Surviving a terrible boss is possible with smart strategies. By setting boundaries, staying professional, and managing stress, you can protect your sanity, stay resilient, and thrive despite their chaos.
WORDS LIM TECK CHOON
Kevin Kruse, business speaker and co-author of We: How to Increase Performance and Profits through Full Engagement has a few ideas on how to work under a bad boss.
- Are you the only one with issues with the boss?
- Do you find that all the bosses you’ve worked with are terrible?
If you answer yes to any of the above— or to both questions—it may be worth considering that perhaps you, not your boss, are the one with the issues here. It may be time to adjust your expectations more realistically when it comes to your boss. If you think your boss is the problem, read on!
#1 TALK IT OUT!
Your job as well as your boss’s are a shared accountability—it is within your right to ask for a meeting with them to discuss your performance.
Bring up how well you are performing in certain areas of your job and how you believe things can be improved.
Use some diplomacy and even cunning to persuade your boss that the implementation of your ideas would be beneficial for the both of you.
#2 THINK POSITIVE
If your boss is uncooperative or too difficult to talk to, examine the positive aspects of your job.
- Are you learning new and marketable skills?
- Is the salary worth the trouble?
If the good outweighs the bad boss problem, it may be worth hanging on for a little longer.
#3 HOW LONG WILL THE BOSS BE AROUND?
If you are working in a large company that changes bosses every few years, it may be worth hanging on until a hopefully better boss steps in.
#4 IF ALL ELSE FAILS, CONSIDER LOOKING FOR A NEW JOB
At the end of the day, your mental and physical health is more important!
| This article is part of our series on mental wellness. |
