Managing your Boss!

In an ideal world, we would all have fantastic managers. Hopefully, most of your bosses are competent, kind, and even, worthy of your trust and respect. Bosses who help you to succeed, who make you feel valued, and who are just all-around great people. Unfortunately, too often, employees have difficult bosses who impact their desire to engage and contribute at work. But, whether the person we work for is a micromanager, has anger management issues, or just isn't very competent, we still have to make the best of the situation and get our job done.

To help out, here's some advice that might help you with a difficult manager. Use these tips to find some common ground with your boss or at least stay sane until you find your next role.

1. Are you really dealing with a 'Bad Boss'?

Before trying to fix your bad boss, ensure you really are dealing with one. Is there a reason for his/her behaviour, or are you being too hard on him/her? Observe him/her for a few days and try to notice how many things he/she does well versus poorly. When he/she is doing something 'bad', try to imagine the most forgiving reason why it could have occurred. Is it truly his/her fault, or could it be something out of his/her control? Perhaps he/she has been instructed to undertake an unsavoury task. Perhaps what you perceive as a 'bad' action might be necessary and based on reasons/facts unknown to you. Perception can often not be factual.

2. What is the motivation?

Understanding why your boss does or cares about certain things can give you insight into his/her management style. If the rules are totally out of control, try to figure out your boss’ motivation. Maybe it’s not that he/she really cares about how long your lunch break takes but that he/she actually cares about how it looks to other employees and their superiors.

3. Don't let it affect your work

No matter how bad your boss' behaviour, avoid letting it affect your work. You want to stay on good terms with other leaders in the company and keep your job! Try to keep your professionalism and true to your skills. Don’t try to even the score by working slower, or taking excessive 'mental health' days or longer lunches. It will only put you further behind in your workload and build a case for your boss to score your performance low and it can certainly be viewed negatively by your peers and superiors. This will be detrimental to you rather than your boss. 

4. Stay one step ahead

A great start to halting micromanagement in its tracks is to anticipate the tasks that your manager expects and get them done well ahead of time. If you reply, “I actually already left a draft of the schedule on your desk for your review,” enough times, you’ll minimise the need for his/her reminders. They will realise that you have your responsibilities on track and that he/she doesn’t need to watch your every move.

5. Document everything

Document all interactions with your boss. Whether they are requests or criticisms. This will enable you to refer back to them if they ever contradicts themselves. 

When your boss asks you for something, get it in writing. You need to create a paper trail of all requests as well as everything you produce. If your boss is the type who gives you directions verbally, follow up with an email that outlines the discussion to ensure that you heard everything correctly. Cover yourself at all times and be prepared to pull out your documented proof if your boss questions your outputs.

6. Wait - don't react immediately
 
When dealing with conflict, make sure to give it some time before reacting. Timing is often everything when managing conflict with a boss. Sometimes it makes more sense to wait it out than confront the situation head on. If your boss has a lot on their plate this month, their stress level may be high and they might not take as kindly to your issues. A bit of empathy in this situation will stand you in good stead. 

7. Be a Leader
 
When dealing with an incompetent boss, sometimes it's best to make some leadership decisions on your own. If you know your work well and have the required skills, there is no reason to not go ahead creating and pursuing a direction you know will achieve good results for your organisation. This proactive attitude is critical for success. People who do this are naturally followed by their peers as an informal leader. Management, although maybe not your direct boss, will notice your initiative. Of course, you don’t want to do something that undermines the boss, so keep him/her in the loop.

8. What are the triggers?

If your boss has anger management problems, identify what triggers his/her meltdowns and be extra militant about avoiding those. For instance if your manager gets annoyed at spelling errors, double and triple-check your work before submitting for review. 

9. Avoid future 'Bad Bosses'

When interviewing with a new company, do your research ahead of time to make sure you're not getting into another situation with a less than ideal manager. Learn from your experiences and be clear on what behaviours you will not tolerate and what work culture you don't wish to participate in. If you have any contacts in the organisation you have considering as your future workplace, find out general information about the company, team and the culture. However, use this opportunity to discover as much about your potential boss as possible, without appearing creepy, of course.

10. No change?

If nothing changes, despite your best efforts, and you think the problem is that they don’t believe you visit your boss’s manager and explain your situation. You may have information from other coworkers but ensure this information is dependable before you present them to your boss's manager. This will enable him/her to address your boss's behaviour.

There are other strategies you can apply as well. Here is a good article that provides you more tips. 

Whatever you do, do not get intimated by a bully! Stand tall, never cower.