Top Ten Tips - Dealing With A Difficult Boss
By Tip Dude | Dec 23, 2007
Categories: Boss, Conversation, Difficulty, Employment, Etiquette, Job, Job Search, Manners, Office, Personality, Relationships, Work, Workplace
Most of us go to work every day. Some of us are lucky enough to work with good bosses. Others are constantly tearing their hair out. While not all bosses will be good bosses or tamed, you can do some damage control if you happen to be unlucky enough to have to work with a difficult personality:
- Know Your Boss’s Motivation And Pressures - There are a few different kinds of difficult bosses; yellers, micromanagers, know-it-alls, bullies and insecure idiots are just a few. Knowing what motivates them allows you to come up with a strategy to minimize the chances that you end up on the receiving end of their tantrum. Yellers by and large just have the innate need to yell - and if you understand that it isn’t personally directed at you, you might have an easier time. Micromanagers just want you to smile and nod. Once in a while, sit back and think about what made your boss explode - then you might be able to deal with it more effectively.
- Know Your Role - It is surprisingly common for both the boss and the subordinate not to know what their role is within the company. Sometimes, the two of you have different expectation of what your role is. What you need is to communicate and come to a mutual understanding of what the expectation is. If you feel the expectation is unfair, you can deal with that separately in a different context. Even if it is unfair, it is important for you to understand what your boss expects from you.
- One Thing At A Time - Friction can develop between bosses and subordinates if the boss is disorganized and hands out a series of completely different tasks all in one sentence. Depending on your rapport with your boss, you may be able to help him or her prioritize and organize their thoughts. If the boss doesn’t appreciate your “talking back,” you will have to take careful notes, guess their priorities and pick off their demands one-by-one. Even if the boss demands you do everything at once, don’t - just because they don’t understand you can’t drive and eat a bagel at the same time doesn’t mean you have to learn to do it. You can eat the bagel first and then drive.
- Report On What You’ve Been Working On - Even though not all bosses necessarily appreciate this, it is still necessary evil. Generally, employees are viewed as more productive if bosses are aware of what they have accomplished. Once a day, drop in for a few minutes and outline what tasks you have completed, and what others you will tackle tomorrow. If you absolutely can’t talk to your boss, send an e-mail or leave a message. The chances are the tasks you’ve reported as being “completed” will reduce their stress level because it’s one less thing for them to worry about.
- A Little Courtesey And Respect Goes A Long Way - Tip Dude occasionally address my superiors as “Sir,” basically in jest. (He hasn’t yet worked for a female manager yet, mostly because of his field of expertise.) He has found that even though it is obviously a joke, it recognizes implicitly that they’re the boss and he’s the subordinate. Not that it matters at all in his field, but if you can make your boss’s day more pleasant or create the illusion that they’re respected, they’re probably less likely to pick on you. Of course, it pays to have basic manners and courtesy, too. Say please and thank you, and don’t chew while talking.
- Take Your Lunch Break - Some of Tip Dude’s colleagues have reported that they need a lunch break to “decompress” away from the office - it’s particularly true for people who have overbearing bosses. The chances are, if they can’t find you, they’ll get their yelling or panicking fix from some other unfortunate soul. It also gives you a chance to cool down if you’ve been annoyed at something all morning.
- Understand The Company’s Core Business - For most people, a job is just a job. But if you try to understand the company’s business at least a little bit, it will probably improve your promotion chances, and you’ll be more useful to your boss. Most bad bosses are bad because they’re either inept or aren’t getting what they need from their employees. If you learn and know the business, you’ll either replace your boss or you’ll be better able fulfill your boss’s needs.
- Think In Terms Of The “Team” - This sounds cliche, but it is basically how businesses run. If you constantly think in terms of how you can help your boss - but also how your boss can help you - then you’ll probably reduce stress levels in both of you. Your boss can usually get you the information, equipment, support, or power to get the job done, but only if you let them know what you need. Your boss probably relies on you to look good in front of his or her superiors, so don’t let your boss down.
- Maintain Your Resume - Even though most career advice say it is better to work for a bad boss at a good firm than a good boss at a bad firm, you could have the best of both worlds if you can work for a good boss at a good firm. So keep shopping yourself around. Maintain contacts with people you meet and people you work with - your recommendation doesn’t have to come from your boss, especially if you have a bad boss! You should always know what your options are, in the event that you decide to change jobs tomorrow.
- Know When to Fire Your Boss - This is probably the hardest call. You could be jumping from the frying pan into the fire. But sometimes things are so bad you have no choice but to jump, especially when the reason your boss is bad is beyond his or her control - for example, economy might be really bad, or your boss might just be incompetent. Usually, firing an incompetent boss can only help your career prospects, because you’ll presumably find a job with a more secure and better managed company with more capable bosses - but beware, firing a good boss in a bad economy will just put you out of a job. Just be sure you know what you’re dealing with. Remember, if the ship is going down, you don’t have to go down with it.
How have you dealt with a difficult boss?
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This article interesting and informative.