An August 2014 Michigan State University study found that bad bosses’
toxic habits are often mirrored by their employees, which spreads hostility and
dysfunction within the workplace. You can help stop the spread of this bad
behavior by the way you interact with your bad boss.
When
a supervisor creates a hostile atmosphere in the workplace, employees are not
able to come up with their best work much less innovative ideas. Just as one bad apple spoils the entire barrel, a bad boss can spoil the
entire team.
To
stop this spread, workers need to go against their natural
responses. We tend to model the behavior of those in front of us. If the boss
is modeling bad behavior, then people that report to him allow themselves to
show their worst instead of their best. IIf the boss encourages
yelling and is always irritable, employees will follow. It’s the ‘kick the dog’
phenomenon.
These behaviors can be changed. Instead of accepting your boss’s
hostile attitude, turn it around. See yourself as helping with your boss’
success, which will help advance your own career. Make a conscientious effort
to not let your bad boss get to you. If your boss is always
blaming others, particularly you, when things go wrong, be his or her problem-solver.
Don’t let this insecure finger pointer cause you to start yelling at your
colleagues. Stay calm and immediately offer to help.
Then follow through. Eventually, your boss will see you as a much-needed ally
to make him or her look good, which is
all what most bad bosses want in the first place. The temperature of the
workplace will go down.
By stopping the
negative behavior at the source, workers will be less on edge and
more likely to be their true selves. Most
people are essentially good and want to do their best at work. Sometimes, they just get caught up in a negative work culture.
For
tips on working with specific bad boss types, go to http://www.noellenelson.com, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GotABadBoss or at https://twitter.com/GotABadBoss.
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