Andrea writes for FoundCareer, the totally free job site that's unlike other job web sites. Need more career advice like how to negotiate a job offer letter? Read Andrea's article The Job offer Letter - How to Negotiate a Job Offer Letter.
Consider yourself extremely lucky if you’ve never had to bear the wrath of a difficult boss. You may still want to read this article though. I hate to break it to you, but at one point or another in our careers, unfortunately most of us will have to deal with a boss that can make our lives a living nightmare. If you’ve ever worked for a toxic manager, you know what I’m talking about.
Bad bosses come in all shapes and forms. Some managers yell while others steal credit. Some whine and others are just plain quirky. And then you have those who are downright incompetent, and you wonder how in the world they ever got to where they are. So how do you deal with an ineffective manager? Quitting your job is an option, but probably not a realistic option for most of us. Don’t despair. There are ways to overcome the challenges presented by a lousy employer. Leadership experts call it “managing up”. It’s a way of getting around your manager’s shortcomings so that you can excel at your job.
In their new book called Working for You Isn’t Working for Me: The Ultimate Guide to Managing Your Boss, authors Katherine Crowley and Kathi Elster offer the following advice:
1. Detect the problems that exist in your relationship with your boss. Ask yourself, is it him or is it me? Be as objective as you can. Consider your boss’ relationship with others in the workplace. Do others seem to have the same issues or do they seem to get along just fine?
2. Accept the behavior. You’re not going to change your boss so you’re going to have to modify your own behavior.
3. Depersonalize the experience. It’s highly likely that if your boss is toxic, it has nothing to do with you. He was that way before you reported to him and he’ll be that way after you leave.
4. Deal with the situation. By coming to terms with the fact that this is just the way your boss is and accepting it, you’ll be able to deal with the challenges that face you and move forward.
The authors offer great advice but are realistic. They recognize that their strategies will only take you so far. If your boss is making you absolutely miserable and it’s affecting your health, leaving your job may be the right option.
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