Travis Bradberry* says bad bosses often build up resentment and antagonism within their teams until there is an explosion, but there are ways to defuse them.
Difficult bosses contaminate the workplace. Some do so obliviously, while others smugly manipulate their employees.
The bad boss has become a comedic part of work culture, permeating movies and television, but when you actually work for one, there’s nothing funny about it.
Bad bosses cause irrevocable damage by hindering your performance and creating unnecessary stress.
Studies have found that working for a bad boss increases your chance of having a heart attack by as much as 50 per cent.
Even more troubling is the number of bad bosses out there. Gallup research found that 60 per cent of Government workers are miserable because of bad bosses.
Significant percentages of workers describe their bosses as self-oriented (60 per cent), stubborn (49 per cent), and overly demanding (43 per cent).
Most bosses aren’t surprised by these statistics. A study found that 64 per cent of managers admit they need to work on their management skills.
So what do most people working for bad bosses do about it? Not much.
While 27 per cent of people working for a bad boss quit as soon as they secure a new job and 11 per cent quit without having secured a new job, an amazing 59 per cent stay put.
That’s an alarming number of people who are living with overwhelming stress and experiencing the trickle-down effects this has on their sanity and health.
What follows are the most common types of bad bosses and the strategies you can employ to neutralise them.
The Tyrant
They resorts to Machiavellian tactics and constantly make decisions that feed their ego.
The tyrant thinks of employees as a criminal gang aboard his ship.
High achievers who challenge their thinking are treated as mutinous.
Those who support their achievements with gestures of loyalty find themselves in the position of first mate.
Those who perform poorly are stuck cleaning the latrines and swabbing the decks.
A painful but effective strategy with the tyrant is to present your ideas in a way that allows them to take partial credit.
The tyrant can then maintain their ego without having to shut down your idea.
This way, you won’t find yourself on latrine duty.
The Micromanager
This is the boss who makes you feel as if you are under constant surveillance.
She even handed back your 20-page report because you used a binder clip instead of a staple.
The micromanager pays too much attention to small details, and her constant hovering makes employees feel discouraged, frustrated, and even uncomfortable.
Successful people appeal to micromanagers by proving themselves to be flexible, competent, and disciplined while staying in constant communication.
A micromanager is naturally drawn to the employee who produces work the way she envisions.
The challenge with the micromanager is grasping the “envisioned way”’
Of course, this will not always work. Some micromanagers will never stop searching for something to over-analyse and micromanage.
When this is the case, you must learn to derive your sense of satisfaction from within.
Remember, a good report without a staple is still a good report.
The Incompetent
This boss was promoted hastily or hired haphazardly and holds a position that is beyond his capabilities.
Most likely, he is not completely incompetent, but he has people who report to him that have been at the organisation a lot longer and have information and skills he lacks.
It is important to swallow your pride and share your experience and knowledge, without rubbing it in his face.
Share the information that this boss needs to grow into his role, and you’ll become his ally and confidant.
The Inappropriate Buddy
This is the boss who’s too friendly. He is constantly inviting you to hang out outside of work and engages in unnecessary office gossip.
He chooses favourites and creates divisions among employees who become frustrated by the imbalance in attention and respect.
The most important thing to do with this type of boss is to learn to set firm boundaries.
By consciously and proactively establishing a boundary, you can take control of the situation.
By distancing yourself from his behaviour that you deem inappropriate, you will still be able to succeed and even have a healthy relationship with your boss.
The Robot
In the mind of the robot, you are employee number 72 with a production yield of 84 per cent and experience level 91.
He makes little or no effort to connect with his employees and instead, looks solely to the numbers to decide who is invaluable and who needs to go.
To succeed with a robot, you need to speak his language. When you have an idea, make certain you have the data to back it up.
The same goes with your performance — you need to know what he values and be able to show it to him if you want to prove your worth.
Once you’ve accomplished this, you can begin trying to nudge him out of his antisocial comfort zone.
Do so in small doses, however, because he’s unlikely to respond well to the overbearing social type.
The Seagull
We’ve all been there — sitting in the shadow of a seagull manager who decided it was time to roll up his sleeves, swoop in, and squawk up a storm.
Seagulls interact with their employees only when there’s a fire to put out. Even then, they move in and out so hastily they make bad situations worse.
A group approach works best with seagulls.
If you can get the entire team to sit down with him and explain that his abrupt approach to solving problems makes it extremely difficult for everyone to perform at their best, this message is likely to be heard.
*Travis Bradberry is the award-winning co-author of the bestselling book, Emotional Intelligence 2.0, and the co-founder of TalentSmart. He can be contacted at talentsmart.com.
This article first appeared at talentsmart.com.
