|
|
How to Work with a Bad Boss
publication date: Apr 27, 2010
|
author/source: by Dean Gualco
by Dean Gualco
Why can’t I get along with my supervisor? No matter what I do, they seem to constantly degrade and criticize my attitude, my work, and my overall performance. I can’t seem to do anything right!
Sound familiar? Unfortunately, all too familiar for some. I’m convinced that, at some point in your professional life, you’ll be placed in just such as situation. You’ll work for a supervisor or manager that you feel is condescending, critical, or simply evil. What to do? There are really no simple answers, and even fewer approaches or strategies that I believe resolve an unhealthy, contentious relationship between a manager and a supervisor.
The most common strategy to address a strained relationship with your supervisor is to, “talk with your supervisor,” as if reason and logic is the panacea to a fractured relationship. This is, however, not often successful. Seldom will the supervisor say, in all honesty, “I’m jealous of your success,” or, “I’m intimidated by your ambitions,” or simply, “I just don’t like you.” But the approach sounds good anyway.
Another strategy is to inform higher management of your difficulties in working with your supervisor. Your probability for success using this approach is even less encouraging. Why? For two reasons: first, because high-level management, in all likelihood, was responsible for promoting that supervisor and may be hesitant to admit to a promotional mistake. Second, your supervisor has, again in all likelihood, already informed their manager about the difficultly in working with you and, thus, your reputation has been established.
Ultimately, both strategies fail because they ignore a truism about conflict: a rational approach (e.g., conversation, logic, etc.) to resolve an irrational situation (e.g., conflict with a supervisor, friend, etc.) is rarely worth the time and effort. A healthy relationship requires both individuals to be willing and able to address the inevitable challenges; if one person is unable or uninterested in do so, it is an exercise in futility and disappointment.
In my latest book, The Good Manager: A Guide for the 21st Century Manager, I devote consideration attention to the need for a manager to be good. In fact, I believe the one attribute that will most likely determine your success or failure as a manager is the ability to be a good person, one who is incredibly kind-hearted, controls their most destructive human emotions, tells the truth, does what’s right, and always looks for the good along the road of life. They make work fun, and I am convinced that people yearn for fun in their life, for a time and place where they feel comfortable and are welcomed regardless of their challenges and difficulties. If that place can be where they work, where their manager instills a sense of adventure and excitement in what they do and who they do it for, I believe the repercussions for such a work environment will lead to a level of loyalty, commitment, and productivity rarely seen in an organization.
I would be remise, though, if I didn’t offer three approaches to consider when you work for, or with, a vindictive or even evil manager. First, you must be absolutely competent in your profession. This requires considerable time and is stressful, but it does not give your supervisor an opportunity to highlight your errors and mistakes. Force your supervisor to lie about your competence, with the hope that the truth will see the light.
Second, endeavor to establish a reputation beyond your supervisor. Avoid allowing your supervisor to define your reputation; it certainly won’t be good. Instead, interact and cultivate with a wide array of contacts, including customers, fellow employees, and other supervisors. In this way, you may establish a positive performance reputation regardless of the misguided attempts by your own supervisor.
Finally, prepare for your next job. It is a rarity when an employee bests their supervisor, mainly because of the influence and power that a supervisor commands within most organizations. Prepare your resume, broaden your network of contacts, and begin your job search. With some luck, your work situation will improve and your job search would have been premature; in all likelihood, your job search will be a fantastic investment for a better future.
The quest for goodness in your personal and professional life is an exhilarating quest, one that is attainable to those with the drive and desire to live a good and decent life. As employees search for the perfect job in the perfect career, look should look first for a manager that is kind and generous person. As organizations search for the most talented employees, look first for a decent and honorable manager who has only the purest and noblest intentions for the employees. Inevitably, I believe our happiness or unhappiness in the workplace depends on finding that good person. Never settle until you find such a person to work with; never stop until you become one yourself.
About the Author
Dean Gualco is the author of The Good Manager: A Guide for the Twenty-First Century Manager. He currently serves as the Human Resource Manager for the City of Lodi and has taught collegiate management and organizational development courses for over 15 years.
|
