8 ways to handle bad bosses

8 ways to handle bad bosses

Most people get a bad boss or two in their career. Occasionally they will will lose their job over one but generally they will soldier on, put up with the pain and indulge themselves a little more somewhere else. I only had one really awful boss in my life. Looking back, I think I put up with him too much for too long. In the end I flatly refused to work for him anymore. The company sent me to Singapore. Luckiest break I had in my life.

What was so bad about my ghastly boss was that he could have great phony charm, especially with ladies. His relationships with them never lasted, however. He put on many airs and graces but not enough to mask his underlying brutality. Ladies prefer their brutes to be confined to the television screen for the most part. The good news is that I learnt a lot from my bad boss and most of it was useful. Here are a few of the lessons.

[1] Keep the door open until you are on the brink of madness. Some bad bosses come round when they are in a tough corner themselves. If you are ready for them you have a chance to convert them, even to make friends of them.

[2] Record everything either by literally recording it or by writing a definitive version afterwards. Good records soften the tone of even the worst bully. They can also be useful in court if you have to go there. When suitable send a copy of the notes / recording to your boss.

[3] Try not to irritate the bad boss. Difficult, I know, but s/he is a hornet and you are a butterfly. Don’t suck up to him or her, either. Keep things on an even keel if you can.

[4] Choose the issues you are going to challenge him or her about carefully. As my old riding master said ‘Don’t fight with your horse unless you are certain you can win.’ Every lost battle makes a bad boss more obnoxious.Same can apply to a battle won, as well.

[5] As far as possible, do what is right not what s/he tells you to do.

[6] Find a friend you can talk to about your bad boss. Getting it off your chest from time to time helps to alleviate the worst of it. Bend your friend’s ear moderately. Moaning can become very boring for other people.

[7] Never seek revenge. Some people will tell you ‘Don’t get mad, get even.’ It is bad advice. You will only become hot headed about it (fatal) and the person it hurts is you (always). Your self-image – and therefore your strength – improves as you resist the temptation to take revenge.

[8] Be consistently polite to the idiot. Politeness is the most sincere form of disdain in this situation.

If all else fails, quit but remember that’s your loss, not your boss’s. As a last resort it is quite acceptable. You are on earth to enjoy yourself.

Don’t let a bully make you miserable.