Do you have a boss that is is a complete nightmare? If so, how do you cope with it? I myself have had a horrible boss and a few senior managers who didn’t always play fair. The worst was when one of my bosses took me aside and shouted at me for doing things she never actually explained in the first place. My first reaction was shock that it even happened. My second reaction was having to go and have a good old cry in the toilet because I was so upset.
Power can be an ugly creature, sometimes too much power given to the wrong people can make them abuse their power of position and do pretty much what they want.
Apparently the number one reason people hate their job is a horrible boss. This may not surprise you but 53% – said they would be too scared to raise concerns over bullying compared with just 25% two years ago.” (ACAS). This is a concerning statistic because how many of you are harassed by your boss and other people senior to you and never report it. I know people and have had clients who come to me saying their boss is making their life hell and they don’t know what to do about it. I managed to deal with it in my own way but the best way to deal with a bully is to not let them get to you.
Some of the things I did to prevent further outbursts from them were:
- Stay on top of my work. I always made sure I was two steps ahead as they would check via phone and email.
- I didn’t let their insecurities get to me. The manager I worked with didn’t actually seem to like their job and it felt like they took this out on me.
- Keeping my head down. I never told anyone how I felt about my boss. They got my colleagues to spy on me to make sure I was working. This stopped happening after a while but I never told anyone how unhappy I was in the office.
- I kept at it. This was a temporary role for me so I carried on working there. If it had been a permanent role I would have probably left.
No boss or workplace bully is worth the hassle or the time of getting too upset. A lot of the time the bosses that may be horrible to you may have a horrible boss themselves. Remember, behavior is like a mirror and this sometimes reflects onto other people. Most of the horrible boss stories I have heard have had more to do with the bully then the victim. It may feel like a personal attack on you, but it’s mainly because the other person has their own insecurities and likes to take them out on other people. Also, power can be an ugly creature: Sometimes too much power given to the wrong people can make them abuse the power of their position and do pretty much what they want.
To anyone reading this right now who may be facing a similar situation, don’t let your nightmare boss be the cause of you leaving your job. If you can’t take it anymore, then leave, but no one has a right to be treated badly by a senior executive. If you want to show them up, then work hard and earn the rewards you deserve — don’t let them win.
No boss or workplace bully is worth the hassle or the time of getting too upset over. A lot of the time the bosses that may be horrible to you may have a horrible boss themselves. Remember, behavior is like a mirror and this sometimes reflects onto other people.
When I look bad on my horrible boss incident I feel I have become a stronger person as a result of it. I never confronted them but I didn’t want to play tit for tat. To be honest, what would it have achieved? I felt in my heart that just because they were nasty doesn’t mean I wanted to be. Also, I really believed that if I behaved badly towards them, this would be make me just as bad as them, and I am not like them at all.
So if you ever feel like your boss is evil, don’t rise to their level. You are better then that.
This post was originally published on The Career Happiness Mentor.