Category Archives for Tame Your Terrible Office Tyrant
HOLIDAY OFFICE TALES FOR THE BAD BOSS BLUES
In case you missed it, here is a recap of some chilly bad boss stories that should bring some levity, holiday cheer, or at least commiseration to your day – along with some coping tips: If you’ve been working for a Grinch, Ice Queen or a “Tiny TOT” boss during the past tumultuous year, there […]
Read MoreGeneration Unretired, Gen U™ Humanizes Offices
There’s been a lot of discussion in recent months about the “unretired” – seniors who are returning to the workforce for economic or personal reasons. I call this formidable group, “Gen U™” because they represent an astounding number of workers – a true generation with a different mindset from previous retired generations. Because they have […]
Read MorePeople Share Childish, Bad Boss Stories on YouTube
Many people in L.A. on Boss’s Day couldn’t resist using levity to discuss bad, childish bosses once they saw the angry yet fearful, 6.5′ TOT boss with his famed pacifier. I guess humor helps us make a point – or at least deal with annoying, seething (or teething!) people. I often say that humor is […]
Read MoreTOT Boss Gets Interest in Santa Monica on Boss Day
Here’s a glimpse of last Friday’s event for National Boss Day on the famed 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica, CA, October 16, 2009. Scores of people told their personal anecdotes of good and bad boss behavior on tape. Many talked about the way they manage, and some even ran family businesses – with team […]
Read MoreNational Boss Day in L.A.: Tell Your Tales
For National Boss Day, I’ll be conducting person-on-the-street interviews with office workers in Los Angeles on Thursday, October 15th and Friday, October 16th, on the busy Third Street Promenade at the corner of Wilshire and 3rd in Santa Monica. If you live in the Southland, please join us and share your insights, good and bad, […]
Read MoreNew Survey Shows Bad Boss Behaviors Are On The Rise
A new survey commissioned by my firm, Lynn Taylor Consulting, finds that bad boss behaviors are on the rise. The five-year, national comparative study looked at bad boss (a.k.a. TOT) traits and childish behavior, such as Stubborn, Self-oriented, Overly demanding, Impulsive, Interruptive and Tantrum-throwing, and found bad boss behaviors rose by 50 percent! The study, […]
Read MoreGetting a Distracted Boss’s Attention
Does your boss have the attention span of a fly? While you’re waiting for her to sign off on a report, is she too busy multitasking — dusting off her keyboard, sending e-mails, talking on her phone — to focus on the job at hand? Leaving you without a clue as what to do next? […]
Read MoreWhen Bad Bosses a.k.a. TOTs, Mark Their Spot
The recession isn’t over yet, but some economic sectors are sprouting again, so bad bosses, a.k.a. TOTs, are taking this opportunity to act out in some specific ways. As BusinessWeek and MSNBC point out this week, Terrible Office Tyrants (TOTs)™ are in full season. In particular, TOTs are now marking their territories like never before. […]
Read MoreTiming Helps with Bad Bosses
When workplace frustrations seem overwhelming because of a cranky, bad or childish boss, a.k.a., a Terrible Office Tyrant (TOT), you can quit – or decide what you want and go for it. If you like your job and are up for the challenge, then here’s my advice—focus on getting your timing right. As TOT readers […]
Read MoreDo You Report to a Schoolyard or to Work?
If you’re like many working professionals today, you may feel like you report to a schoolyard or playground each day, not to an office. But perhaps the only mood swings in sight are your boss’s mood swings. Bad bosses, or what I call Terrible Office Tyrants (TOTs™) seem to be making rounds these days, as […]
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