Are you in a situation where you are stressed considerably because youcan't stand your boss? Do you hate your job because of him/her? Haveyou been in a situation where you would just like to 'tell your bossto go fly kites' and walk out of your job? If all the above is true,then I suppose you are part of the many employees in Malaysia who workfor this group of people who are called 'bad bosses' i.e. bosses whoare strict, unappreciative, hot-tempered, rude and nasty. In thecourse of my work as a training consultant, this is definitely thenumber one problem that my participants bring up to me to try to getmy advice.
Bad bosses have always been part of the work landscape. Today,however, we are seeing more of them as a result of the greaterpressures and stress that come with any managerial position. Managersin general are over-extended in terms of work as a result of 'leaner'structures in organizations. They have to do more with less. As theyare not able to cope, they take it out on their subordinates,consciously or unconsciously. And this makes the situation worse assubordinates who are subject to 'unnecessary stress' by their bossesare de-motivated and usually retaliate with lower quantity and qualityof work, which serves to continue the vicious circle.But what is a bad boss? Often, a bad boss is all in the eyes of thebeholder. One person's boss from hell may be another person's bossfrom heaven. If you are the type of person who needs regulardirection, for example, then you will love a boss who is amicro-manager. On the other hand, if you have strong needs forautonomy you will hate this same boss as you can't work with somebodylooking over your shoulder all the time.
TYPES OF BAD BOSSES
The key to getting on with a boss is to manage him by understandinghis underlying motivations, which may be different from what youthink. I will take the liberty here to state some of the differenttypes of 'bad' bosses that I have met. If you're a manager, look foryourself in some of these descriptions. Obviously, all thecharacteristics of bad managers cannot be covered. However I am mostcertain that many will be very familiar with the ones covered here.
The autocratic manager
This dinosaur type manager sadly still exists in currentorganizations. They have a belief that since they are the managers,they are the ones who are the intelligent ones, they are the only oneswho can make decisions and they are the only ones who can 'think' inthe organization. In that sense, they are like carpenters who onlyhave a hammer in their tool box. Every problem is a nail and thereforethe hammer has to be used all the time. They are not aware of othermanagement tools and they don't even bother trying to find out.
The clueless manager
Some managers simply don't have a clue as to what they're doing. Thiskind of boss may seem like a dream at first, but lack of substancewill tell in the long run and you get frustrated as you are not givenenough guidance in your job. You go to him with one problem to solveand you go out of his room with an additional two problems.
The weak manager
These are the types of managers who won't stand up for you. They justtoe the party line. They avoid risks and give you vague instructions.When things go well, they take credit and when things go bad, theypounce on you for not adhering to instructions. The word flexibilitydoes not exist in their vocabulary.
The micro-manager
These are the types of managers who do not trust you at all. They wantto check and counter check everything that you do. No matter how muchdetail you give him/her, or how many times you do redo a piece ofwork, it's still not right. In the process they forget the bigpicture. They are more interested in the font and the style ofpresentation of a report rather than the substance of the report.
The hard task master
This is the type of manager who thinks that working late is the hallmark of a good manager. He doesn't have a life, and doesn't expect youto either. As he works late everyday, he expects you to do so too. Heis more interested in the symbolic manifestations of work i.e. workinglate, bringing home work, having lots of meetings etc, rather than the'real' work output. When you finish a piece of work, which you thinkyou have done well, he tears it apart, so that 'you will have somework to do'. Strangely, after modifying your work a few times, the onethat emerges finally is an exact replica of the very first one thatyou submitted!!
EFFECTIVE WAYS TO HANDLE BAD BOSS'S
Do a reality check on yourself
The first solution in handling a bad boss is an honest analysis ofyour actions and behavior. Are you a good subordinate? Have you beenhandling yourself and your job well? If you aren't' then perhaps it isnot your boss who is the problem but you. Please also remember thatall bosses have their own ways to do work and like it or not, it isthe subordinates who will have to adapt to their ways. They will bequite reluctant to adapt to yours.
Formal Communication
Regardless of what type of boss you have, an important option you haveis to communicate formally with them. Sometimes they may not be awareof their behavior and the aim of the communication process is to lethim see your side of the work equation. In the formal meeting, makesure that you talk of the specific behavior in question and tell himhow it makes you feel. Leave your emotions at the door, but beprepared for your boss to have an emotional reaction.
Do not make generalized statements like, "you are always nasty" or"everyone in the office does not like the way you manage". Soften yourcomments and avoid defensiveness by allowing your boss to save face.Praise him if needed initially (obviously he must have his strengthstoo), so that his defenses may be lowered. When talking about theproblem, use statements like "You may not be aware . . ." or "You maynot realize . . .". It's possible that your boss is unaware of his/heractions, and this meeting could be very positive for all involved. Atthe same time, you may realize that you might have made manyassumptions about his style of management which may not necessarily beright.
Formal communication may not necessarily solve the problem, but atleast you will be sure your boss has been informed of your views,feelings and frustrations. There is no guarantee of success, however,and you need to be aware that your Malaysian boss from a culturalperspective might misinterpret your 'confrontation' as pushy oraggressive behavior. This might lead to an escalation of your conflictwith him.
Informal CommunicationMost of the time, the recommended action with a bad boss is to takehim or her to lunch or a drink after work to discuss the problem in anon-confrontational way. This type of informal encounter will serve toovercome the problem better as the non-work environment may lessen thetension and thus make it more amicable for a more fruitful discussion.Always thank him for taking the time to have the discussion andimpress upon him that your only interest in this discussion is to havea more healthy working relationship.
Ganging Up
This might seem to be an unorthodox solution, but it has itsstrengths. If several people from the same department voice similarviews or frustrations, then there is a chance that the head ofdepartment might take heed. This voicing of opinions can take placeindividually or else at a meeting where everyone is present. If it isthe latter, then it has to be handled sensitively, as you do not wantto create the impression that there is a mutiny in the department. Atthe same time, be aware of the fact that there may be some people inthe department who might try to gain political mileage out of thissituation by being the odd one out of the 'gang' to gain favor. Thegood thing about 'ganging up' is that it is very difficult for a bossto take the situation lightly as the number of messengers is high, andall carry the same message. Do not however expect the boss to changeimmediately.
Ask for a Transfer or Resign
If none of these strategies work, then you have two choices. If youreally love your job because you are learning a lot and you like thepeople you're working with, then you will just have to 'bite thebullet' and accept your boss as best you can. Or, if all else fails,ask to be transferred to another department or finally simply hand inyour resignation letter. Only you know your own worth, and if youdon't feel respected and motivated then just move on. This is adifficult course of action, but one that you must always have as anoption. Remember however that the other side may not necessarily be'greener'.
Conclusion
Managing 'bad' bosses is a very difficult and sensitive exercise.Always remember that finding a perfect boss/employee match is almostimpossible. There will always be grounds for conflict in any workingrelationship. You have to try to work on each other's flaws and strongpoints to complement your work methods. The onus is on you as thesubordinate to adapt to your boss's style of management.
A final piece of advice and that is, when dealing with bad bosses theworst thing you can do is simply to do nothing, hoping the problemswill get resolved. No job, boss, or company is worth losing yourhealth, sanity, or self-esteem. If you can't find a way to resolvethese issues and your boss simply will never change his behavior, thenyou should immediately start looking for a new job, within or outsidethe organization. But before you do this, please do carry out anobjective performance appraisal on yourself. It might change your mind
