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How To Survive A Terrible Boss

- Aug 19, 2013

Do you have an arrogant boss who does not think of your feelings before attacking you for some wrong you are not even aware of? Do you report to a boss who doesn’t care about your contribution to the team?

For many people, the answer to those questions is yes. They have terrible bosses and usually their time at work has become something to dread rather than enjoy. Some people even decide to change career because of a boss.

But should you? Is there a way to manage the situation?

Yes, in many cases, it is possible to survive or cope with a terrible boss.

The first thing you must do is decide if you really want to continue working for the company you are working for. In other words, do you like to work in your role? Would you love your job more if your boss was more accommodating?

If you decide the situation is okay and you can stay, then you can start to tackle it head on. You must understand if there is a genuine reason for your boss’ situation. Is it possible that your work rate is below that of other members of the team? Would you be in a better situation if you worked harder? Is your boss simply stressed?

You have to also recognize that your boss is human and is liable to mistake. You should try to understand if there is a rationale behind his behavior. If you find that there is something you can do that would get your boss to give you an easier time, then do it. However, your actions must be consistent with the organization’s values.

Sometimes, it may be that you and your boss have a genuine misunderstanding and improving your contribution to work would not change things. In this situation, you have to first of all, try compromise. This may not sit well with most people but lots of issues can be settled by compromising.

If you feel you can’t compromise, then you might try to make things known to your boss. Do not hide the issues or worse, discuss them with someone else. This may aggravate the situation with your boss. Instead, ask your boss for a one on one, private meeting. You can make your complaints known. You should do this in a conciliatory tone and try to avoid getting things heated. Most of the time you would discover that your boss would use the meeting as an opportunity to clear the hell and afterwards you would be able to develop a better working relationship.

You have to attempt to build trust with your boss. Seek work from him. Seek advice from him. Do not join others in inter-office gossip. By doing this, you can convert a hostile boss to a better boss.

Sometimes you would try everything in this post and matters would still remain the same. This is an extreme situation, though and in these cases, you should probably go to your boss’s boss (if s/he has one). If the buck stops on your boss’ table and he is making working in his company hell for you, then perhaps you can now consider another job.

But first, you should try the tips in this article.

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