How to Deal with a Mean Boss
Posted: Friday, January 22, 2010
by Carolyn Tytler
Everyone who has spent a length of time in the work force, will probably have had to deal with at least one mean boss. These characters can be pushy, rude, critical bullies, and they are sometimes actually abusive. They make your job harder and can affect your peace of mind, and your self-esteem, if you allow them to.
There are strategies which an employee can use to minimize the damage a mean boss can inflict. For a potential game plan, read on.
(2) Maintain a professional attitude. When the bully realizes you're easily intimidated, he will increase and strengthen his pressure tactics. Greet him pleasantly, use your best posture and always dress to reflect your professionalism, ability and success.
(3) Consider the complaints and criticisms the boss is levelling against you. Do they have any merit? It might be helpful to ask the opinion of a trusted co-worker. If so, make an honest effort to correct them.
(4) Carefully document all interactions between the boss and yourself, as well as your own activities during working hours. This will provide ammunition if you decide to complain to a higher authority later on.
(5) Speak to fellow employees and try to gain support. There is strength in numbers. It may be easy for a supervisor to ignore a written complaint from one person, but he could not ignore a document signed by all or most of his employees and perhaps submitted to upper management.
(6) Don't go over the supervisor's head alone unless it's a last resort. He will view the action as the worst form of back-stabbing and he may be able to torpedo your career somehow at a future time. Also, your co-workers may begin to see you as a tattle-tale.
(7) Never react to criticism or verbal abuse with anger. Use a neutral comment, such as, "I'm sorry you feel that way..." and try to turn the attack into a discussion. Ask for his advice, inquire how he would have done things differently. You may be able to turn a rude comment into a joint problem-solving session.
(8) Practice speaking in a confident manner. When addressed rudely, simply look the speaker in the eye and reply "I beg your pardon?" as if you can't believe what you heard. Sometimes when asked to repeat, the speaker realizes the inappropriateness of a remark.
(9) Even when confronted with arrogant criticism, try to maintain a pleasant manner. "You seem annoyed. Is there a problem?", can sometimes diffuse an attack when said with a smile. At least it shows you are not intimidated by bad behavior.
(10) You may eventually have to accept the fact that there is little you can do to change some managers. Being difficult is a permanent part of their personality.
When you reach that point, you have several options: [a] if your company is large, request a lateral transfer to another department, if you have had any luck on your job search, accept another position, or [c] remain where you are and decide to make the best of it.
(11) If you decide to remain, cultivate these habits to make life a little more pleasant:
* Leave work at work. Keep your personal life separate; it will lessen stress.
* Cultivate friends who don't work with you, and develop hobbies and interests in areas not related to your job.
* Take advantage of all the holiday time you have coming.
* Develop your networking skills. Make sure those in positions to help your career hear about your accomplishments and also about your interest in diversifying your job experiences.
As someone has said: "Nothing is permanent except change." In good time, either the pushy, rude bully of a boss will be moved or you will, and this unpleasant interval will seem like a bad dream.
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