I happen to be very fortunate. My boss, a mom of four, who has dealt with some outright craziness when it comes to being a working mom. She’s had bosses tell her, “Come back when you’re ready to be serious about your career,” as she called off work to stay home with a sick child. So she knows. She’s been there. So she’s pretty flexible if I need to take my daughter to the doctor, or if my son needs to stay home from daycare because of a fever.

But that is not to say that everything is hunky-dory. Some days I struggle in our relationship because we are total opposites. She likes to talk and be in the center of conversations and make people laugh. I like to sit on the sideline, be alone in my thoughts and only really open my mouth when I have something constructive to say. I'm no good at small talk. I try to be more talkative and speak up so that she doesn’t see me as “the quiet one,” a label I’ve gotten with every new interaction for the past 10 years.

Maybe you have the same problem. Or maybe it’s the opposite problem. Maybe you’re the talkative one and your boss would prefer you take it down a notch. Or maybe your boss is more of the Miranda Priestly-type.

But we all need a few tips, a little advice on how to make the most of our relationship with our bosses, right? I found these five tips on Poynter.org and thought they were worth sharing:

1. Be crystal clear about your boss’ priorities.
   This doesn’t mean waiting for that person to tell you. It means being a good reporter. Ask questions. Get clarity. Don’t assume you know. And don’t assume what you know hasn’t changed since the last time you checked.
2. Adapt to your boss’ work style.
   How does your boss like to exchange information, set and honor deadlines, do meetings, deal with pressure and delegate? Where is there opportunity for you to align your style or help fill in some of the boss’s gaps?

Click through to the article to see the last three tips.

I’m taking some of these solutions to heart. I’ve had the same boss for almost three years. I need to get it together. The days of claiming “I’m just a rookie” are long gone….