HOW TO HANDLE A LOUSY BOSS—PART 1
Three weeks ago I did a post on how to lead a lousy team (www.blog.reliableinsights.com, May 19, 2015). That scenario presents some significant leadership challenges that demand examination. How the leader responds can make or break that team (visit that post if you want the full scoop).
Shortly after that post, one of my readers turned the tables by proposing a follow-up question: how do you deal with a lousy boss and how does that affect the team? That’s an excellent and welcome question! Therefore, I promised I would address that topic in the near future and I am beginning to do that today.
It’s Not You, It’s Me.
It is wise to pause first and do some careful analysis. The seriousness of the subject demands sober judgment. As a professional person, you want to refrain from immediately jumping to conclusions about your boss. Therefore, before you affirm that you genuinely have a lousy boss, consider these important questions:
- How much time have you invested in mutual feedback with your boss to improve each other’s performance?
- Have you tried to manage your boss better by accommodating his or her work style?
- Do you and your boss have the same understanding of the work that needs to be done, the group’s mission, and office politics?
- Is it possible you are misinterpreting or prejudging your boss’s behaviors?
- Do you have a personality clash?
- Is your preferred communication style in conflict with your boss’s default setting?
- Have you sought the advice of a trusted confidante who might provide insights that you could be missing?
I have seen many people apply themselves to these questions only to conclude that they genuinely did not have a lousy boss. Instead, they simply had to do some work on communication style, personality awareness, interpersonal skills, or feedback loops. The result was that the worker-boss relationship was beneficially reframed. What had begun as a question on how to handle a lousy boss transformed itself into a better reality of refining the worker-boss relationship. Both the worker and the boss grew through the experience.
On the other hand, if the above approach still leaves you with the conclusion that you have a lousy boss, then stay tuned for Part 2!
