Each week we present our Daily Leap Career Video of the Week. The video we share presents news or advice related to career and life development, searching for a job, the economy and employment, and other career-related topics.
The video below from Fast Company provides some some humor on a Monday morning, along with a few helpful tips for dealing with a difficult manager.
Showing posts with label dealing with a difficult boss. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dealing with a difficult boss. Show all posts
Monday, September 25, 2017
Wednesday, February 3, 2016
4 Steps to Developing an Effective Working Relationship with Your Boss
You have the ability, however, to improve this relationship and here are 4 steps to help build a good working relationship with your boss.
1. Understand your boss's working style. It is important to understand how your supervisor likes to work. Is she detail-oriented, driven by deadlines, or does she make decisions slowly and deliberately? You need to understand how your manager likes to work in order to best meet his or her expectations.
2. Speaking of expectations. What exactly does your boss expect of you? The clearer you can come to understanding this the more effective your working relationship will be and the more effective you can be in your job. Try to get these expectations in writing so all parties can reference them if necessary.
3. Develop a communication plan. When you've done the work to understand your manager's style and know what her expectations are then you should have an indication of how best (and how often) to communicate. If he or she is a micro-manager then you might need to provide daily updates on a project and if you know your supervisor prefers face-to-face meetings then you likely don't want to provide these updates by email. Work with your boss to develop a communication plan that works for you both.
4. Maintain a positive attitude. There still might be times when your supervisor frustrates you or handles a situation or project in an unexpected way and in those times it's important to take a step back, realize your boss is human too, and maintain a positive attitude toward him or her. Avoid falling into the trap of bad-mouthing your manager to colleagues or other managers.
Implement these four steps and you'll likely see improvement in your interactions with your manager.
Monday, November 14, 2011
Three Steps to Step out of Victimization
If you’re a morning person and you live with someone who isn’t, life-at times-can be an exercise in patience. And it was for me recently when, yet again, we were late to a yoga class. This time I was especially annoyed because, as I feared would happen every time before, class was full. So much for establishing a focused connection with my body or improving my dismal flexibility. With my bottom lip out I trudged toward the elliptical machine, fuming over the circumstances that led to me missing class. I irritably and obsessively mulled over my wife’s unreliability. And then, in a flash, it hit me:
I was being a victim.
Being a victim is a common yet futile state to be in. You fail to see your role in your problems, surrender your power, and stay in a perspective of negativity. Victimization can be especially dangerous in the career realm because it creates an attitude of helplessness, entitlement, and hopelessness. You can fight entitlement in your career in these three ways:
Take responsibility: When you take responsibility you see how you have influenced your situation-good or bad. In my situation, I blamed my wife for being late without considering what I had done. Didn’t I agree to go to class with her? Didn’t I know that she wasn’t a morning person. Didn’t I expect to be late? Thus, who was really responsible for my misery? Me. Whether your career is not going in the direction you want it to go, you dislike your work environment, you don’t feel that you are being challenged enough at work, or whatever reason you are feeling dissatisfied, approach it from a place of responsibility and note all of the ways that you are contributing to your misery.
Empower yourself: Once you take responsibility, you can take it upon yourself to make changes. What are you going to start doing and what are you going to stop doing? Who do you need to talk to about it? What are you able to do and what aren’t you able to do. If there’s something you don’t know, who can you talk to that will know? Get clear and specific about your options and the steps necessary to change.
Cultivate optimism: I once heard a quote to the effect of “you shouldn’t worry about things you can change, because you can change them. You also shouldn’t worry about things you can’t change, because you can’t change them. What else is there?” You can’t make permanent change if you aren’t in an optimistic space. Focus on the positives that will come out of your decision, or-if you decide to do nothing-focus on the positives that come from that decision since you made it from a place of empowerment.
My wife and I are fine, of course, but I learned a powerful lesson in the futility of being a victim. Let responsibility, empowerment, and optimism guide you to better choices and a better livelihood.
I was being a victim.
Being a victim is a common yet futile state to be in. You fail to see your role in your problems, surrender your power, and stay in a perspective of negativity. Victimization can be especially dangerous in the career realm because it creates an attitude of helplessness, entitlement, and hopelessness. You can fight entitlement in your career in these three ways:
Take responsibility: When you take responsibility you see how you have influenced your situation-good or bad. In my situation, I blamed my wife for being late without considering what I had done. Didn’t I agree to go to class with her? Didn’t I know that she wasn’t a morning person. Didn’t I expect to be late? Thus, who was really responsible for my misery? Me. Whether your career is not going in the direction you want it to go, you dislike your work environment, you don’t feel that you are being challenged enough at work, or whatever reason you are feeling dissatisfied, approach it from a place of responsibility and note all of the ways that you are contributing to your misery.
Empower yourself: Once you take responsibility, you can take it upon yourself to make changes. What are you going to start doing and what are you going to stop doing? Who do you need to talk to about it? What are you able to do and what aren’t you able to do. If there’s something you don’t know, who can you talk to that will know? Get clear and specific about your options and the steps necessary to change.
Cultivate optimism: I once heard a quote to the effect of “you shouldn’t worry about things you can change, because you can change them. You also shouldn’t worry about things you can’t change, because you can’t change them. What else is there?” You can’t make permanent change if you aren’t in an optimistic space. Focus on the positives that will come out of your decision, or-if you decide to do nothing-focus on the positives that come from that decision since you made it from a place of empowerment.
My wife and I are fine, of course, but I learned a powerful lesson in the futility of being a victim. Let responsibility, empowerment, and optimism guide you to better choices and a better livelihood.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
3 Strategies for Dealing with a Difficult Boss.
In a blog post last week, I discussed some strategies for dealing with a difficult co-worker. However, what do you do if that intolerable person just happens to be your supervisor? Most of us can recall our worst boss. They may have been demanding, pushy, rude, a micromanager, or outright abusive. In today’s tough job market, many people may be more inclined to stick out the situation, no matter how bad their boss may be. Here are some strategies to help you deal with a difficult boss.
Don’t give your boss ammunition
I used to work in a three-person office that included me, my bossd and my counterpart. My boss often took out her frustrations on my co-worker, but I was usually spared her ire. It wasn’t that she liked me better or that I was a better worker. It was simple; I knew her pet peeves and I worked hard to avoid pushing those triggers.
The first step in dealing with a difficult boss is to take an honest and thorough assessment of your behavior, actions, and performance. Have you been professional, mature, and considerate in all your dealings at work? Are you giving your best possible performance at work? Try ignoring personal distractions, keep your head down, and focus on doing your job to the best of your ability and see if that changes the situation.
Don’t react with emotion
No matter how harsh the criticism, reacting with emotion will escalate the issue. Often times, difficult people are trying to bait you to react emotionally which makes you a target for additional attacks. Don’t react, just acknowledge the comment and move on. This strips away the power behind the verbal attack without creating additional conflict.
Use their criticism as a topic of discussion, not a source of confrontation. Never try to confront or discuss an issue when you are upset. Take some time to evaluate and revisit the issue when you have calmed down.
Learn to manage your manager
The best way to avoid criticism from a boss is to take a proactive approach. Get to know their likes and dislikes. Avoid miscommunication by clarifying their expectations of you and your performance. This clarity helps avoid future criticism.
Take a step back and try to define the cause for the problem. Try to find out how your boss likes the work to get done, how your boss prefers to receive information, and clearly define their priorities. Don’t try to guess, be professional and ask your boss to clarify all these things for you.
Don’t give your boss ammunition
I used to work in a three-person office that included me, my bossd and my counterpart. My boss often took out her frustrations on my co-worker, but I was usually spared her ire. It wasn’t that she liked me better or that I was a better worker. It was simple; I knew her pet peeves and I worked hard to avoid pushing those triggers.
The first step in dealing with a difficult boss is to take an honest and thorough assessment of your behavior, actions, and performance. Have you been professional, mature, and considerate in all your dealings at work? Are you giving your best possible performance at work? Try ignoring personal distractions, keep your head down, and focus on doing your job to the best of your ability and see if that changes the situation.
Don’t react with emotion
No matter how harsh the criticism, reacting with emotion will escalate the issue. Often times, difficult people are trying to bait you to react emotionally which makes you a target for additional attacks. Don’t react, just acknowledge the comment and move on. This strips away the power behind the verbal attack without creating additional conflict.
Use their criticism as a topic of discussion, not a source of confrontation. Never try to confront or discuss an issue when you are upset. Take some time to evaluate and revisit the issue when you have calmed down.
Learn to manage your manager
The best way to avoid criticism from a boss is to take a proactive approach. Get to know their likes and dislikes. Avoid miscommunication by clarifying their expectations of you and your performance. This clarity helps avoid future criticism.
Take a step back and try to define the cause for the problem. Try to find out how your boss likes the work to get done, how your boss prefers to receive information, and clearly define their priorities. Don’t try to guess, be professional and ask your boss to clarify all these things for you.
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