Strategies for
Succeeding in Your Career
Help!!! I Hate My Boss!
- by Rabia Dhody *
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Know Their Favorite
Communication Methods. Do they prefer to communicate via e-mail,
phone or memorandum? Do they utilize one medium for themselves but
another for their staff? Find out and stick to it! Your adherence to
their choice will make them
more comfortable, and will make them believe that you are more like
them, and that, therefore, you must be very, very smart.
Know Their
Communication Style. Are they formal or informal? Don't be exactly
like them; just use it to point yourself in a general direction. For
example, if someone uses vulgar language it doesn't mean that you will
endear yourself to him or her if you start swearing all the time. But
acting shocked won't help you either. Take it as a sign of informality,
or perhaps a tactic to embarrass you, and don't react. The same thing is
true for their style of dress. Don't mimic it - just use it as working
knowledge of who and what they are.
Scrutinize The
Successful. I know it hurts, but do it. Turn your gaze to colleagues
who are successful with this boss. Who gets promoted? What traits or
behaviors do they use in front of your boss? Forget your own attitude,
be it envy or disgust, and try to be objective. It doesn't mean that you
have to be that way, but it will provide clues as to what your boss
really likes. You can decide later if you can emulate your colleagues or
not - right now, we are still collecting data.
Keep It To Yourself.
Button your lip until you are blue in the face, but do not grumble about
your boss in the office. It may seem like common sense, but you would be
amazed by how many people publicly bad-mouth their boss. Not only do the
walls have ears, but they have tentacles and stereo-speakers, too. The
first nasty remark may not get back to your boss, but the third or
fourth one will.
Forget About Human
Resources. If you haven't yet learned this painful lesson, please
etch these words into your soul: HR exists to serve the needs of the
corporation, not the individual employee. If you bring a complaint, no
matter how legitimate, to HR, they will take it straight against you and
it will hurt you. TRUST YOURSELF.
Document, Document,
And Document. Keep every memo, write down every offensive comment,
every broken promise, and every out-of-control outburst. Be sure to
include dates and participants, and enough detail to make yourself
believable. Then keep this in a very safe place. Because you never know.
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