Sonia McDonald* says bad bosses maybe miserable to work with, but you can still make them good for your career.
Most of us will have worked with a bad boss at some time in our careers.
Not every boss is a good boss, as just about everyone has experienced in their working life.
Maybe you’ve never been considered for a promotion because you’re not one of the boss’s ‘favourite’ employees.
Or perhaps they often give you ‘urgent’ work just before the end of the day, insisting that it can’t wait until you get to work tomorrow.
No matter what they do, bosses like these can drive us crazy.
They’re often either power-mad with giant egos, or just plain clueless.
Bad bosses make us miserable; dealing with their negative behaviour day in and day out is exhausting.
It’s all too common, and its bosses, not organisations, that people often leave.
If you’re dealing with a bad boss, you can make it a good thing for your career. Here’s how.
Learning not to jump ship straight away.
We all face challenges, and running away almost never solves the problem.
It might seem like a good idea at the time to just up and quit when you have a bad boss, but you won’t be doing yourself any favours.
If you haven’t been strategic and lined up another position before quitting, you’ll find yourself desperate and taking the first offer you get.
Often, you end up even more miserable than you were originally, under an even worse boss.
You need to take the time to make sure that any job changes are for the benefit of your career.
Having the self-control and the patience to search for the right opportunity, rather than instantly running away, will serve you well in your career.
Learning how to deal with others’ emotions, and controlling your own reactions.
It may not be fun, but every time you have a conflict with your bad boss, you’ve got the opportunity to improve your emotional intelligence skills.
By handling situations where your boss blows up, instead of getting angry right back at them, you’re learning how to manage conflict.
This is an incredible skill-set for anyone to have, especially those of you who aspire to be leaders.
Great leaders can handle tense situations, making the workplace run smoother.
Learning how to be a better boss.
What better way to learn what behaviour to avoid as a leader than by experiencing it yourself?
Knowing how the actions of a bad boss affects employees like yourself personally gives you an important lesson in leadership.
Use the knowledge of what not to do, so that you can become a better boss than they were.
Dealing with a bad boss is never easy, but you need to remember that you can learn a lot from the experience.
Using the lessons you’ve learned, you can move forward in your professional development and your career — and that’s worth the misery of a bad boss.
Your time with your bad boss will come to an end, so take the time to make sure your next move is a great one.
*Sonia McDonald is the Chief Executive and founder of Brisbane-based LeadershipHQ. She can be contacted at soniamcdonald.com.au.
This article first appeared on LinkedIn.
