5 Ways to Deal with an Unreliable Manager

Managers are not perfect and the best managers can recognize their strengths and weaknesses and manage around them, while also learning from their employees and putting them into position to utilize their strengths.

Unfortunately, sometimes you encounter a manger who is unreliable or incompetent and should not have been hired for the position they're in.

How do you navigate a situation where your manager is not effective? Take the following steps until your current reporting situation works itself out.

Document your communication. An unreliable or ineffective manager might be disorganized and have difficulty remembering agreements or understandings you've come to. Be sure to clearly and accurately document your conversations and clarify email exchanges if there is some uncertainty. You want to be able to follow-up with clear documentation about what's been discussed and agreed to.

Find other experts/mentors in the company. Your manager might not be the best person to train you or offer you opportunities to develop in your career. Be proactive and seek out additional mentors within your organization. You can likely do this with your current supervisors approval if you present this in a way that shows your initiative and interest in developing your career.

Take initiative (and don't wait for a plan). Speaking of initiative, show some. An unreliable manager may keep you waiting for feedback on a proposal or avoid giving you counsel on how to proceed on a new project. Go forward and learn from your mistakes. Failure and mistakes are inevitable in life and in your career so go ahead and make them on your own terms.

Take ownership over meetings. Don't wait for your manager to schedule meetings with you. An unreliable manager might schedule infrequent meetings or they might be unfocused. Take charge of the meetings with your supervisor by scheduling them and developing a brief and clear agenda that provides you with the information and resources you need to do your job well.

Be realistic about expectations. If it takes two follow-up emails to your manager in order to get a reply on something important then recognize this and build this into your expectations. Avoid becoming frustrated when you don't get a response after the first message. Managing your expectations can go a long way toward improving your experience with an unreliable manager but a part of those expectation should include the recognition that it's unlikely your supervisor will change. Understanding this will put you in a better position to manage the situation. 

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: 5 Ways to Use Twitter to Land a Job

This is our weekly roundup of some of the best career-related articles, interviews, blogs, etc., we've read during the week. We share them so you have some great resources to prepare you for the coming week. Enjoy!

© Bellemedia | Stock Free Images & Dreamstime Stock Photos

• 5 Ways to use Twitter to Land a Job: "Make a point of following recruiters who specialize in your industry and job type, as well as target companies where you would like to work."


• How to Cope with a Bad Job: "Consider ways to tolerate your situation better: improvements you can make within whatever limitations are imposed on you to make your everyday experience of work more enjoyable, no matter how small."


• How Blogging Can Change Your Professional Life: "When like-minded people read my posts, they organically network with me—through comments, retweets, my contact form. And I've connected and built relationships with so many incredible people over the years who originally found me through my blog."


• What to do if Your Boss is a Bully: "Remember that there may be other people experiencing this problem who are too afraid to speak out. By taking a stand you are not behaving unprofessionally: you are simply taking steps to tackle an issue that is no doubt affecting others too."


• Find the Right Career Coach for You: "Almost every coach will have a 'paper trail' allowing you to see for yourself the kinds of issues they’re writing and thinking about, how they approach the situation, and their personal style."

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: Networking Tips and How to Start a New Job Right

This is our weekly roundup of some of the best career-related articles, interviews, blogs, etc., we've read during the week. We share them so you have some great resources to prepare you for the coming week. Enjoy!

© Bellemedia | Stock Free Images & Dreamstime Stock Photos

• 6 Holiday Networking Tips: "Be curious, and show an interest in others ... ask interesting questions that demonstrate you know something but want to know more."


• 10 Warning Signs You Need a Career Change: "If you lose sleep over the thought of going to work in the morning, it may be time to pack up with the little shred of sanity you have left."


• 3 Tips to Hit the Ground Running at Your New Job: "Your company would not have hired you if you were not exceptional. So be true to who you are, be comfortable being who you are, and be comfortable letting your voice be heard."


• What to do (and not do) at the Office Holiday Party: "Introduce yourself to key players within the corporation and make a good impression by maintaining eye contact, shaking hands and remembering names."


• What to Do When Your Boss Doesn't Like You: "No matter what the situation or the cause of the issue, get stuff done, share the credit, and ask how else you can help—those are tried-and-true strategies for building a solid relationship with your boss."

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.