Content

• Steps
• Tips

I am aware of one department that was constantly losing talented employees one by one. And this was not surprising. The boss was a complete idiot ~ A.A.

Sometimes new managers who come to a firm or any other organization think they are the chosen one. Plus, there are executives who have annoyed everyone for as long as you can remember. Such bosses like to boast of their power, losing touch with reality and turning the lives of subordinates into a living hell. If you allow such people to influence you, your work life becomes very miserable over time.

This article will discuss how to overcome the influence of overly ambitious and arrogant leaders on your life in the office.

Steps

1. 1 Try to figure out why you don't like your boss. There are many possible reasons, but it’s important for you to remember that just because your boss makes you do what you’re required to do doesn’t make him bad. A manager causes discontent in subordinates when his presence and management methods make the work environment, which is formed from the actions of the boss in conjunction with his personal character traits, unbearable or even depressing. Signs of a poor manager include the following:
   • The manager often lies about the performance of employees, does not notice achievements, or refuses to praise employees for them.
   • The leader does not care about his subordinates, seeks to undermine the authority of each of them, and assumes other people's merits.
   • The manager threatens with disproportionate punishment for not meeting the deadlines for completing the work or for not meeting the expected results.
   • The leader does not take responsibility for mistakes and makes scapegoats out of subordinates when something does not go according to plan.
   • The leader has favorites that are distinguished from the rest for no particular reason.
   • The leader publicly humiliates, discredits, verbally attacks subordinates and calls them inappropriately.
   • The leader does not care about the personal life of subordinates; if a subordinate needs to leave work due to a family problem, he is not included in the position of an employee.
   • The leader always demonstrates his superiority and believes that his abilities are better than anyone else's, which is why he expects to receive proper attention.
2. 2 Learn to identify what actions indicate unacceptable boss behavior. It is important to understand what the features of the behavior of the boss in relation to subordinates are and how this affects them, and to highlight a number of repetitive actions. These actions include:
   • Regular insults of a personal nature, often in public.
   • Invasion of personal space without asking.
   • Verbal and non-verbal threats.
   • Sending emails with trolling.
   • Roughly interrupting your speech in a meeting.
   • Lustful glances.
   • Behavior in which the manager does not notice you when it suits him.
   • Lack of well-deserved praise.
   • Requirements for impeccable work performance.
   • Making sarcastic jokes or bullying you to convey an obscene thought to you.
   • A public reminder of where you are in the work hierarchy.
   • Touch when you don't want it.
   • Quarreling: First, your boss gives you one task, and then you find out that he said the opposite things to your colleague.
   • Stealing clients or databases from other employees.
   • Bad reviews of the corporate culture of the enterprise.
   • Denial of help and clarifications (however, the manager will deny this if he is pressured by higher-ranking bosses, and will claim that you did not ask for help), etc.
3. 3 Don't let insults affect your self-esteem. Remember that, by and large, this attack is not on you personally. Most often, bad leaders try to prove something to their superiors by their behavior, doing what can be considered right, caring for the opinion of management, not subordinates.
4. 4 Such a boss may come into your office or department and start looking for mistakes and blame, or discredit those whom he considers a potential threat. It is important not to take these attacks to heart, but to understand what is really happening: your boss is trying to hide an inferiority complex under false confidence, and subordinates are used as a tool to mask personal weaknesses. If you look at a situation from this point of view, you begin to rethink it, thereby avoiding unnecessary stress.
   • Robert Sutton talks about the importance of not expecting your boss to change (this is unlikely to happen). Better to say the worst from him, but think that you will be all right when it’s over.
5. 5 Don't expect too much from your boss and focus on the good things in your job.
6. 6 Be an exemplary employee. Check out all the protocols and principles behind your work. In other words, be prepared to provide a quality explanation if your manager asks you a question. It will also be a way to stop his rants against you.
   • Do whatever the protocol requires you to do and be prepared to explain why you think you are doing your job. It may sound silly, but many workers don't really understand their role and they can fall prey to a restless boss. If you are ready to go beyond your position, you should be able to explain why you did it, how it affected your normal responsibilities, and how your boss has benefited from it.
   • Earn respect by demonstrating confidence in the work you do. Be organized and manage your time wisely.
   • Do not create situations in which you could be reprimanded for violating company rules. Stick to your schedule, leave on time for lunch and return to work, don't be late for work - it's better to arrive a few minutes earlier than a few minutes later. Stay tuned for deadlines or let your colleagues know when deadlines are approaching. Don't give your boss the opportunity to find a mistake in your job or a flaw in you as an employee.
7. 7 Communicate your experience and knowledge without flaunting it. Unobtrusively prove to your boss that your skills are superior to him in some way. Try to emphasize your importance as an employee so as not to let him humiliate you further. If your skills are easy to demonstrate and are highly valued, your boss will step aside knowing that if he continues to fight you, he risks putting himself in a disadvantageous light.Don't ask yourself - just justify your point of view by adhering to business etiquette and exuding self-confidence.
   • Strive for many small wins, not one big one. While the big problem won't go away, a chain of small victories will restore your confidence, strengthen your position in the workplace, and become an example to others, which in turn will make your boss helpless and your colleagues more resistant to nagging.
8. 8 Maintain distance from colleagues and limit contact with the manager. Getting close to a bad leader is a direct route to more trouble.
   • Whenever possible, avoid personal conversations at work and do not share information that could be used against you in the future.
   • Try not to show up at meetings where your boss will be, or reduce the time spent there (choose an office without chairs).
   • A little bit of mystery will make you a mystery character for the boss, and he will spend quite a few minutes contemplating who you are.
   • Resist the temptation to become your boss's favorite. First, your boss's preferences can change at any time, and second, if senior management finds out how bad your boss is, not only will get to him, but you too.
9. 9 If there is no way you can avoid confrontation, try to make the dialogue constructive. Stick to facts, your knowledge, and don't criticize your boss.
   • Think about yourself. Many managers do not know how to communicate with people - which is why they annoy everyone. Such people will bombard you with questions at the most inopportune moment, catch you when you are relaxed and when you are vulnerable. These are all attempts to demonstrate strength by a person who is not really confident in himself. Keep this in mind at all times, as knowing the causes of aggressive behavior will help you feel more comfortable with it.
   • If any conflict becomes unbearable for you, apologize and leave. If in an argument you feel that you are losing your temper or cannot explain your point of view, ask for forgiveness and walk out the door. Go to the toilet, smoke a cigarette, eat M & Ms, but can't stand the pressure, otherwise you will make yourself worse.
10. 10 Learn to remain calm in the presence of your boss. Cocked state and fear will prevent you from concentrating on work, and you will risk becoming a whipping boy. Calmness in a difficult situation is a very effective way to control conflict, provided that you manage to keep your temper.
    • Don't consider yourself a victim. Don't respond with kindness. Try to emotionally detach yourself from your boss and do not try to control what you cannot control. Think about what you can control and about helping those who are now in the same situation as you.
    • Remember that being calm can make the boss even more angry. Don't let your boss's inability to hold back throw you off balance - just watch it from the sidelines.
    • Find your allies. Talk to people you can trust and share your survival strategies with them.
    • Set aside time daily for meditation and positive attitudes.
    • Take a deep breath and count to 10 before responding to your boss's taunts or attacks. Think of the chefs from the TV show "Hell's Kitchen" and how they say "yes, you're right" and nothing else! (You will learn later what they really think and feel.)
11. 11 Don't gossip at work or get interested in gossip. Often, bad bosses try to make other co-workers think badly of someone. If the person knows you love gossip, they are more likely to respond negatively about you when their boss wants to talk about it. This will lead to the fact that your manager will have incomplete information about you, which will also be distorted as it passes from one person to another.All of this will create the wrong impression of you, which can negatively affect your business reputation. Don't undermine your colleagues' credibility and you won't fall prey to rumors.
12. 12 Find buffer zones. Find a place where you and your coworkers can go to take a break from your annoying boss. Allow yourself to let off steam.
    • You can choose a place outside of work to be sure that the boss will not be there - a cafe, a park, etc. For example, nurses often hide from doctors in the nursing room, and technicians in the recreation room, where the bosses do not show up.
    • Gossip and discussion of a boss's inability to manage people are not the same thing. You can talk about specific facts, not rumors. Find a balance and you will find the support of your colleagues.
13. 13 Look for another job if the current environment becomes unbearable. You can also look for another position in the same company, if possible, and move to a different department. Whatever you decide to do, be careful about sharing your observations about your old boss — people usually don't like it when a new employee speaks negatively about the old boss.

Tips

• Trust in your ability. Don't doubt yourself.
• Be transparent. The people around you will have no reason to suspect you of something.
• Be open. Avoid secrecy, as secrecy will tend to raise doubts and suspicions.
• Deal with deadlines and prove that you are worth a lot as a specialist.
• Get help if you need it. There are many different options, from the HR department to the union. Ask for advice from those with whom you are most comfortable talking.
• Behave as if you know what this is about, even if you really don't. This will give you the opportunity to review the materials with which you should have become familiar with, but you have not yet had time.
• Do not under any circumstances express dissatisfaction with harsh words or distorted facts. The situation will become even more difficult if your boss finds out about it.
• Trying to figure out the reason why If you don't like your boss, be prepared to admit that he might just remind you of someone you don't like.