Introducing the Terrible Office Tyrant – TOT!™
Is your boss a Terrible Office Tyrant — a TOT — who can revert to a helpless toddler, or worse, a tantrum-prone bully? TOTs are everywhere, but don't panic! TOT taming guru Lynn Taylor is here to help.
"There are many striking parallels between difficult bosses and children — and almost all executives behave this way at some point," Taylor explained. "The difference is whether people in positions of power allow the child within to inspire...or rule them. That's how you can 'spot a TOT' in your boss or even in yourself."
Is My Boss a…TOT?!
If so, you’ve come to the right place! But it’s how you react that effects change. This forum and related workshops focus on how to tame, not blame. We’re about how to:
- Understand the dynamics, then move forward
- Stop your boss from running you ragged metaphorically down the supermarket (or cubicle) aisles!
- Set realistic expectations and limits
- Use distraction and appropriate humor, and model calm and reason to diffuse tension
- Deploy other proven techniques to rise above the fray (and frayed hair!)
How We Can Help
We want to help you thrive in your job and achieve greatness in your career. The word "tyrant" is carefully balanced by the acronym, "TOT", because there's often an unwitting naiveté behind all that bossy blustering. Tame Your TOT™ offers a win-win-win for you, your boss, and your entire company. We help you deal with office politics; mitigate stress at work; and humanize your workplace™, creating a positive work environment — all of which leads to greater job satisfaction.
Taylor’s in-depth research studies spanning five years; her expertise as a national career expert; and her 20 years of corporate experience, are accumulated into the Tame Your TOT™ forum - a great venue for information sharing.
Our TOT blog, "screaming video" clips, and helpful articles will help you thrive above daily TOTisms - and have a few laughs along the way.
Lynn Taylor: Workplace Expert
Lynn Taylor is the creator of Tame Your Terrible Office Tyrant - TOT!™. Her skills as a career expert and job search guru are targeted to employees dealing with difficult bosses and interested in career advancement. She also works with companies who want to improve corporate productivity and employee/manager dynamics. A speaker, consultant and researcher on the latest trends, Lynn has 20 years of experience with workplace issues.
Click here to learn more about Lynn
TOT Taming Tips
TOT Taming expert Lynn Taylor answers your questions about challenging boss behaviors, as well as office politics, careers, corporate culture, difficult co-workers and subordinates, job searches, and much more.
Boss Friendly Vacation Planning
Dear Lynn,
Our company president rarely takes vacations and when he does, he still sends a constant barrage of e-mail. My wife and I are planning a trip, and she is already nervous that he is going to dump a lot of work on me or ask me to work while we are away. How can I show that I’m committed while taking an extended vacation?
— Needs A Break
More About Tame Your TOT™
Author and workplace expert Lynn Taylor warns employees to "Beware of the TOT!" TOTs (Terrible Office Tyrants™) are everywhere in the office. But Lynn's combination of humor and TOT Taming tips, along with her Managing Up philosophy, will help you overcome the challenges of the many varieties of difficult bosses, including: demanding bosses, spoiled bosses, needy or whiny bosses in the workplace.
TOT taming guru Taylor will also answer your questions about navigating office politics. At Tame Your TOT™, our goal is to empower you and to give you a greater degree of control over your life at work.
"Whether they are demanding, self-centered, distracted, needy, fickle, prone to micro-managing, mood swings, or tantrums … you name it, TOTs can act out similarly to toddlers in their Terrible Twos. Not surprisingly, the same techniques used in parenting an impatient, spoiled or bewildered child are often effective solutions for dealing with a childish boss", says Tame Your Terrible Office Tyrant — TOT!™ author Lynn Taylor.
The good news is you have already taken the first step in taking greater control over your job and future. Welcome to Tame Your TOT™!
More
Don't miss our featured Screaming Video on Joe's unbelievable but true Terrible Office Tyrant (TOT)™ encounter. If you've ever struggled with a TOT, you'll appreciate how he survived one of his boss's many meltdowns.
Got a TOT? You're not alone! Dare to share your story at