While I usually write about how to successfully grow your business, I know that a lot of people aren’t there yet. A lot of people are still working the 9-5, dreaming of being a Lazy Owner. While I worked for “the Man”, I still wanted to be Lazy while being successful and get promoted. For the most part, these are some things that I did to be successful, while beginning on my road to being a Lazy Owner.

1. Become Great Friends with Your Boss - While it doesn’t always seem fair, people naturally respond better to people that they like.  If you establish a good relationship with your boss, they’re more likely to give you some leniency or provide a better review for you.  Don’t brown nose - just treat them like an old friend.
2. Know What Your Boss’ Boss Wants - In the end, you are only getting directions from your boss because they are getting directions from their boss.  The sooner you understand what these are and what is motivating them, the sooner you can help meet those needs, and not worry about what you used to think was important.
3. Focus on the Major Tasks - Once you know what your Boss’ Boss wants, focus on those tasks.  Get them done right and get them down right away.  Again, this is the most important stuff to your boss and they will look at you as being indispensable if you’re meeting their needs on time, all the time.
4. Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff - Too often, I would see people worried about the smallest details that didn’t make any difference.  Don’t miss the obvious stuff but don’t spend hours worrying about formatting, etc.  Focus on the important things - that’s what your boss will remember. 
5. Send E-mails Before You Go To Work and After You Go Home - You don’t have to actually log on and do any work but it shows dedication to your boss when they see e-mails at 7AM and 11PM.  Just save an e-mail or two that you want to send or respond to one that doesn’t take much time.
6. Volunteer for Everything - Initially, this is counter-intuitive but it can eventually reduce the amount of work you do.  I also think it’s one of the best ways to impress your boss - shows that you can handle the multiple responsibilities of someone at a level above you.
7. Get a Personal Assistant - So this might not be feasible if you work in a government or financial industry and it could be frowned upon by some employers, but if there are any repetitive tasks you have that can be outsourced, take advantage of the opportunity to impress your boss.
8. Know Something Better than Anyone - Don’t become the jack-of-all-trades.  Make sure that you’re the resident expert on at least one subject area.  You don’t have to keep up on multiple domains but you become indispensable to your boss.