationship with them, you’ve got to find a way to overcome those confusing non-verbal cues, painfully awkward silences, and overly formal conversations. But how?

To help shed some light on the situation, I turned to my boss, my boss’ boss, my boss’ boss’ boss, and a few of my trusted colleagues to come up with a list of tips that’ll have you feeling (and acting) less awkward with the person you report to. 

11 Tips for Being Less Awkward Around Your Boss

1) Remember that they’re human, too.

We’ll be the first to admit, it’s hard not to read into every comment your boss makes — both good and bad. But overanalyzing their word choice and tone can lead us down a bad path. 

Did she really think I was doing a good job? Was she being sarcastic? Should I be worried about my job security?

Overanalyzing feedback will often make your interactions with them more awkward than they need to be. So before you go overthinking things, remind yourself that your boss is only human.

“If they respond awkwardly from time to time, don’t read into it. They could’ve just come from a stressful conversation. They could be distracted. Or maybe they just slept poorly last night. Push past those instances and don’t let the awkwardness build on itself,” explains HubSpot’s Director of Content Corey Wainwright.

2) Learn to read body language.

When you’re talking to your boss, tune into their non-verbal communication. What kind of hand gestures do they make? Do they typically fold their arms? Do they use these same mannerisms when speaking with your other colleagues?

Many times, people read into their boss’ body language and assume that it’s a direct reflection of their performance. For example, if they notice their boss furrows his brow, they’re quick to assume he’s displeased with their work. However, the simple truth is, that may just be how he acts. In fact, he may furrow his brow when he finds something particularly interesting. 

It’s equally as important to be aware of your own body language when communicating with your boss. Depending on how you act, it’s easy for your body language and your words to send conflicting messages, which is a recipe for misunderstanding.

To learn even more about body language in the workplace, check out this helpful infographic.

3) Follow the 80/20 rule.

There’s nothing worse than an awkward silence — especially with your boss. And while it’s tempting to fill those conversation gaps with small talk about the weather, having a meaningful conversation is a better use of both their time and yours. 

But what constitutes a meaningful conversation? And how does one approach the situation?

“Keep it to an 80/20 rule in conversations — 80% about successes, interesting projects, things you’ve read that are work-related, and 20% about how that bleeds into you or him/her as a person,” Wainwright explains. “Not only does that open up the conversation to go into that personal direction if you’re both up for it, but over time, these nuggets of personal information can add up to a more well-rounded picture of one another as a person.”

And when they do share personal information with you, make note of it. “Memorize the names of their spouse, girlfriend/boyfriend, kids, pets … anyone they talk about on a regular basis. That way, in an effort to build a connection (or break a silence), you can ask how someone important in their life is doing,” advises my colleague, Lindsay Kolowich.

4) Have an answer for “How’s it going?”

When we’re asked general questions, we tend to fall back on general answers. For example, we’ve all experienced a conversation like this:

“How’s it going?”
“Good, and you?”
“Good.”

Trouble is, having dead-end conversations like this with your boss can draw attention to your level of discomfort. 

“‘How’s it going?’ is really an invitation for you to give them some insight into what you’re thinking about or what’s worrying you. Take advantage of it. You can start with the standard, ‘Good,’ but pivot that into a conversation,” explains HubSpot’s VP of Marketing Meghan Anderson.

The more you put yourself out there, the easier it will be for your boss to get to know you, your interests, and your abilities. 

5) Be on time. 

Have you ever showed up to a party or event too early and found yourself struggling to make small talk with the host? What about showing up late? Often times, that can be even more painful, as you’re forced to poke around the room trying to make your way into someone else’s conversation. 

Well, the same can be said for a meeting with your boss. While you’d think that showing up early is a sign that you’re prepared or punctual, resume consultant Adam Sterling suggests that showing up too early to a meeting actually implies you’re disruptive to other people’s work schedules. Awkward.

And if you thought that was bad, try showing up late. While situational tardiness is forgivable, making a habit of it will signal to your boss that you struggle with organization and responsibility.

Need help showing up on time? Try limiting distractions (television, radio, text messages, etc.) while you get ready, prepping your belongings the night before, or setting reminders on your phone or work calendar to leave a few minutes early.

6) Talk about something that excites you.

When in doubt, talk about something that you’re excited about — whether it be a change in the industry, a book you’re reading, or a project you just completed.

Many people tend to shy away from sharing their passions or big ideas for fear that they’ll be judged or misunderstood, but your boss wants to see that you’re enjoying what you’re doing.

“Unabashed interest is the best way to get past polite or overly formal conversations,” explains Anderson. “Share something your working on or — and sometimes this is even better — it could be something you’ve seen in the field that you think is really interesting and worth emulating. Excitement is infectious. Share yours.”

7) Cap yourself at two drinks.

While drinking too much in front of your co-workers is a slippery slope, drinking too much in front of your boss is best classified as an egregious offense.

It’s okay to have a drink (or two) as a way to break the ice, but don’t exceed that. If you do, you’re opening up the door for yourself to say things you don’t mean — or say things you do mean, but you don’t want your boss to hear.

Thought you felt awkward around him or her before? Well, drunken confessions will only make it worse. A lot worse.

So next time you’re out in a drinking situation with your boss, have a couple drinks. Loosen up and talk shop. But be sure to politely excuse yourself — or switch to water or soda — after that. You’ll be happy you did.

8) Try solving a problem together.

When we achieve something truly awesome at work, it’s typically easy for us to convey these wins to our boss. We’re proud of our accomplishments, and we want them to be proud of us, too. However, when it comes to hashing out problems we’re facing, we tend to be more reserved. We beat around the bush.

While letting your boss know that things are going south isn’t ideal, it does present an opportunity for the two of you to work on the problem together.

“Stronger relationships are forged when there are problems you have to overcome than when everything’s coming up roses,” Anderson told me. 

Working towards a solution together will help you get to know your boss better, as it’ll reveal a lot about how they think, handle stress, and arrive at solutions. Just make sure that you bring a few ideas to the table when you present the issue. This will help to show your value and reinforce why you’ve been hired to do your job in the first place. 

9) Brush up on your business meal etiquette.

I’ve flung quinoa, flailed noodles, and mishandled table bread one too many times to not include this tip on the list. 

When dining with your boss, there’s a lot to keep in mind. But if you spend the majority of the meal silently freaking out about what to order or how you should place your napkin, you’ll run the risk of not being present — and they’ll notice.

Luckily, my colleague Lindsay put together an awesome guide to business dinner etiquette to help you get acquainted with how you should behave next time you share a meal with your boss. With tips on what to wear, when to arrive, how to handle your utensils, and more, you’ll learn the insights you need to make a great impression. 

10) Set up more face-to-face time. 

If you work at a large company — or you or your boss works remotely — scoring face-to-face time can be challenge. Thanks to email and internal messaging apps, it’s easy to stay in touch, but without that real in-person interaction, it can be kind of awkward when you’re trying to get to know one another.

If you work in the same building, make an effort to check in with them more often, suggests Mike Renehan, a writer for the HubSpot Sales Blog. If their schedule permits, set up time to touch base with them every other week. If they’re really tied up, seek other opportunities to score some time with them. For example, you may want to volunteer for a project that requires one on one time with them, or attend an event they’ll also be heading to. 

If you work remotely or in a separate office from your boss, try video calls. While it’s slightly less natural than real face-to-face time, it’s a close second. And if you’re struggling to learn more about them, follow them on Twitter and be sure to connect with them on LinkedIn, too. 

“Simply reading his LinkedIn profile may help you find common ground if you know where he went to school and companies where he used to work,” explains Ellie Eckhoff, VP of ClearRock, a leadership development and executive coaching firm.

11) Read up on their personality profile.

Does your company issue a workplace personality profile such as DiSC?

A DiSC assessment — short for dominance, influence, steadiness, and conscientiousness — is designed to help you increase your self-knowledge by highlighting “how you respond to conflict, what motivates you, what causes you stress, and how you solve problems.”

“It’s a great way to learn more about your boss’ communication style,” suggest Emma Snider, Section Editor for the HubSpot Sales Blog.

If you find it’s difficult to resolve conflicts with your boss or communicate challenges without upsetting them, try taking a look at their profile to reveal more effective ways to approach these situations that better align with their personality type.

How do you overcome awkwardness with your boss? Share your tips in the comments section below.

Your LinkedIn profile is a place for you to build your professional brand, showcase your achievements and skills, share content with other professionals, and connect with colleagues, business partners, and even potential employers.

And people will come across it in a variety of ways — whether they’re searching for employees at your company or in your industry, or they met you in person and want to remind themselves what you do or learn more about your accomplishments. No matter how or why they stumble on your profile, it better be darn impressive.

What makes a LinkedIn profile stand out? How do you get more recommendations? What hidden features can help you enhance your profile? (Keeping hidden relationship notes is my personal favorite.) And finally, what does an optimized LinkedIn profile actually look like?

To help you achieve LinkedIn profile perfection, the folks at LeisureJobs created the infographic below. It’s a fully comprehensive, visual guide covering everything from the dos and don’ts of a LinkedIn profile to SEO tips to help your profile show up in search results. 

Download the full guide here to learn how to use LinkedIn for professional networking, business, and marketing.

This post originally appeared on HubSpot’s Sales Blog. To read more content like this, subscribe to Sales.

We all want to be as efficient as possible, but that can be a challenge — especially if we have an overwhelming to-do list.

How do we determine which tasks on our to-do list are most important? Some productivity experts advocate for “eating the frog” and doing your most difficult task first. Others theorize the “two-minutes or less” approach is the best tactic.

But if neither of those work for you, I’d suggest trying a new technique: the impact vs. effort analysis. Before you begin a task, ask yourself: How much effort will this take and what will the immediate impact be?

Running an impact vs. effort analysis allows you to quickly determine which of your tasks is going to have the most immediate impact in the least amount of time. 

Have two minutes to spare? Try running your own impact vs. effort analysis by following the steps below.

How to Conduct and Use an Impact vs. Effort Analysis

1) Write down your to-do list.

Writing down a to-do list allows you to determine the most important five to 10 tasks you have on a given day. Studies show when we write down our goals, we’re more likely to achieve them. With a clear list, we don’t have to waste time thinking about what’s next.

2) Rank the tasks on impact and effort.

Go through each of the tasks on your to-do list and rank them on both impact and effort. Based on these rankings you can determine which tasks on your to-do list are the most crucial. Rewrite your to-do list based on this analysis.

You’ll end up with four distinct types of tasks, which you can plot on the quadrant below:

3) Start with the high impact, low effort goals.

By focusing on the high impact, low effort goals first, we can establish some success early in the day, making the high effort goals easier to accomplish. Studies have shown that by accomplishing a multitude of small goals, we are more likely to complete larger goals.

4) Then conquer high impact, high effort goals.

Once you’ve built up enough steam completing your high impact, low effort goals, move onto your high impact, high effort goals. These tasks are going to be more difficult, but their impact means that they need to be dealt with as soon as possible.

5) Next, focus on your low impact, low effort goals.

After a long day of making waves, turn your attention to your low impact, low effort goals. For example, this is the perfect time to respond to emails and clear out your inbox, organize your desk, or set up meetings for the next week. Low effort, low impact goals are easy wins, and as I pointed out earlier, easy wins add up to larger wins.

6) Finally look at your low impact, high effort goals.

Tasks that require hard work but offer little benefit will arise from time to time. When it comes to low impact, high effort goals, focus on chipping away at them over time as opposed to tackling them all at once. By doing this, you will achieve these goals over time without losing the necessary energy to make a high impact every day.

For an easy visual reminder of how this system works, keep the following quadrant handy:

Being productive comes down to managing your time as best as you can. By running all of your tasks through an impact vs. effort analysis, you can weed out unimportant ones and focus your attention on the critical goals you have for each day.

This post originally appeared on HubSpot’s Sales Blog. To read more content like this, subscribe to Sales.

We’ve all heard that you should never check your email when you first get to the office if you want to start your day at peak productivity. If you’re not careful, you’ll be lost in a black hole of links, articles, and email chains that don’t deserve your morning attention.

But if this is the case, how should you start your most precious working hours?

In Claire Diaz-Oritz’ book Design Your Day, she reminded me of one of my favorite productivity analogies involving a jar, a couple of big rocks, and a ton of small pebbles. If you start by pouring in all of the small pebbles, you won’t be able to fit the larger rocks. Now, flip your process. Begin with the big rocks, and all of your pebbles fit in nicely. Consider Ortiz’ thinking:

Life is the same way. It’s easy to fill up a day or a life with an endless series of pebbles and then not have the time, energy, or resources to fit in the big rocks. A life well designed is about making sure that the important stuff stays important, day in and day out.”

In other words, start your day with the largest, most intensive task. If you’ve prioritized your to-do list during yesterday’s end-of-day ritual, you should already know what that task is.

However, when you come back in the morning, there is a large possibility your mind is either racing because of all the tasks you need to get done or you’re groggy from a severe lack of caffeine. Neither of these states are ideal places to be when you need to tackle that “big rock” first thing.

Enter the brilliance of freewriting. Before you start your day — and yes, even before you log into your laptop — have a notebook and pen in hand. Check the clock. For 10 minutes, just write.

Before you think freewriting is just for a middle school English class, consider this: According to a study from Harvard Business School, regular workplace journaling is one of the best ways to improve professional performance. Not to mention research shows that occasionally writing by hand improves both memory and creativity.

Writers, of course, use this exercise to get past writer’s block. But for anyone else, freewriting will bring perspective to your work and narrow down the focus of your day. Even if your job involves absolutely no writing, this quick morning ritual will help you move past the mindset of prioritizing and ease into the heavy lifting of your day.

Does this mean your writing has to center around what you need to get done that day? Of course not. That would defeat the purpose of this being freewriting. Although it may take some time, train yourself not to stress over what words to put on the page. It could be as trivial as the song stuck in your head from your morning commute.

Consider mine from this morning:

Today, I am starting to get stressed about the number of things I need to get done in the coming weeks. Writing my blog post will definitely be my priority. But after lunch, my focus has to be design. For this ebook, I need to brainstorm data visuals earlier in the writing process … “

The idea is, by writing what you know — whatever it may be on that particular morning — you’ll be able to sort out your thoughts and leave behind anything clouding your best thinking.

If you’re stuck, use these prompts:

• Recently, I’m struggling with …

• If I had more time in the day, I’d use it to …

• Today, I’ll relieve stress by …

• I feel out of my comfort zone when …

• My work is motivated by …

• This week, I’m thankful for …

• Today, I should avoid …

• I feel fulfilled at work when …

• From my team, I’m proud of …

• I work best when …


Remember, with freewriting there is no wrong answer. It doesn’t have to be pretty, or even legible for that matter. Embrace the stream of consciousness purge to clear your mind. Besides, what better way to boost your morning morale than to start with an automatic win?

Before long, your mornings will become a coveted part of your day — a time you can rely on to release tension and generate fresh ideas.