How to Deal with a Difficult Boss
In our ideal world, we would all get accepted in our dream internship, meet incredible coworkers, have kind bosses who would help us succeed, value us, and kind-hearted. Basically, we were just surrounded by great people.
Unfortunately, reality isn’t always like that. Not everyone is fortunate to have a good boss. Whether you boss has anger management problems, shows favortism toward one person, or just isn't very competent, you still have to make the best of the situation and get your job done. Sadly, having a difficult boss apparently could affect your productivity at work.
To help out, we've gathered some ways to deal with a difficult boss. Try one or more of these tips to help you stay sane during your internship!
Assume it might be a misunderstanding
Don’t blame your boss immediately. Try to see it from different perspective: your boss may not know that they’re being difficult. Though you’ve dealt with your boss’ negative behavior for many times, there’s still a possibility that you’re both looking at it from different points of view.
For instance, your boss may not understand that not everyone is as committed to work as they are. To them, a strong work ethic may mean staying in the office until the job is done. Your definition is just different. Right now, all you've got is a misunderstanding that you can both resolve through communication.
Identify the triggers
Your boss’s bad behavior doesn’t just come out of nowhere. It must have a trigger; you just don’t know it yet. Next time your manager gets riled up, think about what happened just a few minutes before. See if a pattern or common trigger emerges after a few days of observation. Once you know what the triggers, you’ll know when to avoid contact with your boss. Of course, you should also avoid doing whatever it is that annoys them.
Get help from co-workers Who Feel the Same
A sure sign that your boss is difficult to work with is that your coworkers also share your sentiment about their management. If that’s the case, you can talk to your coworkers about it. Don’t bad mouth your boss, as that can be used against you. Instead, see if your coworkers are agreeable to having a meeting with your boss to have a talk and propose solutions.
Practice patience
Being patient has its own rewards in life and it’s not that much different in a professional environment. If you’ve just had to deal with you difficult boss, try to remain calm. A calm personality showcases a mature individual. By remaining calm, you also dominate the situation and your boss will eventually begin to respect your levelheaded nature.
Judging your difficult boss and making a hasty decision can cause you to regret the decision for the rest of your professional career. Therefore, it’s important to manage your emotions.
Always remain one-step ahead
By mentally preparing yourself to be productive and hitting your deadlines way before the deadline, you give your difficult boss no reason to find fault with you.
Create schedules and eliminate any room for procrastination. Once you create the habit of being ahead of your office commitments, you boss will begin to respect you for what you do. By acting on your own and being efficient in your work, you prove to your boss that you have a great work ethic.
Dealing with a difficult boss is no joke, and it's not easy. However, keep reminding yourself that while you can’t control your boss, you can control how you react.