10 Brilliant Tips for Dealing With a Difficult Boss -The Muse

10 Brilliant Tips for Dealing With a Difficult Boss -The Muse10 Brilliant Tips for Dealing With a Difficult BossIn an ideal world, we would all have fantastic managers- bosses who helped us succeed, who made us feel valued, and who were just all-around great people.Unfortunately, thats bedrngnis always the case. But, whetherbei the person you work for is a micromanager, has anger management problems, shows favortism toward one person, is a flat-out workplace bully, or just isnt very competent, you still have to make the best of the situation and get your job done.To help out, weve gathered the best advice from around the web for dealing with a schwimmbad boss. Try one or mora of these tips to find some common ground with your boss- or at least stay sane until you find a new gig.1. Make Sure Youre Dealing With a Bad BossBefore trying to fix your bad boss, make sure you really are dealing with one. Is there a reason for her behavior, or are you being too hard on him or her?Observe your boss for a few days and try to notice how many things she does well versus poorly. When she is doing something bad, try to imagine the most forgiving reason why it could have occurred. Is it truly her fault, or could it be something out of her control?Read More From Fast Company2. Identify Your Boss MotivationUnderstanding why your boss does or cares about certain things can give you insight into his or her management style....if the rules are totally out of control, try to figure out your boss motivation. Maybe its not that he really cares about how long your lunch break takes he actually cares about how it looks to other employees and their superiors.Read More From Brazen Careerist3. Dont Let it Affect Your WorkNo matter how bad your boss behavior, avoid letting it affect your work.You want to stay on good terms with other leaders in the company (and keep your job).Dont try to even the score by working slower, or taking excessive mental health days or longer lunches. It will only put you further behind in your workload and build a case for your boss to give you the old heave-ho before youre ready to go.Read More From Work Awesome4. Stay One Step AheadEspecially when youre dealing with a micromanager, head off your boss requests by anticipating them and getting things done before they come to you.a great start to halting micromanagement in its tracks is to anticipate the tasks that your manager expects and get them done well ahead of time. If you reply, I actually already left a draft of the schedule on your desk for your review, enough times, youll minimize the need for her reminders. Shell realize that you have your responsibilities on track- and that she doesnt need to watch your every move.Read More on Managing a Micromanager5. Set BoundariesWorking with someone who seems to have no boundaries means that you have to go ahead and set them. One of the challenges of unlikable people is that they come with equally unlikable behavior- and its important to lea rn how to distance yourself from that behavior. As Robert Frost said, Good fences make good neighbors.Read More on Working With Someone You Dont Like6. Stop Assuming They Know EverythingJust because someone has a managerial title doesnt mean that they have all the right answers, all the time. I realized then that, just because someone is in a position of authority, doesnt mean he or she knows everything. From that point forward, I stopped assuming the title manager was equivalent to all knowing..Read More on Finding the Good in a Bad Boss7. Act as the LeaderWhen dealing with an incompetent boss, sometimes its best to make some leadership decisions on your own.If you know your area well enough, there is no reason to not go ahead creating and pursuing a direction you know will achieve good results for your company. People who do this are naturally followed by their peers as an informal leader. Management, although maybe not your direct boss, will notice your initiative. Of course, you dont want to do something that undermines the boss, so keep him or her in the loop.Read More From Careerealism8. Identify TriggersIf your boss has anger management problems, identify what triggers her meltdowns and be extra militant about avoiding those.For example, if your editor flips when you misspell a sources name, be sure to double and triple-check your notes. And if your boss starts foaming at the mouth if you arrive a moment after 8 AM, plan to get there at 745- Every. Single. Day.Read More on Dealing With Toxic Bosses From The Muse9. Use Tips from Couples TherapyWhen dealing with disagreement, pull on some tenants from couples therapy to work through the issue.Simply repeat back to him what he said and ask Is that what you meant? (a standard trick ripped from couples therapy). If he agrees to your recap, ask him to tell you more about it. When you repeat someones perspective back to him, you give him a chance to expound and, crucially, to feel heard.Read More From Fast Com pany10. Avoid Future Bad BossesWhen interviewing with a new company, do your research ahead of time to make sure youre not getting into another situation with a less-than-ideal manager.Have coffee or lunch with one or more staffers at the new company. Ostensibly, your purpose is to learn general information about the company and its culture. However, use this opportunity to discover as much about your potential boss as possible, without appearing creepy, of course.Read More From Inc.