Jan, 2021

How to Professionally Deal with a Lousy, Incompetent, and Absentee Boss?

Of course, in a perfectly ideal world, we would all have fabulous bosses and managers who would make us feel valued and go the extra mile to help us thrive. Sadly, many of us are not blessed with these kinds of leaders. The bitter truth is that you still have to get your 9-5 job done even if the person you work for is a freaky nitpicker, a real bogeyman with no leadership skills at all! Each interaction with them leaves you more and more stressed, disgusted, and cold. They miss all the important meetings scheduled with you, NEVER EVER provide any positive feedback or recognize your excellent efforts (nor that of any other employees working their socks off)…And the worst and most heart-wrenching part is that they take CREDIT FOR ALL YOUR HARD WORK!

You become frustrated, weary, unhappy, depressed, and demotivated like there’s no point in trying to do well anymore. Going to work becomes a burden because you’ve had more than enough tolerating your manipulative, inefficient, and boss-obsessed manager. With every passing day, you feel harassed and want to call it QUIT! But at the same time, you love your job and your colleagues and don’t want to resign just because of one person. So, you’re now desperately looking for ways to deal with your lousy manager professionally, hoping to see the light at the end of this endless tunnel…

Whether your boss is a flat-out workplace bully who shows favoritism toward one person or is simply not very competent and doesn’t see the wood for the trees, we’ve gathered the best advice from around the web to help you deal with your bad-to-the-bone micromanager. The ability to deal with a lousy boss is learned. Try any one of these whip-smart tips to keep your job and improve your environment (or at least stay sane and healthy until you find a new gig)!

#1. Determine What Makes Your Boss So Difficult

In everyday life, we can choose to ignore or get away from who is complicated. But when that person is your boss, your freedom of choice is limited. The first thing to do here is identifying what makes your boss so difficult. When we label someone temperamental, what we really mean is that some aspect of their nature has become persistent. In that sense, the three main types of bad bosses are tyrants, control freaks, and undecided.

Therefore, it is instrumental in knowing what kind of boss we are dealing with because they are not handled in the same way. It’s best not to try to fix what is wrong or to psychoanalyze your boss. It is a waste of time to think that such deeply ingrained behavior can be changed. Assume that your boss does not know or care about their bad behavior. If you’re self-aware enough to know that your behavior needs to change, but you can’t do anything about it, the end result remains the same.

#2. Check With Your Peers If It’s Just You!

Talk to your colleagues to find out about their experience with your manager. Perhaps they are experiencing the same thing. Check if any extenuating circumstances have contributed to this kind of behavior. That doesn’t fix a missing boss’s problem, but it can still help ease a difficult situation if you find out that it’s not personal. And if you do realize, it’s just you, well that’s some useful information!

#3. Don’t Gossip About It!

Don’t participate in the weakening of your boss. Don’t gossip or join groups to complain. Don’t follow orders with passive-aggressive responses that make the situation even worse. Keep in mind that your role is to maximize the positive and minimize the negative.

#4. Communication is Key

Focus on contact and communication. Bad behavior isolates people because it alienates others. The most common tactic with bad bosses is to keep them out of your way. But you can never learn to deal with them until there is contact. In most cases, the isolated person welcomes (even if they do not recognize it) human contact. The next step is to start communicating. This begins with listening and watching. Do not approach with the idea of giving advice or conveying your feelings. The goal is to find out what your boss has to say and how much they will be willing to listen. The natural reaction to having a bad leader is to walk away and build barriers. Do the opposite. Build relational bridges. Try to get to know him and look for common areas to develop a solid professional relationship. Communication takes time, and you have to be patient.

#5. Avoid Being Defensive

Learn to avoid being defensive. We all have our weak points, and while one person may ignore a display of anger, another may be overly sensitive. If your boss drives you crazy, you won’t be in a proper position to help yourself when you react negatively. Nor is communication likely to occur. But on the bright side, you can learn to interact in those moments when your bad behavior is not showing up. Remember that their bad behavior has nothing to do with you, even though it can touch a chord at times.

#6. Identify and Appreciate the Strengths of Your Boss

Everyone has strengths and weaknesses. The natural tendency when we have problems with our leader is to focus on the weaknesses. Do the opposite. Focus on strengths (even if they are few) and sincerely appreciate them.

#7. Show Them Interesting Leadership Resources Wisely

Because you are a reader of this blog, I know that you seek to improve your leadership skills. If this blog, a book, or video has helped you, it can also help him. Just be careful how you communicate it. Don’t say, “You need to read this book or go to this blog!” but rather look for a connection, such as: “I read an article that motivated me that we can aim high this new year, I’m going to send you the link so you can read it.” No matter how you choose to approach them with resources, remember to do it wisely!

#8. It’s Time to Say Goodbye!

With all of this in mind, lay a foundation for the most important decision you can make: stay or quit. Sometimes a bad boss is more than just a difficult person. It can be someone impossible who goes overboard. In that case, there is no possibility of dealing.

How to Be A Good Leader?

Leadership is a fundamental part of any business, and that is why knowing how to be a good leader is very important, both for company managers and for those who manage work teams. Understanding the qualities that a true leader has and putting them into practice will make an entrepreneur succeed in his or her goals. Therefore, the main characteristics of a business leader will be presented below.

The difference between the boss and the leader

There are many ways to lead a work team. However, and although these two terms are sometimes used synonymously, acting as a leader is not the same as acting like a boss. Each employer or manager must decide to opt for one of these two options.

Leader

The leader is the businessman who manages to instill in his employees a feeling of loyalty. You don’t need to order employees around because your way of telling them to do something is by encouraging them and setting an example for others to follow. Without any doubt, a leader is someone who builds trust among those around him and encourages teamwork.

The boss

The boss also makes his employees do what they have to do. Also, it doesn’t require as much left hand as the leader. You don’t even need to lead by example; you just need to say what to do. Your duty is to give orders that employees must follow. However, although it may seem easier, the reality is that it is not as effective. Workgroups based on this system do not usually last long because members feel inferior and lose their work enthusiasm.

How to be a good leader: 5 characteristics

Until a few years ago, it was prevalent for most companies to have bosses. Leadership was not taken into account for the management of the work teams. However, someone realized that this did not have great results: the employees were not loyal to the company or did the work with pleasure. For this reason, in recent years, great importance has been given to the leader’s figure! It’s that person who knows how to manage the team, motivate it, and get the best out of each member. But what is a good leader like? What are their characteristics? Let’s check them out!

#1. Exemplary

The first thing any industry leader knows is that your example outweighs your words. It is no use giving orders in one direction if your actions go the other way. For this reason, those who are thinking of becoming leaders must begin to set an example within the organization. The leader’s competencies and abilities go through setting an example by doing what he should do so that the other team members follow him.

#2. Respectful

Without a doubt, these two qualities are fundamental for any type of leadership. Of course, it is impossible to be a good leader if you do not respect others and for your work. Respect is essential for any type of relationship, and in the workplace, the different members must respect each other. Also, integrity should not be missing from the list of qualities of a good leader. Integrity is not just about being sincere and honest. This word covers much more; a person of integrity is a faultless person. A leader should be a person that his team can trust one hundred percent.

#3. Charismatic

People with charisma have a great advantage over the rest. They can attract the rest of the people with a gesture or a phrase. They don’t need much to make those around them feel good. But this is not something innate that cannot be acquired voluntarily. The charisma is worked. A charismatic leader is one who doesn’t need to say too much to win over his team. He makes the people around him work to the best of their ability. Bring out the best in people with smiles and melodic phrases. You know how to get an employee to put their worries aside and dive into work with a smile.

#4. Resolutive and proactive

Companies are constantly in trouble. Commonly, there are issues to solve every day. It is no surprise that someone who claims to be a leader will need to have the keys necessary to solve the situations. A leader must be decisive and proactive. Instead of focusing on the problem, the leader is the one who seeks the solution as soon as possible.

#5. Humble

In recent times, the term humility has been somewhat confused. Many believe that being humble means letting yourself be trampled on by anyone who wants to do it. However, nothing could be further from the truth. Humility does not require stopping. The humble person is only aware that he has limitations, like any other human being.

For this reason, he is not arrogant. Know your limits and accept that others also have theirs. Therefore, he is patient with his colleagues or employees and does not brag about his position if he has one.

Be the team leader

Of course, there is no question that the companies of this century need leadership. There need to be leaders managing work teams, as they have been widely shown to increase performance. The type of management carried out by a leader, as opposed to that of the boss, reveals much happier and more motivated employees and better results. Therefore, managers and business people must learn how to be a leader, so that their results become excellent.

Dec, 2020

What Are the Types of Communications Found in a Business? (Part 1)

It is agreed that one cannot not communicate. It is also agreed that communication has become a cornerstone in today’s business. There are different types of communication that can be found in an organisation which we will discuss in this 2-part series. This article will focus on Internal Communication.

Internal Communication

This simply refers to the communication process which occurs within a business, that is among the employers and employees of an organisation, without extending to the outside world.

It is categorised mainly into two parts, Formal and Informal communication.

Formal Communication

This can be further broken down into:

Downward Communication

It can be simply referred to as when the top-level management communicates or delegates tasks to the lower-level subordinates. It is also known as Top-to-Bottom Communication. This indicates a business’s control of employees. For example, the management may communicate the company’s objectives, strategies and mission to new recruits. Job-related information is also provided to subordinates. For instance, information such as what tasks to do, when to complete these tasks are given to employees. Employees’ performance feedback is also provided by managers. Managers can use expensive and colourful booklets, multimedia platforms or even presentations to attract the attention of workers. The purpose of this communication is to improve the productivity of workers and to boost their morale. It was seen that a lack of this type of communication is more likely to lead to employees feeling dissatisfied, disconnected and perform poorly at work.

Upward Communication

This type of communication is also known as Bottom-to-Top Communication, where the subordinates communicate with top-level management. The aim is to give new proposals, suggestions, ideas or to make complaints. The methods used are informal meetings, reports or presentations. Employees suggestion box is also another method used. This communication is seen to increase the productivity of workers. It is also noted this type of communication allows managers to monitor the area for which they are responsible for and help to determine whether there are any issues. Many businesses encourage this type of communication by adopting certain methods such as informal meetings and the famous open-door policy, whereby the employees has the freedom to go into the office of the manager and communicates with the manager. This type of communications can lead a business to success.

Horizontal Communication

Also referred to as lateral communication, this is a system of communication which takes place between members of the same rank. Employees within the same level in the hierarchy can interact and share ideas and messages for work-related purposes. For example, two workers in a company who have been given a specific task to complete can communicate with each other. Employees also interact to solve a problem or conflict. The means used are telephone conversations, informal discussions and emails. Through this form of communication, teamwork is built and better work relationships are developed. There is also mutual trust and understanding between workers.

Diagonal Communication

Diagonal communication occurs when communication cuts across horizontal, upward and downward communication. It occurs when people from different functional divisions communicate. For example, a Human Resource Officer interacting with an Accountant or a Finance Officer interacting with a store helper.

Informal Communication

Communication does not happen only in a formal context in a business organisation. Informal communication is always present and unavoidable in a business. This type of communication is also called Grapevine Communication. Here, there are no specific rules and regulations. There are no procedures or specific patterns to follow to communicate. It is not based upon a system of hierarchy nor does it follow a chain of command. Individuals within different divisions and different levels of the hierarchy can interact informally. It involves gossip and rumours. For example, the relationship between a CEO and an employee in a business will be the main rumour of the informal communication process. For instance, through the grapevine communication, a company’s profits might be revealed. A drawback of this form of communication is that fake news and information can be spread easily and rapidly in an organisation, damaging its reputation and image.

Do you also think that communication is important for a business? Whatever is your opinion, please share it with us! Don’t forget to check back for part 2, where we will go in-depth on External Communication, or how workers in a business interact with the outside world!

Category Archives: Business Communication