Archive for the ‘Boss Napping’ Category
TOT-taming for Beleaguered Office Workers
6November 2011
TOT-taming is reaching out to more beleaguered office workers this month with articles appearing in Forbes, CBS/MoneyWatch and Media Bistro. Forbes highlighted Seven Ways to Tame an Office Tyrant — don’t let them see you sweat, listen actively, be a role model, be a problem solver, harness strengths and weaknesses, use humor and show empathy. Of course, in my book, there are many more tips. Check them out!
At CBS/MoneyWatch you’ll find suggestions on what to do When Your Boss Acts like a Toddler, which included my favorite acronym: CALM—Communicate, Anticipate, Laugh and Manage. Communicate with your boss openly, honestly and frequently. Anticipate problems before they become larger problems and have solutions ready. Levity helps break tension, diffuses issues and punch through barriers. Managing up doesn’t mean kissing up. It means speaking the truth and setting expectations with your boss.
In Media Bistro’s Dealing with the Terrible Office Tyrant (TOT) I told public relations professionals that the onus was on them to spot a TOT and put some real teeth behind that great PR reputation. With some behind the scenes TOT-taming they can increase those moments of agency euphoria.
Try some TOT-taming techniques in November, as the holidays and a short month create a fertile environment for more stress!
New Survey Shows Bad Boss Behaviors Are On The Rise
12October 2009
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, which was conducted from 2004 to 2009, found that “Self-oriented” catapulted to the lead in 2009, swapping places with “Stubborn” in 2004. This means that some bosses are more self-consumed than ever! The survey also found that seven in 10 Americans believe bosses and toddlers with too much power act alike. As I mentioned in BusinessWeek, we are all human and behind your boss’s professional façade is a grown kid who acts out and can’t moderate his or her power.
As I said on Fox news, TOT behaviors can be managed by employees. The whole point of TOT taming is to “manage up” — not to get revenge on your boss, or to fight fire with fire.
My book Tame Your Terrible Office Tyrant™ (TOT): How to Manage Childish Boss Behavior and Thrive in Your Job (John Wiley & Sons) identifies 20 types of bad boss traits and offers concrete solutions to both employees and managers to tame bosses who are acting like misbehaving kids. To order go to Amazon, Barnes & Noble or Borders.
If you’ve got TOT stories or thoughts on humanizing the workplace, please share your story through my sites or at any of the articles on the home page of TameTourTOT.com. You can also follow me on Twitter.com: @workplaceexpert for my thoughts on boss and leadership matters.
Taking the High Road with Your Boss
4May 2009
Lately the stories about taking revenge on the boss have been getting surreal. You may have read about “boss-napping”, an arrest-worthy sequestering of bosses in France. Having to deal with a Terrible Office Tyrant™ (TOT), especially during tough times, might inspire much less severe responses, like a hidden smirk, or some of the antics recently described in the N.Y. Daily News. Instead, call a timeout. And before you consider shouting “That’s it, buddy” (or “sister!”) – go to your room, NOW!” – consider less career-limiting options.
Here are some techniques to tame your TOT and help keep the corporate schoolyard at bay:
Use humor: Look through a levity lens™ and view work from a distance, seeing its humorous side. That provides a greater sense of career management and control.
Empathize with your managers: Everyone is under more pressure these, which can skew perceptions and magnify less than ideal behavior. Seeing things from another perspective helps ratchets down stress.
Don’t boss-nap, consider taking a nap: Break away from the office politics on your lunch hour for a 20 minute nap in your car – or at least try sitting outside and relaxing quietly or meditating. “Power napping,” popularized in the 1990s, has proven to be one answer to an increased incidence workplace sleep deprivation, according to numerous health organizations. Stay well rested in general and keep in mind that your health comes first.
Remember when you were a kid and your mother said count to 10 when you got angry? Not all clichés have lost their meaning. If you can take the high road, you’ll model good behavior to your Terrible Office Tyrant (TOT™). If your bad boss is untamable, and you’ve communicated and done all you can, then you can always take the highway.
