Responding to the Toxic Boss

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  yhird10/02/08 Report as spam
  1

  RE: Responding to the Toxic Boss

  I have been processing this very topic the last couple of weeks. It is a topic that come to my mind thankfully every while.
  
  The one sentance I remind myself with is respond, don't react. In response I choose my lanquage, my tone, body language and timing. Reading "7 Habit of Highly Sucessful People", by Stephen Covey, has given me even more insight than previous. I highly recommend keeping the pages of this book warm on a regular basis.
  
  Thanks.

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  Josh10k@...10/02/08 Report as spam
  2

  RE: Responding to the Toxic Boss

  "Don't react" is okay, but get out as soon as you can. In the early 80s I was a legal secretary to a Type A woman who had 4 ft. stacks of briefs all over the floor of her office, which she was constantly rooting through. When she couldn't find something, she'd come out and scream at me how incompetent I was, how I'd lost the files, and how this would be my last day if I didn't find them Right Now - so without saying a word I'd go in and find where she'd put them. She NEVER thanked me or apologized... This was a 3-month temp job, and at the end of the 3 mos. she offered me the job at $5 an hour less than the agency was paying me; I think she offered $12. I gave her two weeks notice, and left after that. Unfortunately, the agency got the impression that I could deal with difficult employers, and I wound up with some real ...holes

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  spatial10/02/08 Report as spam
  3

  RE: Responding to the Toxic Boss

  Don't allow yourself to be treated badly by your boss. It will become a habit for the boss and others will mirror it.
  
  A stone face doesn't work. Your boss thinks you are mad and you stress out.
  
  When the boss yells, put on the ehadphones
  When the boss yells at you, ask him or her to speak more quietly - as could you repeat that?
  When the boss yells bad things about you, remember that the worst thing in the world is being that boss and living their life. Wait until you are calmer. Politely request a private conversation. Point out that this is not professional behavior, and since the boss is your supervisor, you are pointing it out to help the team.
  Find another job.
  Don;t use the boss for a reference.

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  Prime Factor10/02/08 Report as spam
  4

  RE: Responding to the Toxic Boss

  Here are a couple of things that can help out too..
  
  1. Nobody does anything because of you; when the boss is yelling the boss is yelling. It may not be a matter of choice for that person, but nevertheless You are not the cause of it.
  2. Don't make your own assumptions about the yelling boss, if you work in a team discuss the behavior openly in the team. Seek an agreement in your team about the behavior and agree the "team's point of view".
  3. Decide in your team about what action to take to correct the situation. It's best to discuss and act over a couple of scenarios, in the team first, then take the most appropriate one and act on it - again in the team.
  4. If the team's (repeated) intervention does not work then you need to escalate this and get it solved as a team.
  
  The keys to this issue are Team Learning and Mental Models. You need to first of all clarify the team's understanding about the behavior, if the team has the same mental model as you, then together in the team you need to decide what to do.
  
  As an individual you must clarify your own opinion about the boss with your team first.
  Individual approaches to the boss will not work - you must act as a team.
  
  If you just leave and find another job, what about your colleagues you're leaving behind? No, this is not the way - if you like your job, if you like your colleagues, so don't give that up because of some screaming boss. Stick with the team, act as a team and solve the problem as a team.

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  mcis01/01/09 Report as spam
  5

  RE: Responding to the Toxic Boss

  I agree My boss continuously treats me badly and others mirror it. Best is to respond and not react. But for that they try to test your patience..well, how far would you go before you react. That's their goal. To disturb you so bad. Stress you all out as long as you are there doing work for them. They are "Petty Tyrants". What to do when you like a job and you have a bad boss and his friend at higher authority in company who has teamed up. What if you are competitive, efficient, dedicated and hard-honest worker but still because of a "bad boss" you are suffering.