Love Your Job—but Hate Your Boss?
When my editor at U.S. News suggested I write on this topic, I felt as if she had just asked me to clean the garage with the Winnebago still parked inside—I can do it, but don't expect a decent job (in 250 words or less).
Yet employees are being asked to clean their garage (their job) with the Winnebago (bad boss) still inside. It's no wonder "bad boss" is cited as the No. 1 reason people quit their jobs. Doing a good job is hard enough without having such obstacles.
During these tough economic and jobless times, most of us don't have the real option of quitting when we hate our bosses. We need the job.
Here are three things anyone can do in this situation:
1. Write a journal about it. A friend of mine knew a woman dealing with this issue at her job, and his advice to her was to journal what happened whenever her boss upset her. Rereading the entries at a later, less emotional time helped her gain perspective.
2. Analyze your own self. How's your attitude, your own work habits? Can you improve the situation by doing better yourself? As a boss myself, I know I happen to like those employees who do better, more than those who don't. In other words, make your boss love your performance.
3. If you do Nos. 1 and 2, and you still hate the boss, then you have two remaining options—discuss it openly with him (first), then with HR, and/or prepare your exit strategy.
G.L. Hoffman is a serial entrepreneur and venture investor/operator/incubator/mentor. Two of his companies have traveled the entire success path from the garage to IPO. Currently, he is chairman of JobDig, and his blog can be found at WhatWouldDadSay.com or at JobDig.com.
Tags: careers | management
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Reader Comments
Bad Boss
In my lifetime, I have learned that "my immediate first-line boss IS my job"; regardless of the rest of the line, if the first level is bad, it is all perceived to be equally bad. Most corporations fail to realize that if I have a bad boss, I have a bad job, and thus work for a bad company. They can sponsor all of the CEO worship that they want, but this fact still stands.
Oh yes, and just try going over the first-line's head. Sure!
I find it amazing that my first-line rates me on my job, but I never heard of my second-line rating my first-line. Some companies have the employee opinion program, but too few of them seem to really pay attention to the surveys.
When a project failed, I did what I was told, how I was told, with the tools that I was given. Therefore, I was commanded a task that I couldn't skillfully handle, or else I was commanded in error. When a project doesn't succeed, someone needs to look beyond the workers.
All people and all corporations need to realize one fact of human nature -- Not all people can handle authority. When a boss is put over another person, even just one, that boss should be monitored and evaluated. At the first sign of not handling authority, there should be a discussion and improvement session, or a move to a non-authority position. Corporations lose too much when experienced people leave, and the next one ... How many must go before they realize that the bad egg is over the group, not one of the group?
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