For those of us who work for an organization and long enough, we will eventually have a difficult boss. You currently have one or expect to have one soon, thus you are reading this article. Many times, a difficult boss is challenging because they have a different style, approach, pace or demeanor. Infrequently, they may simply not like you or your approach to work or projects. Regardless of situation, there are actions you can take to help navigate this chapter of your career.
There are four steps that are worth trying individually, but preferably in combination that may prove helpful:
- While their approach may not be your favorite, it is an adjustment you can make.
Similarly, they may be more effective at a different time of day or have a different pace. While suddenly converting from a night owl to a morning person is not easy, it may be a means to work more effectively with your supervisor.
- Get aligned with your boss. It is most helpful to align priorities with your supervisor. Perhaps the prior supervisor was less of a micro manager. Find out what they need, timing and format. Then provide it.
One suggestion is to use a chart that shares what you have worked on recently and what is coming up. This tool may help gain their input on recent and future projects, timing and prioritization.
Recent Accomplishments
-
-
-
New Projects Timing
-
-
-
- Stay prepared on aspects of your role. Should your personalities be the challenge, don’t let it interfere with the quality of your work product. Continue to be a professional and stay on top of all aspects of your responsibilities. If possible, stay ahead to prevent a personality issue from bleeding into a performance issue.
- Lastly, stay positive. This particular relationship will typically last a finite period of time. Before you know it, there will be a reorganization, new responsibilities, or some other change that may enable your to have a new reporting structure. However, use this as an opportunity to learn. For even my worse managers had some talents that were unique to them.
At some point, nearly every employee has a bad boss. It is not a lifelong sentence. Make some behavioral adjustments, learn from it and stay positive.
Dwain Celistan is a retained executive recruiter and coach. Prior to recruiting, he held senior Marketing, Sales and General Management positions in the US and UK, for: Procter & Gamble, Nestle, Coors Brewing, Alcoa and Sears Holdings. His experience includes roles of VP Marketing and Sales with a staff of nearly 100 professionals and budget of $100MM, and as a SVP of Marketing for a $1B division. During his nearly 25 year career, he has led teams to reverse declining sales and profits on several occasions. He has also inherited good teams that were growing their revenues and made them better. In one instance the team doubled their rate of growth. Dwain has coached leaders to help them realize their goals and improve their productivity. The clients span a range; from a global executive who leads a team of over 200,000 employees to a senior manager at a large non-profit organization. As an author, he has published three books, including You’re Hired! Actions to Get and Keep the Job You Love. Dwain is a graduate of Loyola University and has an MBA from Atlanta University. He has done postgraduate work at both Cornell and Stanford universities. www.careeraccelerationcoach.com Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/career-management-articles/4-steps-to-working-with-a-difficult-boss-1389239.html
