HOW TO HANDLE A LOUSY BOSS—PART 2
In “How to Handle a Lousy Boss—Part 1” I described the careful analysis and sober judgment you must apply as you assess the situation. As a professional person, you want to refrain from immediately jumping to conclusions about your boss. However, if after that careful analysis and sober judgment you realize that you do have a lousy boss, then some more hard work begins. This is a big subject. In Part 2, I will describe just one dynamic that can be helpful.
Aligning Our Goals.
Your boss probably will not decline your help to achieve key goals. Schedule a session with your boss to learn more about his or her goals. In so doing, you will have the opportunity to affirm how your goals as a team member align with your boss’s goals. This might sound simple, but sometimes you must start simple for two reasons:
1—The nonarticulation of goals can do a great deal of harm to a team. The team does not know what the target is. That meeting will allow you to hear your boss articulate the goals. That alone allows you to confirm or correct your understanding. Based on that understanding, you have additional opportunity to share how your goals align with your boss’s goals. Some bosses have simply never fully realized this, but they need to experience that awareness. Your argument just might make a great deal of sense to your boss.
2—Sometimes a person is a lousy boss because of a deep distrust of people. Your act of sitting with your boss to ensure your understanding of his or her goals could be very powerful. Through your listening ear, your boss might come to realize that you really are a valued contributor. That revelation can work toward neutralizing dysfunctional behavior patterns that your boss holds. Trust can grow. Some of these dysfunctional patterns are hard to break, but you have to start somewhere.
Some bosses are lousy bosses because they have always believed it is an us-versus-them world. By you taking the time to ensure goal alignment, your boss might grow in his or her understanding of teamwork. That understanding has the potential to improve any boss.
This is just one dynamic involved in handling a lousy boss. Many additional factors are involved. Stay tuned for Part 3!
