Category Archives for Tame Your Terrible Office Tyrant

Are You a Good Boss or a Bad Boss?

The Test That Really Matters “Boss” is a word that has so many negative connotations, people sometimes forget “good bosses” even exist. No-one is going to make a movie called “Wonderful Bosses” anytime soon, or remake “The Office” with Tom Hanks as a team leader that’s just so darn loveable. Anybody who has dealt with […]

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Handle A Bad Boss Like a Pro

(Even If He Hates You) You’ve heard the phrase, “When the going get’s tough, the tough get going.” Well that applies to managing up with a tough boss. Don’t just sit there. This is your opportunity to take the high road and role model good behavior (assuming, of course that your boss’s behavior is tolerable […]

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Bad Boss Spotting

(Or Not Running Into One In The First Place) The sheer fact that bad bosses have spawned a movie franchise speaks to their pervasiveness. It’s not surprising – so much of your well-being depends on the person you work for. A good manager will help you thrive and bring out the best in you. A […]

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Can You Manage Up With a Bad Boss?

“Take a sad song and make it better”   Bad bosses are ubiquitous. It seems the only comfort you can have while working for one is that you’re not alone. But don’t despair. There are few truly incorrigible office tyrants—most bad bosses behave badly episodically. And you (yes, you!) can help your boss improve. The […]

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Have You Seen The Horrible Bosses Sequel?

(I Hope It Doesn’t Remind You Of Someone You Know) Horrible Bosses Two is in theaters, and whether you’ve seen the movie or not, it’s a good reminder to check whether those two words also sum up your current work situation. Bosses with exalted, entitled views of their authority may act out not unlike ‘terrible twos’ toddlers. […]

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Bad Boss Readiness

Prevention Is The Best Cure In the realm of the omniscient Google, “good boss” returns way more results than “bad boss”. Yet, when I talk to people about their work, it’s usually the other way around. Even when giving their boss an overall OK, people still tend to bring up some feature they find annoying […]

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Make Yourself Heard

(There’s No Need To Shout) Problems of communication in the workplace are nothing out of the ordinary, accompanied by various degrees of frustration. Nothing is more frustrating, though, than a repeated failure to get through to the one person your advancement is dependent on. Most often, it’s your boss. Do you ever feel like your […]

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How to Manage Tyrant Bosses & Remain Productive

Tyrannical bosses can have any one or several of the bad boss traits you’ve probably witnessed at some point. There are two traits, however, I hear the most about in the workplace – bullying and overly demanding. Fortunately, there are ways to manage up with a difficult boss. As I describe in the Forbes article […]

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Look Before You Leap

With the employment picture showing some signs of life, you may be weighing the pros and cons of looking for a new job – especially if your current bad boss is causing you to “sizzle” with anger. However, it’s a good idea to really look thoroughly before you leap or you may jump right from […]

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Where’s Waldo?

How To Play The Game To Your Advantage Modern managers are often pushed to do more with less staff, and it sometimes makes it difficult for them to offer enough face-to-face time to their team. For the employees the boss’s absence can be a mixed blessing. It could lead some of them to show more […]

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