Have you ever experienced working for a horrible boss? My definition of a horrible boss is one that has any or all of the following characteristics:
- No work ethics or sense of values i.e. takes credit for work that isn’t theirs
- Gossips and lies about you or other employees
- Controlling and always finds fault in everything you do
- Impatient and hard to get along with
- Jealous and full of self righteousness
- Abusive of power
- Talks down to you and others
- Lacks effective listening and communication skills
- Lies and is untrustworthy
- Unpredictable .. always changing their mind on a project to benefit themselves
- Shows co-workers favoritism
- Not a team player
- Not a motivator of their staff
- Stays in their office and doesn’t interact with staff
- Lacks leadership skills
There are a host of other characteristics that you may be able to add; however, you get the idea. When a boss has any of these qualities and you are constantly exposed to them with no way out except to quit, this can be very stressful and could cause mental and psychological harm to you which can manifested into physical illness.
So what have you done to stop the cycle within you because you do have a choice outside of quitting? First, you must understand that you have the ability to change the way you think and react to situations. No one can MAKE you mad enough to STAY in that condition. You have a choice in how you think and what you will concentrate on. Therefore, you can choose to think of the person in another way such as as a unhappy, unloved, and as a miserable soul in need of love and guidance. Then you can begin to feel compassion for them rather than anger. This by no means is an easy thing to do especially when you’ve been pissed at the person for long periods of time. The fact is, you really may not know why the person is the way they are. Their attitude may be such because something has triggered it at home or in their childhood and the feel helpless to change it. Since you are a person they have some power over they seek to control or make your life as miserable as their own.
Remember, insecure people with power can be very dangerous.
What has been your experiences with horrible bosses? How have you handed situations with them? Let’s talk about it and see if we can come up with a solution.
Dr-Sally's Blog 