THE DAMN BOSS

• Great bosses can be friends, teachers,

coaches and sources of inspiration all in one.
They can shape and advance your career in
ways you never expected and sometimes they
can even change your life. In stark contrast, a
bad boss can kill that part of your soul where
positive energy, commitment, and hope came
from. A bad boss can leave you feeling angry,
hurt, and bitter.
 This chapter won’t provide any hard-and-fast
answers because each bad boss situation is
unique. But it will walk you through a series
of questions that hopefully will surface the
right approach to your bad boss situation,
right in the sense that it fits your goals in life
and at work. In any bad boss situation you
cannot let yourself be a victim as it is
completely self defeating. When it comes to
your career, it’s an attitude that kills all your
options.
 Ask yourself a series of question : Why is my
boss acting like a jerk? It is an entirely
different situation if your boss is just
impossible toward you. In that case you need
to start asking yourself what you have done
to draw his disapproval. You’ve got to find
out what’s going on. Any type of
confrontation is extremely risky. Still, you
have to talk. There is no way around it.
 Just remember, before you go into that
meeting, be prepared and have options in the
event that you come out of it unemployed .
What will happen to me if I deliver results and
endure my bad boss? There will always be an
element of uncertainty to enduring a bad
boss. You may surmise a happy ending or be
promised one.
 Why do I work here anyway? Sometimes you
stay in a job for the money or the friends;
sometimes you give up money and friends for
the love of the work itself r the job’s location
or the lack of travel. Sometimes you stay in a
job because the company has so much
prestige, you it will help you get a new job
once you have a few more years of
experience under your belt.
 You need to assess your trade-offs and ask,
“Are they worth it?” If your boss situation
offers some kind of long-term benefit that
you understand and accept, you really have
no choice. Focus on why you are staying, and
put your bad boss in perspective. When you
own your choices, you own their
consequences.
THE END