Sometime it is worth trying to understand the reason behind the behaviour of your boss. There might be a genuine reason for the misconduct, such as a grave personal problem that is spilling on to his professional life. If this is the case, the problem at best is temporary.
Well. A difficult boss is a universal phenomenon. All of us at one point in time or the other have faced the devil who called him/herself our boss that just loves twisting all what we do around and takes pleasure in trashing your hard day's work right into the bin without any compunction.
It has been noted that many hands-off manager may not realize that his failure to provide any direction or feedback makes him or her bad boss. She/he may think she/he’s empowering the staff. A manager who provides too much direction and micromanages may feel insecure and uncertain about his own job. He may not realize his direction is insulting to a competent, secure, self-directed staff member.
Or, maybe the boss lacks training and is so overwhelmed with his job requirements that he can’t provide support for you. Perhaps he has been promoted too quickly or his reporting responsibilities have expanded beyond his reach. In these days of downsizing, responsibilities are often shared by fewer staff members than ever before.
Take a time to talk to this boss. Tell him what you need from him/her in term of direction, feedback and support. Be polite and focus on your needs. Telling the boss she/he’s a bad boss is counterproductive and won’t help you meet your goals.
Most people are scared and find it difficult having a discussion with their boss concerning their abusive behavior because they fear reprimand or losing their job as a result of it. Well one can easily say that the fear is usually justified if the supervisor is a control-freak and feels that their subordinate is threatening their control.
Before you deal with any type of conflict, you always need to have an alternative plan should in case things don’t work out the way you plan. Having alternative plan is the best alternative that you can come up without having to negotiate anything with your boss.
In this type of scenario, your best alternative plan would probably take the form of having an actual job offer in hand with another employer before you have your talk. By not having a back-up plan, you have given your abusive boss even more leverage over you because they know you have nowhere else to go.
Having a good alternative plan however, empowers you with the ability to walk-away at any time should the negotiation not go right.
If you think the problem is that your boss can’t – or won’t – change, ask for a transfer to another department. This recommendation presumes you like your employer and your work.
Discuss rather than confront. When your boss criticizes you, don’t react out of emotion and become confrontational with them about it because that just breeds more conflict. Instead, use their criticism as a topic for discussion on interests, goals, and problem-solving and ask them for their advice. If they criticize your work, then that means that they have their own idea on how that work should be done, so ask them for their advice on how your work can be improved.
Don’t go to up the chain of command unless it’s a last resort. Going straight up the chain of command is not an effective way of dealing with a difficult supervisor because it only increases conflict in the workplace. Your immediate supervisor will consider this a very serious backstabbing maneuver and might seek some sort of retribution in the future against you and your career. Also, other people in your workplace might brand you as a whistleblower because of your actions. Try to discuss issues with your supervisor first and only go up the chain of command as a last resort.
Lastly if you just can't handle the stress anymore? Then go ahead and vent your woes about your unfortunate situation with your colleagues, friends, and family - well practically anyone who is willing to lend you a patient ear. During this will relieve you of tension and give you solace that you are not the only one afflicted with a bad sore-of a boss.
Sometimes, you just have to be a little diplomatic in your dealings with your boss. There are times when people in positions of power feel insecure due to their subordinates. In such situations, you have to make sure that you give colleagues and your boss credit for what you are able to accomplish.
