Dealing With a Bad Boss
In an ideal world, all managers would know how to manage people. But the truth is that most people are promoted into management for their technical competencies, not for their people management skills. A terrible, idiotic, no-good boss is a scourge on your daily life. Almost all of us have suffered one at some point in our careers. No one is born a good leader; leadership skills have to be learned and developed.
What do bad bosses do? Frequently cited grievances include micromanaging, bullying, avoiding conflict, ducking decisions, stealing credit, shifting blame, hoarding information, failing to listen, setting a poor example, slacking, and not developing staff. Such dysfunctional behavior would make anyone unhappy and unproductive. However, whatever sins your boss commits, managing your relationship with him or her is a critical part of your job. Doing it well is a key indicator of how effective you are.
Most managers who bully, intimidate, cruelly criticize, name-call, and treat you as if you are stupid likely know what they are doing. They may know they’re bad and even revel in their awfulness. They may feel their behavior has been condoned—and even encouraged—within their organization. They may have learned the behaviors from their former supervisor who was viewed as successful. As long as there’s been work, there have been people who make it miserable for those underneath them.
Bad bosses almost always lack emotional intelligence/EQ. They can’t handle the fact that someone else on the team could be as smart/smarter and they do not like to be challenged. If you have the misfortune of working for one of these people, I’m sorry to say that it’s highly unlikely their behavior will change. After all, they didn’t suddenly become awful people when they were promoted to management—they’ve been working on that for years! Here are some quick tips for dealing with a bad boss:
Identify what’s bad. Is your boss a micromanager? A hoarder of credit? Is he just checked out? Ineffective? Simply a jerk?
Micromanage the micromanager. If you’re dealing with a micromanager, the best way to manage them is to flood them with information and complete tasks before they have a chance to ask you about them.
Set boundaries. Just because your workaholic boss likes spending 70+ hours per week at his computer and in meetings does not mean that you must as well. These types of managers always let everyone know how “hard” they work.
Be a leader yourself. Be proactive and make some leadership decisions on your own, without undermining your incompetent boss.
Change what is within your control. Experiment to learn how to navigate the relationship successfully. Change what you can and recognize that you have no real control over their attitude or behavior.
Bad bosses are part of our work life. If you’ve never had one, just wait. More importantly, if this resonates with you, and you might be one of the bad bosses, take a moment to decide where you want to go with your responsibilities. Find an outside voice to review your style and approach. Get an independent opinion about your work. Maybe you have some blind spots that can be fixed.
At the end of the day, your power lies in how you choose to respond. While you may not be able to change your boss, you can control your professionalism, protect your boundaries, and lead with integrity, regardless of who signs your paycheck.