Are you a victim of bossism? People don’t leave jobs—they leave bosses and bossism. Here’s a difficult scenario: you’re employed in a company, and your difficult boss constantly burns your calm temperament. He yells at you in front of others, is easily angered, overreacts, and instead of sharing information, spreads chaos, tension, and bullying among employees. Yet, you’re still expected to report to your immediate boss and aim for growth within the company. If you’re a female employee, the intimidation factor may add another layer of challenge in some cases.
Sarcastic response and Exit Strategy is not always the solution. Further, your boss might leave the job shortly due to his idiosyncratic behavior. Consequentially you should not leave it.
In most of the cases, it is wise to devise modus operandi of dealing in a better way with your boss.
Below-mentioned techniques are a few tips for managing your boss:
1. Problematic Client And Aggressive mother-in-law
Think of your over-demanding boss as a problematic client and angry mother-in-law for dealing with him carefully and successfully. Handle them with courtesy, If you want to move up in your ladder of success.
2. Give priority to those things which your Boss is weak at
If your boss lacks time management skills, make his daily routine and prioritize his activities. If he is more disorganized then help them in being organized. This would lend a helping hand to him during the crisis and will increase your trust balance in his account. This trait is one of the most valuable assets.
3. Identify sensitive motivators of Boss
The better you understand the cause-and-effect relationship of your boss’s behavior, more easier will be to deal with him, meet his expectations, and avoid chaos. Try to understand his point of view by putting yourself in his shoes. The Same guideline is also applicable to your boss. A few things to know about your boss
What does he prefer most and what he doesn’t like?
What does he care most?
Is he fearful of any specific thing?
What mode of communication he likes –Mobile, E-Mail, or any other medium?
What is his criterion for measuring success and his point of view about it?
Consequentially, if you know what motivates your boss, you can easily fine-tune your understanding with your boss by adapting.
4. Bring that change in yourself that you expect from others
If you want others to respect you, give respect to them and then you will receive it with interest.
If you expect that your boss should not talk in a rising tone, don’t shout.
This is a universal phenomenon: When a subordinate officer approaches his boss with due respect, genuine reason and as a well-wisher, it uplifts trust level of the boss and thus enables more coordination.
5. Categorization of Bosses
Recalling history in a hurry, one of the Industrial psychologist remarked that managing a difficult boss is a challenge but it is not impossible. There are two types of difficult bosses: the First one behaves rudely due to the stress of performing well and other one behaves in a rude way due to his personality traits. There is a significant difference in approaching these kinds of bosses. The first category is relatively easy to handle.
6. Behind the curtain
If you have been insulted by your boss in front of your colleague, don’t revert in the same way to your boss in front of his juniors. Instead, when he is alone in his cabin start the conversation by using the words –Can I discuss my concerns? Don’t mix personal ego with your business persona. Don’t involve yourself in a power struggle.
7. The whole Family faces trouble for one mistake
Don’t view the job as an individual phenomenon–losing a job would impact every family member enormously. As per a recent survey, hundreds of people have lost their job in the UK and their families have also faced trouble.
8. Maintain a Distance
During informal communication with the boss, sometimes we mingle so much that we share the information with the boss which might be potentially against you.
Are you a victim of bossism? People don’t leave jobs—they leave bosses and bossism. Here’s a difficult scenario: you’re employed in a company, and your difficult boss constantly burns your calm temperament. He yells at you in front of others, is easily angered, overreacts, and instead of sharing information, spreads chaos, tension, and bullying among employees. Yet, you’re still expected to report to your immediate boss and aim for growth within the company. If you’re a female employee, the intimidation factor may add another layer of challenge in some cases.
However, remember that your difficult boss is also a human being. He may be struggling with low self-esteem, seeking validation and admiration despite holding a high position—perhaps due to experience, family business ties, or other non-performance-based factors. Offer positive feedback when appropriate, but avoid becoming emotionally entangled. Be supportive, yet maintain healthy boundaries and remain professionally guarded.
To sum up, you can’t change your boss and other people, but you can develop skills in dealing with manipulative bosses.
