Deal with your horrible manager like a boss

New research has found that being overworked is not the reason people leave their jobs.

A Danish study of 4,500 public service workers has provided credence to the adage that “ people don’t leave jobs, they leave managers .” 

However fixed in their ways your boss may be, you can always learn ways to better manage him or her.  The secret is to “manage up” without them ever realizing you are doing it.

So rather than think of your boss as your boss,  think of them as a difficult client - one you have to figure out how to work with if you want to get ahead, even if you’d rather not.

Know their ‘Why’: The better you understand what your boss does, and more importantly, why, the better positioned you are to deliver results, manage expectations, and avoid lose:lose situations.  Try to put yourself in their shoes and see the world, and your workplace, as they might. When you know what drives your boss, you can speak to “his listening,” frame your opinions and use language in ways that line up with his core values, concerns and priorities.

Work around their weaknesses:

While it may sound counter intuitive to support a bad boss in becoming more successful, there is absolutely nothing to be gained by making him look bad, going to war or facilitating his (or her) failure.  If he is as bad as you think, he will likely do a pretty good job of that all by himself. Exposing his incompetence will only compound your own misery and may even damage your reputation.

One way is to help your boss focus on his natural strengths. Another is to proactively work around his weaknesses. If you know you have a boss who’s disorganized, then help him to be on top of things rather than whining about his lack of organizational skills.

Take the high road: Your “Personal Brand” is riding on it. Never let your boss’s bad behavior be an excuse for your own. All too often, people start feeling entitled to slack off, take longer and longer lunches, lose interest or stop performing well because of their bad boss. Don’t do it. Keep your mind focused on top performance. Complain to your spouse or your friends all you want, but when in the office or workplace, stay upbeat and engaged.