He is dominating and a control freak. He is humble and impulsive. He is interested in what’s happening in your love life and what food you get in lunch, he loves to see you come early, and hates to see you leave late. He has been really bugging you lately and you spend more of your day thinking about how to avoid him, than you spend worrying on the stuff he needs from you.
From snippy comments about personal matters, “it seems like you are gaining weight”, to undermining your efforts at work, ”So you’re just learning Excel, right?”, whatever type your boss may be, a little understanding may go a long way in preventing your working life from becoming a living hell.
After all, whether your boss is a perfectionist or a bully, indecisive or inspiring, you cannot ignore him
We list down some of the commonest types of bosses around, and how you can get the most out of them. While dealing with bosses it is better that you know that some of the eccentric traits may have brought him to where he is now…..
This type of boss, eats, drinks, sees and sleeps business. He is all business, all the time. He is not interested whether you are happy, sad, excited or gloomy, even if you seem to express your emotions upfront. This does not mean that he is not human, but just that he cannot relate to fun and levity during work hours. He would rather be impressed seeing you on your work desk and is free of even the slightest emotional connection with his employees.
You can: Learn about efficiency and discipline from this Boss, and when your days are gloomy, you can vent out to your allies who are probably as frustrated as you.
This types of Boss is often seen either inside closed doors or on business trips that never seem to end, or in the conference room or at home. But he is hardly ever seen interacting with employees other than his close aides. Whatever it is, you’re left to your own devices to figure things out, minus any guidance at all. And if something goes wrong, you will still be questioned. He is impatient, but not rude. He wants everything to be done on the fly. He has many things in his head running at one time and often leaves incomplete tasks for you to take over.
You can: Wait and learn. He knows you are hired and will ensure that you are told what you need to do sooner or later. Keeping evidence of your communications (possibly through emails), or complete the task on the spot and be prepared for unexpected tasks to come up anytime.
This Boss wants to be your friend, not boss. He believes, a friendly atmosphere increases productivity and results in efficiency. He is high on energy and loves to laugh out aloud. He really has a way of making fun into a chore.
You can: Laugh at his funny jokes and acknowledge his descriptions of the various places he’s been to and his knowledge about current affairs. Moreover, as a take home, recognize his stamina and a persona that’s brimming with energy all along the nine hours in office. Don’t get over friendly and maintain a professional distance.
This type of Boss loves to shout and finds reasons to shout. More often than not, he craves for attention, and his impatience gets the better of him all the time. He will calm down, only if he has been listened to, uninterrupted. He has an inflated ego, and one that is hard to please. He lives to make your own life hell, and he’s good at it. He screams at you in front of customers and colleagues and demonstrates that he has no pity, or decency. He’s the worst boss around and nobody ever wants to deal with him.
You can: Unfortunately, with this one you just have to run. Get out. There’s no hope for improvement when you work for someone who has no scruples at all.
He is the one sending you encouraging emails each time you contribute to work in a positive way, each time you come up with lateral ideas, and each time you strike a new deal. He is fun to be with, is supportive of your ideas and abilities, he is intelligent and able and inspires you to unleash your potential.
He does what he says, always follows up with you on an impending assignment or on something that you were to deliver, and he can push you to do your best in a way that makes the hardest work seem like play.
You can: Firstly, you love to be working with him, his opinions and feedback matter a lot and actually help you in improving yourself and enriching your potential. You are lucky, and now you can use this great opportunity to really see how far you can go, and if at the end of your tenure, you can earn a letter of reference!
If you are under this type of Boss, you exactly know what we mean. He is a fake in that he is trying to hide his inadequacies behind big talk and other diversions. He is neither updated nor informed, but just because he has reached a higher position above you, he has this sense of false prestige. He was able when he was promoted, but he has not kept himself abreast of the changes, and also at times feels insecure by you and your colleagues showing enhanced abilities. He is neither a good leader nor an inspiring one.
You can: Occasionally show him his mistakes in disguise of guarding him and guiding him, until you get your next promotion or he quits.
He is the one type, who loves to micromanage. He can explain how to turn your computer on or how to change the toner on the printer. He leaves you to your own devices mostly, but is sure to micromanage the simplest and most mundane tasks whenever he gets the opportunity. He gives a lot of attention to details and likes to control all of your work, all the time. From simple punctuation errors in presentations to other tiny things, nothing you do is ever good enough for him. You start doubting your own abilities and hardly spend time innovating.
You can: If you feel your Boss’s micromanaging is making you look stupid, you can interrupt saying, “I already know how to do that, but I want to know what we can do about …” If his patronizing behavior just doesn’t stop, it’s important to tell him to knock it off. He believes that you’re beneath him, and when you show him you’re not, you’ll gain his respect. Try finding someone else in the company to be your mentor, because he would only point out your faults.
These are just a few of the dominant personality traits that you may find during your career. You need to be aware of them in order to preserve both your job and your sanity!
This Boss is the one who is actually the innovator, the creative director, the ideator, and the deal maker. He loves to hold brainstorming sessions at least thrice a week, subscribes to different magazines, is a voracious reader and loves to discuss, debate and is open to feedback that is constructive for the company. His head is full of big ideas, and he wastes no time dreaming them up and then making sure they actually come true. He is a boon to the company, but this means that you get no life outside the office because you’re the one actually making his dream come true.
You can: This boss can be incredibly charismatic and inspiring, and truly cares about work. But sometimes it may seem that all he ever cares about is work! Work hard and show commitment, and he will respect your work and hopefully, your own need for work-life balance.
Now that you know what category your Boss fits into, you know how “you can manage him” better!
