Many people will be celebrating Halloween this weekend with parties and celebrations. Brits are set to spend around £283 million on Halloween-based products in the UK in 2015! The Americanised October tradition of ‘trick or treating’ is fast garnering popularity in the UK and I have to admit, I have got into the spirit (no pun intended!) of things myself!
The hype about all-things-scary had me thinking about how people deal with difficult or ‘tricky’ bosses in the real, everyday world of work.
Now most people are very fortunate to have a boss who is a joy and a delight to work with. However, ‘tricky’ or problem bosses can make life difficult for their employees.
It isn’t necessarily that they are bad people, it’s just that their management styles and skills are simply lacking in some way, and most likely they are unaware of how they are perceived by their people.
But like them or not, you DO need to get on with your boss!
Here are 5 Top Tips to deal with the different type of ‘tricky ’bosses:-
1.Micro-managing boss
The micro-managing boss loves doing the jobs for others and hates to relinquish control.
They’re convinced that the job is only safe if it’s in their hands. No one else can do it as well as them. Such bosses can be very restricted as managers because they find it difficult to delegate any responsibility.
– Do not respond to the micro-manager by being difficult or resistant to their control, this will only make them want to tighten their control over you.
– Give progress reports without being prompted.
– Perform tasks exactly as the boss specifies.
– Examine your own role in the situation – are your actions and behaviours the reasons why they feel the need to micro-manage you?
– Find out what motivates or drives the micro-manager. You can then take steps to ensure that you never give them reason to feel anxious or threatened by your actions.
2.Invisible boss
The invisible boss can be perceived as being aloof, uninterested or too busy. An invisible boss probably sounds like heaven for some people, but this type of boss carries its own problems. Needing a quick decision making or authorising money to gaining cooperation from other departments can be hard to achieve when your boss is never around.
– Explain to your boss the difficulties you are experiencing because they’re rarely there. They might not even be aware of the problems they are causing.
– Ask them to agree to be available for a certain amount of time, either face to face or on the telephone.
– To make the best of the time you do have with them, ensure you are well organised.
– Put requests in writing and give as much warning as possible as to when you need a response by.
On a positive note, working with an invisible boss means they trust you get on with the tasks in hand and also allows you to have lots of independence and freedom.
3.Weathervane boss
The Weathervane boss frequently changed direction or priorities, and in doing so, causes a bit of confusion and frustration. It can sometimes be very hard to keep these bosses happy because you can’t predict what will be important from one day to the next.
– Be flexible, because you might not be seeing the bigger picture.
– When priorities change, ask the question, “How does this affect the course of action we were on?”
– Find out why the changes are taking place – this will hopefully make it less frustrating.
4.Scary-bully boss
The Scary-bully boss thinks it’s essential to be intimidating, and it’s working. The scary-bully boss might yell or threaten employees in order to accomplish goals. A manager who scares employees will not last long in the role. Eventually, complaints and resignations amongst your co-workers might become a red flag to the person in charge, but it’s no guarantee things will change. If this is your boss:-
– Don’t mistakenly think you can defuse a bully by getting personal and showing your human side. Bullies not only don’t appreciate the personal side of others, they don’t tolerate it.
– Personal confrontations with bullies are almost never productive.
– During a bullying conversation, casually excuse yourself.
5.Traditionalist Boss
The Traditionalist boss has been with the company for years and years. Traditionalists are very set in their ways and don’t take kindly to any change or new ways of working. They like to do things the way they’ve always done them. If you work for a traditionalist boss:-
– Be receptive to the old methods. You never know, their methods might actually work pretty well!
– Where appropriate, try and introduce some new methods to them.
– Don’t despair – your boss’s boss will eventually realise something isn’t working.
For more Top Tips on dealing with a ‘tricky’ boss, visit the Creativedge ‘Top 10 Tips’ mobile App available for iPhone and Android smartphones:-
Appstore – https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/top-10-tips/id796349890?mt=8
Google Play – https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.elixsoft.creativedge.top10
