You are now a star in a supportive role. You’re going along great, receiving top assignments and endless accolades when suddenly things begin to change. Your boss does not seem to be as happy as when you first started. In fact, he has become downright snippy. The prime assignments are either being taken away or not given to you at all. You don’t understand why. What happened? Did your boss change or did you?

Life as a star supporter is fantastic. You need to ensure, however, you don’t become overbearing. Appearing arrogant or too egotistical can spark an immediate downfall. Here are some steps you can take to maintain your overall star supporter status.

*Do not complain about the amount of work assigned to you. Many employees smile in their manager’s face, while doing the “two-step” behind their back. Once the boss is out of earshot, the complaints about the boss and the workload begin. In many cases, the employee really enjoys the work. If you are one of those dual faced employees; bad move. Your complaints will definitely make it back to your supervisor, who will reverse their dependence and confidence in you.

*Constantly correcting your manager in front of others. While this may be an ego boost for you, most managers do not take kindly to feeling like they are incompetent, especially in front of others. This is a hard skill to practice and can occasionally mean swallowing your own ego. You are there to make your boss look good and when they look good, you look good. Making your boss feel incompetent is not the path to take.

*Do not reverse delegate. Sound like an oxymoron? Your manager’s job is to delegate to you, not the other way around. For example, if your job is that of a receptionist, don’t constantly ask your manager to cover the phones while you work on a project. Do you have too much on your plate? Talk to your manager to come up with an alternative plan to get the work done. Do not ask them to take some of the work back. Have a back up plan.

*Do not always constantly insist that you have a better way of getting the task done. You will come across as a “know-it-all”. Any suggestions should be made tactfully, otherwise you will give the impression that you are staging a take over of your manager’s job.

Starring in a supportive role is important, becoming overbearing while doing so is not the strategy you want to use. Sometimes swallowing our pride or adjusting the ego is necessary to show that you are still a star supporter.