Archive for the ‘Career Goals’ Category
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.
Timing Helps with Bad Bosses
14August 2009
When workplace frustrations seem overwhelming because of a cranky, bad or childish boss, a.k.a., a Terrible Office Tyrant (TOT), you can quit - or decide what you want and go for it. If you like your job and are up for the challenge, then here’s my advice—focus on getting your timing right.
As TOT readers know, and as explained in Tame Your Terrible Office Tyrant™ (TOT): How to Manage Childish Boss Behavior and Thrive in Your Job, getting your toddlers and boss to listen to you often requires the same principles—and one is good timing.
As national career columnist Joyce Lain Kennedy mentions in her article Dealing with a bad boss isn’t easy for hamptonroads.com, and VIVMag.com states, both bad bosses and children behave in strikingly similar ways. Also see the Boston Globe’s hilariously pictorial pages of these TOT behaviors at Boston.com (in fact, you can go ahead and vote and view results).
Toddlers throw tantrums, scream “No!” and can be stubbornly demanding. Badly behaving bosses can have sudden angry outbursts, and say “No!” without any apparent reason.
Knowing how to tame your TOT will give you control and help you get what you want out of your job; and timing is critical. That includes staying out of the line of fire, as mentioned in my interview with career luminary Tory Johnson on GMA/ABC-News for “The Job Club.”
As a young mother, I learned that it was highly unwise to take my two tykes down the candy isle when it was feeding time. Taking your boss down the cubicle aisle at 11:30 a.m. while trying to get project approval? - also a bad idea.
To avoid a boss’s tantrum, plan ahead. You’ve schedule an afternoon meeting, so make sure there are high protein snacks available. They help regulate blood sugar. If you go for the sugary snacks, then you are just adding to the blood spiking problem, which will result in a later crash and fatigue. It can bring out Demanding, Fearful and other TOT inclinations (i.e., the worst in anyone.) See my regular blogs on Psychology Today, including one on Demanding bosses.
Remember to use timing to your advantage. Both you and your boss will be healthier for it. Also, try to plan meetings for earlier in the day when everyone is fresh and mental activity is up and running. Be fully prepared and confident in your skills, secure in your work achievements, and then put your timing plan to work.
With your good timing plan in hand (or securely in your head) you can tame you Terrible Office Tyrant (TOT) and work comfortable in the office playground. For more details on timing and TOTs, order the book at Amazon, Barnes&Noble.com or Borders.
P.S. I thoroughly enjoyed my interview today with Terri Trespicio, the host of SIRIUS Radio “Martha Stewart Whole Living.” (Visit TameYourTOT.com to listen.) She is a real pro and knew precisely what the book and topic was about; a lot of fun! Great caller questions, too.
Calm Them Down . . . And Manage Up
11May 2009
Sometimes it’s hard to know which is preferable: staying in an untenable situation such as working for a Terrible Office Tyrant™ (TOT) or overbearing boss (see The Detroit News) - or starting over with record numbers of job-hungry candidates. Given today’s outsourced, downsized mindset, it’s more critical than ever to ensure that your own career goals are in sync with the dynamics of your workplace.
Whether you’re toiling away in a toxic workplace or knocking it out of the park every day in a supportive and emotionally rewarding company, how you react to your environment will largely determine your fate. As I pointed out recently on The Glass Hammer, a popular blog for female executives, the way you react to an aggressive manager will either temper the TOT-o-meter – or send it off the charts.
For starters, don’t take the bullying personally. It’s very possible that your blustering TOT™ might not be aware of the behavior on you or other employees. Bad or mediocre managers don’t necessarily set out to create a vicious, cruel workplace. Often they’re simply not very good at being bosses. They may even be preoccupied about their own jobs. If they are intentionally malicious as opposed to overly aggressive and attacking, that’s another matter that requires serious action. But assuming the first scenario, which is far more common – almost without exception, the best approach is to C.A.L.M. things down: Communicate frequently; Anticipate problems and solutions; use Levity to break up tension, and Manage up… often.
Even if outright bullying isn’t your challenge, you have an opportunity to maximize your value to the company and influence in the workplace. “Managing up” involves taking initiative to be a proactive problem solver, frequent communicator and collaborator, as well as a role model of high ethical standards; positive energy and to demonstrate calm under pressure. All of these attributes will help make you the master of your own career.
Every career has its setbacks during the ride, so don’t be hard on yourself for misjudgments along the way; without them, no one would learn. But by consistently managing up, especially with bullying TOTs, you will keep your valued career on track, not sidetracked.
Calming Your Job Jitters
29March 2009
The unemployment climate has made even the most confident employees nervous as recently discussed in Inc. and our national study. With workplace stress up, it’s not only your manager’s responsibility to ease your worries. You can take proactive steps to overcome these jitters. As one proverb says, “Fear makes the wolf bigger than he is.”
There are a few basic things that you can be doing during this uncertain time. Firstly, do your best every day because really nothing else is in your control. Second, keep busy. Volunteer for tasks that you know need attention. Take opportunities to highlight and deploy your strengths to the benefit of you and your employer.
In addition, there are small yet effective steps you can take to reduce stress during your day:
Personalize your work space with a photo that is funny, endearing, beautiful, or relaxing. Anything that puts your mind at ease — a short getaway of sorts - can be a powerful way to feel good in a flash.While it’s always good to talk to someone with whom who you can commiserate, instead call someone who is guaranteed to lift your spirits during a break from work.
Use positive energy when you’re faced with difficult challenges. Visualize yourself getting through a conflict with a Terrible Office TyrantTM (TOT) boss or peer. Picture a positive outcome. Take it a step further, and despite the difficult employment climate, see yourself getting praise from your boss or even receiving a promotion.
There are ways to take control and not let fears devour your day. Focus on doing great work and surround yourself with supportive people and positive thinking.
Squeaky Wheels and Your Job
28February 2009
Dear Lynn,
I was recently passed over for a promotion after taking over the jobs of two other people - for five months. And the work still keeps coming. I know that in this economy I have to be careful, yet when I look around, I see “squeaky wheels get all the grease,” at least the recognition. I’m more of a “get the job done person” who doesn’t schmooze a lot. But do I need to start being shrewd and manipulative to get ahead?
- Quiet Wheels (Going Nowhere?)
Dear Quiet Wheels,
Squeaky wheels do tend to get more grease, but there’s a fine line between squeaky and screechy wheels, which can fall off! You don’t have to go overboard “working the system,” become underhanded, or anything of the sort. It’s a myth to think that this is how people rise to the top. Besides, if you put a lot of effort into those behaviors, you’ll lose focus of the very (wise) thing you’re doing right now, which is to perform well at your job.
Having said all that, let’s talk about the old proverb, “don’t hide your light under a bushel.” Being quiet or silent about what you do - or how you go about your job can also have its downsides. You have talents that may well be needed, especially now, when companies are trying to do more with less, within departments and even cross-functionally.
Someone recently asked me if it’s true that “if no one sees me, I won’t be fired.” I told him to rethink that, and instead to become indispensable; visible; to volunteer for more projects; even to consider writing articles on his area of expertise for the local business weekly. Here are some other tips I can offer you:
- Stay with the friendly course: be sincere, generous, kind and open
- Demonstrate leadership skills through clear communication and proactive, decisive action.
- Document your successes and share them with your immediate supervisor and other managers
- Find meaningful ways to contribute to the organization through your unique expertise
- Communicate desires as suggestions - and problems as solutions
So don’t be afraid to toot your own horn, but be true to yourself and the job at hand. It might take a little time to get that coveted promotion. The end goal, however, is worth the wait.
Best regards,
Lynn Taylor
