Sure, you’re ambitious and talented. But unless you’re seen as trustworthy, too, you’ll remain a wage slave forever. Here’s how to earn your boss’ trust – FAST!

1. Be Like Him

We inherently trust people who are like us, so emphasize things you have in common. Maybe you both went to Florida State University. Or to another ACC school. Or to state schools. Or to schools with annoying fight songs. Even tenuous connections build trust.

2. Like Him

Imagine that a coworker comes into your office one day after a meeting and says, “I liked the passion you brought to your argument.” When he leaves, you think, “Smart guy, good head on his shoulders,” even though he didn’t say he agreed with you and even hinted that you’re a raving lunatic. That’s the power of “like.” Now, go like everything your boss does.

3. Shadow Him

Your boss wears striped Brooks Brothers shirts 3 days a week? Mimic his look. He grabs a second cup of coffee at 10am every day? Cross paths with him often, java in hand. He uses a Blackberry instead of an iPhone? RIM will be happy to sell you one, too. Tiny similarities like these will seep into his psyche, and he’ll start seeing you as an extension of himself.

4. Protect Him

It’s not exactly brave – but it is important – to support your boss’ ideas in public. But you can be sneaky with this one, too: Stomp a bug (real or imaginary) outside his office, or warn him about that crappy new restaurant in town. Guard his interests and he’ll start championing yours.

1. Your Premium May Go Down
The uninsured usually can’t afford their treatment, so the rest of us pay hidden surcharges, says Ron Pollack, executive director of Families USA, a group favoring reform. This “tax” averaged $1017 per family in 2008, the group says. Covering the uninsured would lower it, he says.

2. Small Business Could Benefit
The percentage of small businesses providing coverage for employees dropped from 67 to 38 in the past 13 years, says Molly Brogan of the National Small Business Association. Reform could lead to subsidies to help them pay, which could boost the economy as well.

3. Your Income May Go Up
As health-care expenses climb, companies shift costs to employees or cut back in other areas. If costs are under control, more of your employer’s revenue could go into your pay, says Jeffrey Grossman, M.D., president of the University of Wisconsin Medical Foundation.

4. You Might Worry Less
Right now you’re healthy, employed, and covered. But say you develop a medical condition and change jobs. Your new insurance company may deny you coverage, or offer coverage that’s unaffordable. Reforms would insure that you have an affordable option, Pollack says.

5. Your ER Care Would Improve
People who are uninsured often use the ER as a primary-care’s doctor’s office. That means you’re crowding out insured folks. Three out of four people requiring immediate care have to wait an average of 28 minutes, a government report reveals.

Feel any better now? Without getting all political, what are your thoughts on the health-care reform plan? Tell us in the comments.