How to Handle a Monster Boss

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not a boss hater. In my time I’ve had a couple of fantastic bosses who have really helped shape my career into what it is today. They were kind, considerate and acted as mentors throughout my term of employment. That said, I’ve also encountered my fair share of megalomaniacal monsters who lurk in corridors, or, behind mahogany desks, and scatter employees in pitiful displays of shaking knees and teary dashes to the bathroom.

These people are the bane of the working world; they’re nasty, hypercritical and often have bad breath. They scream and shout to get things done, and are often more of a hindrance to the working process than the driving force they believe themselves to be. In a nutshell, some bosses really do suck. When you’re faced with a boss like this, you have one of two options. You can start exploring a possible career move, or, you can take charge of the situation and try and establish some better relationship terms.

The first thing that you have got to do if you’re looking at bolstering your relationship with your boss is to establish if your boss really is a monster. You might think to yourself that that sounds a little silly; the boss is being horrible, therefore the boss is a horrible monster. That’s not always the case. Occasionally, the boss is being horrible, because you’re not doing your job properly and you’re letting down the team. If that’s the case, then you, unfortunately, are the monster employee. Start by digging up your job description and your performance requirements. Ask yourself: "Am I meeting my job requirements and, am I doing the job to the best of my abilities?"

Now, if you answered yes to both of those questions the probability of a monster boss is increasing. Just to be sure, ask yourself this final question: "Is my performance comparable or superior to colleagues in a similar position?" If the answer is no, you should probably stop being so touchy and try pulling your socks up. You’ll be amazed at how delivering the goods will improve your working relationships. If, however, you answered yes to this question, the condolences and congratulations are in order; you’ve identified your monster boss. Now you need to address the situation.

Unfortunately, not everyone you encounter in your working life will be the perfect match to your personality. You’ll get bosses and colleagues who’ll rub you up the wrong way wherever you go. Crying about is not going to help. You need to face this reality, and move forward from here.

Bosses, like everyone else, like to have their egos stroked. One of the easiest ways to achieve this is to defer to their experience. Ask for advice or input in areas where you don’t always think you need it. Your boss might very well surprise you and offer some unexplored insights. Be careful though. Running to your boss for advice on minuscule tasks and asking obvious questions may not always yield the results that you’d like. You may come across as inexperienced or worse, incompetent. Use your discretion when attempting to ego stroke, it can be a very trick game.

Take the higher ground and treat your boss in a friendly and professional manner, even if you’d like to throttle them on the spot. Smothering them with love is not a terrible option. It’ll make you appear personable and easy to work with.

In a work environment, diligence and professionalism are always recognised and appreciated. If you find that your day features some extra free time, offer to take on additional work or get involved in training up a new employee. Think about your offers and suggestions and try to make your day more productive. The better a boss’s company or department performs, the happier they’ll become. If you happen to be the star employee driving the productivity, your boss will start to warm up to you.

If your boss is a true leviathan of the deep, you might want to consider sitting down and discussing the manner in which they treat you with him or her. Whatever you do, don’t try and get the HR department involved before you have tackled your boss one-on-one. Some bosses are insecure and cloak their insecurities behind a mask of iron fisted rule. As a result, going over their heads will result in some serious resentment directed your way. When you talk to your boss, air your grievances in a professional manner. Don’t start pointing fingers and making wild accusations. Try to stay calm, collected and matter of fact. Trying to whine your way towards resolution will not help in the slightest. Nobody likes a whinger.

You should also be ready for the fact that you might be rubbing your boss up in the wrong way. If this is this case, establish what it is that you are doing and put a stop to it. It’s important to remember that relationships are two-way interactions and the state of your working relationship may not be entirely your boss’s fault.

If talking to your boss doesn’t help, it might be time to get the HR department involved. In no way should you think of this as a resolution. It’s not. You’re merely getting a third party to intervene on your behalf. In most cases you will achieve a solution which works for you, but there will always be a little resentment from your boss’s side. Not cool.

If you have taken steps to improve your relationship with your boss and have been met with nothing but dragon breath, it might be time to consider moving to a new working environment. Consider your options carefully and prepare well in advance. Scouring jobs online is a great place to start. Under no circumstances should you throw your toys out of the cot and storm out.



Source: http://talentocean.co.za/magazine/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=20:how-to-handle-a-monster-boss