SLYOU Magazine Issue 2 | Page 78

HEALTH CORNER Dealing With a Difficult Boss In an ideal world, we would all have fantastic managers—bosses who helped us succeed, who made us feel valued, and who were just all- round great people. he or she really cares about how long your lunch break takes; he or she actually cares about how it looks to other employees and their superiors.” Try one or more of these tips to find some common ground with your boss—or at least stay sane until you find a new gig. Don’t Let It Affect Your Work Make Sure You’re Dealing With A Bad Boss Before trying to fix your bad boss, make sure you really are dealing with one. Is there a reason for his/ her behaviour, or are you being too hard on him/her? “Observe your boss for a few days and try to notice how many things he or she does well versus poorly. When he or she is doing something ‘bad’, try to imagine the most forgiving reason why it could have occurred. Is it truly his or her fault, or could it be something out of their control?” Identify Your Boss’ Motivation Understanding why your boss does or cares about certain things can give you insight into his/her management style. No matter how bad your boss’ behaviour, avoid letting it affect your work. You want to stay on good terms with other leaders in the company (and keep your job!). Stay One Step Ahead Especially when you’re dealing with a micromanager, head off your boss’ requests by anticipating them and getting things done before they come to you. “…a great start to halting micromanagement in its tracks is to anticipate the tasks that your manager expects and get them done well ahead of time. If you reply, ‘I actually already left a draft of the schedule on your desk for your review’ enough times, you’ll minimize the need for his or her reminders. He or she will realize that you have your responsibilities on track—and that they doesn’t need to watch your every move.” Set Boundaries “...if the rules are totally out of control, try to figure out your boss’ motivation. Maybe it’s not that Working with someone who seems to have no boundaries means that you have to go ahead and set them. 76 SL-YOU | It’s All About Business “One of the challenges of unlikable people is that they come with equally unlikable behaviour—and it’s important to learn how to distance yourself from that behaviour. As Robert Frost said, “Good fences make good neighbours.” Stop Assuming They Know Everything Just because someone has a managerial title doesn’t mean that they have all the right answers all the time. “I realized then that, just because someone is in a position of authority, doesn’t mean he or she knows everything. From that point forward, I stopped assuming the title ‘Manager’ was equivalent to ‘all- knowing’.” Identify Triggers If your boss has anger management problems, identify what triggers his or her meltdowns and be extra militant about avoiding those. “For example, if your editor flips when you misspell a source’s name, be sure to double and triple-check your notes. And if your boss starts foaming at the mouth if you arrive a moment after 8:00 a.m., plan to get there at 7:45 a.m. Every. Single. Day.” www.slyoumag.com | September-October 2019