1: Be clear on where the problem lies
Before you stir the pot, you better be pretty sure that the problem really isn’t you or a minor misunderstanding or exaggeration of a small problem. Everyone has a bad day, including you and your boss. Your boss is only human too and they are allowed to have a bad day every now and again. So make sure you are not blowing things way out of proportion.
Miscommunication is also a huge problem in the workplace. If you have a problem, go to the source. Never trust the words of your coworkers. Coworkers can lie just to create drama. I know, I work with a few ladies like that. Also, office gossip is like playing telephone, the message at the end of the line is never the same as it was in the beginning. So if you hear that a new rule is being implemented in the office that you don’t agree with, talk to your boss about it first before you freak out. It may be nothing at all except a simple exaggeration or misunderstanding from a coworker.
Gossip can be a huge problem as well. You may not have a problem with your boss at all until you start listening to all of the complaining from your coworkers. Refrain from participating in the gossip, it doesn’t do any good for anyone.
2: Understand where they are coming from
Your boss is probably under a lot of pressure from their boss. So they are probably taking all the heat and negativity pointed at them and turning it around and pushing it on you. Your boss, then, is in the same exact boat as you. So try to see things from your boss’s point and view and see if that doesn’t change, if not your opinion of your boss, then at least your prospective.
3: Don’t think about work outside of work
According to Lynn Taylor, workplace expert and author of “Tame your Terrible Office Tyrant, ”on average, employees spend about 19.2 hours a week worrying about ‘what a boss says or does’ including 13 hours during the workweek and 6.2 of their weekend hours. Leave work at the door on your way out. If you find yourself stressing about work at home, immediately stop yourself and start thinking about something else, something relaxing or calming. That way you can get some much needed rest on your days off and come back into work relaxed and less prone to overreacting.
4: Don’t mimic their bad behavior
All too often, your boss’s bad behavior starts to affect how you act. You start thinking ‘why do I have to work so much overtime if my boss barely puts in 40 hours a week?’ Or ‘why do I bother working so hard if no one notices or if no one else is working this hard?’ In response to your bad boss, you may start slacking off, showing up to work late, not doing your work, or losing interest in your job because who cares, right? It doesn’t matter in the end.
Stop right there. Stop thinking that. Do not let your boss change you. Don’t become bitter or become a slacker if you’ve always been a positive person and a hard worker. Maintain your standards and keep performing to the best of your ability. It doesn’t matter what your boss thinks, says, or does, you are going to work as hard as you always have. Act like the leader you wish your boss was and people will take notice (hopefully).
5: Don’t react emotionally
The best thing you can do for dealing with a boss that you hate for whatever reason is to act professionally at all times. Never react in anger, because when we react in anger we tend to do or say things we regret later. Fighting fire with fire never works. So no matter how angry or pissed off they might make you, put on a smile and fake politeness. Be respectful and professional during your interactions. Once you have had time to think things through with a clear head, then address or chose to ignore the issue. Don’t take what your boss says personally, either, it rarely, if ever, is personal. Maybe that’s just their personality. If you learn to not take things personally, you can be more objective during your interactions. If you are an app developer or you work another profession, don’t react emotionally, and can react somewhat objectively, then you can stop focusing on your boss as the misery-maker. Focus on the problem at hand instead and then find ways to fix the problem, find solutions and see if that doesn’t help.
6: Stop working against them
You want to expose your boss for the incompetent fool or terrible, verbally abusive and manipulative monster that they really are. Trust me, I know. You want the whole world to know them for who they really are. Even if you trip them up in a meeting, or prove in front of your boss’s superiors that your boss has no clue what they are doing, it is unlikely to change anything. In the end, all it does is make you look bad.
So work with them. Support your boss. Work around their weaknesses or help them improve. Just don’t do any of this at the expense of your own career. Adapting to their preferences will go a long way to relieve tension and help build a working relationship. It can also assist you with getting what you want in the long term.
You can even schedule weekly meetings with your boss and update them on what you’ve been working on. Ask them for advice with your projects instead of blazing ahead on your own. Even if you don’t respect your boss, this will help seem like you do and will encourage a working relationship.
7: Brown nose
Criticism is futile. You will never get anywhere if you criticize your boss. So suck up to them. Now I’m not talking flattery, but honest appreciation and praise. Focus on what your boss does do right and not on everything they do wrong. Or try finding out what is important to your boss, what they care about, what they worry about and then use it as bait. Dangle that worm in front of your boss to get what you really want in the end. If they find something important, you do too. Or if they worry about something, you can find a solution for it. Then use this information to get what you want in a polite manner.