Unless you are self employed or have your own business, you are likely to have a boss. In the corporate world one comes across people from different backgrounds with different temperaments. Bosses too are human beings with their own likes and dislikes; if you could understand the nature of your boss it would help you to build a positive relationship, which in turn would help create a more pleasant work experience and may even enable you to move up in your career more smoothly.

Here are five tips that life coaches often give to help you to achieve manage your relationship with your boss even better:

1. Be aware of your boss's work style, avoid ever trying to change your boss, it just won't work. With a little bit of effort you can learn to read your boss's moods and reactions. In fact you can turn this around and learn a lot from your boss who is likely to have a lot of experience and knowledge to share with you.

2. Make an effort and take the time to give feedback on the job given to you and keep your boss informed of your status including any delays that may occur; , it could help in improving relations and could increase his confidence in you. As a general rule for better communication, always be sure to return his / her calls and reply to every mail from your boss.

3. Use open communication with your boss to better your relationship with him/her. Bosses respect your knowledge and professionalism as it enables them to understand that you are serious about your work and that they can rely on you.

You are also respected for your integrity and for courage of conviction. They like people who bring in suggestions of solutions instead of just problems with the expectation that the boss will give them a ready answer.

4. Take responsibility for finding a method of keeping your boss up-to-date and regularly informed of the work you are doing. This allows your boss to know what is going on at all times and it also allows for any errors or amendments to be addressed immediately rather than be left to the last minute. There are a variety of methods that you could apply, these include: succinct email updates, reports, or brief meetings; you chose the approach that works best for you and your boss, by discussing and agreeing this in advance.

5. The reality is that there are times when you may make mistakes that could bring out an angry reaction from you boss. Be careful how you deal with this; we tend to react by going into a defensive and denial mode; whereas, if you are able to take a deep breath and take the time do a root cause analysis of the problem, introspect and have the humility to admit your mistake, your actions are more likely to be appreciated and this behaviour will more likely build trust and respect and leave a very positive impression on your boss. Think about how you can deal with a situation with a mature response rather than a 'childlike' reaction.

Remember, bosses are more inclined to like and respect people who are real, honest, true and upfront. However, there are some bosses who can't be pleased, whatever you do; they may be abusive, scheming, insecure, autocratic or poor communicators themselves. Although there is no absolute rule as to how to deal with this type of boss, for your own well-being and safety in the work environment, it may be best to keep a safe distance, keep them well informed of what you are doing, try to keep your cool and smile. Where a boss is unbearable, and if appropriate, you could ask for a transfer. And again, if and where appropriate, you can register a complaint against your boss, hoping that top management may realise the cost to the organisation of having such a person on board. If absolutely nothing works you may consider looking for a better job.

Those who work with their own life coach may find it easier to apply these tips over time in their work environment. Regardless, the tips above may go a long way in building a good working relationship with your boss, which potentially will help you to experience a happier work environment and it can help to reduce unnecessary stress.