The Boss from Hell!
Posted on January 10, 2013 by David Nye, One of Thousands of Executive Coaches on Noomii.
If your like most people, you've had a boss at one time or another who makes your professional existence miserable. Ease the pain!
Have you ever had a boss who was difficult to work with? Unless you’re
from a different planet, most of us fall into this category at some
point in our careers. Throughout my working life, I have worked for
some wonderful people, who are excellent people managers, and know how
motivate. On the other hand, I have also worked for others, who had no
business leading and managing teams. How do you deal with this kind of
reporting relationship, keep you job, and your sanity?
STRENGTHEN THE RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR BOSS
Of course there is no silver bullet solution. The relationships we
have with upper management are as individual as we are. That’s why we
get into difficult situations at times. Often, the subordinate-to-boss
relationship is strained because:
1. Job responsibilities are un-defined
2. Goals are unrealistic
3. Lack of available training and coaching
4. No one-on-one meeting time
5. Lack of performance feedback
If you’re thinking that these are all related to communication, you
are correct! Lack of communication is the number one reason these
professional relationships fail.
Let me take each one of these points and give you some insights that
may be helpful to you.
1. Job responsibilities are un-defined
With today’s’ fast paced business environment, having your job
responsibilities documented and communicated is crucial. This not
only benefits your relationship with your boss, but also helps
determine your success as an individual contributor, and as a peer.
2. Goals are unrealistic
This is one of my favorites! How many times do we tell ourselves and
our teammates that project and performance goals are unrealistic?
Granted, sometimes the needs of the business require goals that seem
un-obtainable. But, most of the time you have more say in how goals
are achieved, and measured than realized. Have a conversation with
your boss and help set his/her expectations. You will need to come
with a compelling reason as to why a particular goal in unrealistic,
then give some possible solutions for how the goal(s) can be achieved.
3. Lack of available training and coaching
For economic reasons, many companies are removing training and
mentoring programs for employees. Now, more than ever, employees need
to take ownership of their career paths by obtaining training and/or
career coaching on their own. Let’s face it; no one else is going to
take care of you! You must take care of you!
4. No one-to-one meeting time
If you do not have a regularly scheduled meeting time with your boss,
then go to your Outlook calendar now and set one up!
5. Lack of performance feedback
If the only time your boss is giving you performance feedback is
during your annual review, then you have a big issue! How can you, as
a high-performer, expect to improve and increase your skill set,
obtain 360 degree feedback from your peers, and have some kind of
career growth plan that your boss should be helping you with. Sit
down with your leader(s), and explain to them why it is important for
you, and your team to have this feedback on a regular basis. If he/she
is not able to meet with you regularly, then find a mentor or coach to
help you along the way.
