Bullying doesn’t stop after high school graduation.
Bullies are everywhere in the workplace. What happens when the bully is your
boss? Solutions that may work when the bully is a co-worker won’t work with a
boss.
You cannot
ignore your boss, pretending he’s not there. That will only lead to more
bullying. So what do you do to keep your sanity if you have a bully boss? Bully
bosses love to blame, intimidate, scream and act irrationally, believing it’s
their right as boss. When the boss goes into one of his bullying
fits, remember, it’s not about you. Bullying is how bad bosses react when they
need to feed their ego or try hid their own shortcomings. They are so fearful
that someone will call them out about their incompetence that they blame others
to deflect the hard truth.
The
secret to working with a bully boss? As distasteful as it sounds, be your
bully boss’ problem-solver. Be the one who makes sure he looks
like a success by fixing--one way or another—whatever problems arise.
When the
bullying begins, Nelson says your best bet is to stay calm, don’t get defensive
or look like a deer in the headlights. Figure out what’s really bugging your
boss, and listen for clues on how the situation may be resolved. Offer your
help and then do everything you can to remedy the problem. Your
bully boss will increasingly rely on you. The bullying will decrease, and more
importantly, you now have a greater ability to get the raises, perks, promotions
and bonuses you want. You have power you didn’t have before.
