Everyone has heard someone talk about it: The boss who makes working a 9-to-5 a living hell. And in this current climate, dealing with a difficult a boss can be more than challenging when you’re already worried about keeping your job or surviving the next round of layoffs. Poor management in the workplace can lead to stress and inefficiency. But there is hope if you know how to manage up. Here are five manager personalities that can get under any employee’s skin, and tips on how you can handle them with finesse.
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- THE SITUATION: PASSIVE AGGRESSIVE BOSS
- The boss is not direct and honest when reviewing an employee or subordinate. He or she will say a task has been done well, and then redo it or reassign the task to another worker instead of communicating with the employee.
- THE SOLUTION:
- Seek multiple sources of feedback. “Don’t rely on your boss as your only way of attending to your growth as an employee,†says Dr. Heather Lyons, an associate professor of psychology at Loyola University whose special study interests include person-organization fit in the workplace.
- Use open-ended questions when asking for feedback, such as “How do you think I could have improved my presentation?” Those are more likely to yield more thorough responses, Lyons says.
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- THE SITUATION: THE MICRO-MANAGER
- They must have their hand in every step of a process and have no clue how to delegate. Instead they will look over your shoulder as you complete tasks instead of trusting you to do your job. This type of boss and the self-starter are often at odds.
THE SOLUTION:
- Give your boss an outline (formally or informally) of how you’ll handle the project. “Let this boss know that you’ll contact him or her as needed,†Lyons says.
- Find ways of updating this boss that don’t take away from your ability to do your job. “For example, adding this boss as a “cc” to important e-mails adds no extra time,” Lyons says.â€
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THE SITUATION: THE OVERBEARING BOSS
- Their personality is strong and dominating. They are confident, almost to the point of arrogance. They often create an environment of panic and urgency in unhealthy doses.
THE SOLUTION:
- Don’t personalize interactions with this type of boss, Lyons says. “It’s too easy to assume that feedback employees are getting from this boss is related to some incompetence or failure on their part, especially because of the emotion that can be connected to interactions with this type of boss.”
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THE SITUATION: THE PASS-THE-BLAME BOSS:
They boast about accomplishments, but are quick to throw someone under the bus when something doesn’t go well. They rarely take up for the team when things could have been executed better.
- THE SOLUTION:
- Learn to toot your own horn to the right people, Lyons advises. “Set the story straight in a diplomatic manner before the boss even has the chance to take credit.”
- Begin documenting your efforts, including successes and failures. “You don’t have to share this information each time there is a transgression,” Lyons says. But, if employees begin to see patterns that influence important outcomes such as pay and promotion, then they can determine the next step in using the information that they’ve observed, she adds.
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THE SITUATION: THE NEGLIGENT BOSS
- They don’t give clear and concise directives. They often drop the ball and aren’t good with managing proper work flow. Guidelines are either blurry or not enforced. This boss is a close cousin to the Pass-the-Blame Boss.
THE SOLUTION:
- Get familiar with company policy and follow it. “Policy is what’s in writing at the workplace. Procedure is how things are really done,” Lyons says. “In this case, policy will be a good friend to the employee of the negligent boss.â€
- Get multiple sources of feedback about procedure. “Sometimes those in power are not the ones with the longest history,” she says. “Therefore, employees can touch base with those with a long institutional history for more information about how projects are really carried out.”