It may be hard to imagine, but there could come a time in your career when sending a memo that reads ”Re: Stupid Idiot” is the right job move.
Sharon Kinsella once addressed a similar one to a boss who had insulted her in a conversation about her work. To pack a bigger punch, she also sent a copy to the vice president of the company.
The memo, along with ”a carton of stuff” documenting other behavior through which the supervisor attempted to make her life miserable eventually helped get her boss fired, says Kinsella, now coordinator of 9 To 5, a national women`s employment-problems hotline. ”The man was domineering and manipulative,” she says.
Although not everyone has had such a negative experience with a supervisor, most probably can identify with having a boss who has made a job more difficult. Holding a supervisor accountable through written documentation is one way of getting control of the situation and demonstrates a lesson many workers should learn, according to Chris Malburg, author of ”How to Fire Your Boss” (Berkley, $4.50).
”Many people today still have a naive belief that the company will take care of them,” says Malburg, a financial consultant in Palos Verdes, Calif.
”But you have to remember, there is no one who will save your career other than you.”
Malburg`s book gives instructions for becoming independent of five general categories of incompetent bosses, a process he calls ”firing” your boss. But the goal is not for anyone to lose their job, he says.
”Most incompetent bosses can do this well themselves. It`s making sure that a problem boss isn`t blocking the upward progress of your career.”
The managers Malburg identifies in his book are the smooth-talking
”Politician” whose games can mire you; the ”Disorganized Incompetent”
who creates unnecessary work and manages by crisis; the nice but non-confrontational and powerless ”Pleaser” and the young, bright, upwardly mobile ”Juvenile” who is an ineffective leader.
The most common ”problem” boss that Malburg has encountered in 10 years of consulting is the ”Locomotive,” a manager who ”relies on brute force rather than finesse to get the management job done.”
The way to gain control of a ”Locomotive” boss is to get close to him and win his confidence while taking care to not appear a threat to his authority, Malburg says. He also advises to stand your ground if challenged by such a supervisor because he will respect your strength. ”Don`t accuse the
`Locomotive` of being wrong-you`ll always lose.”
Janelle Brittain, director of the Dynamic Performance Institute in Evanston, a consulting firm that offers seminars on dealing with difficult people, says she has also found that employees complain most about a
”dominant” boss.
Brittain describes this type of supervisor as being moody and having a preference for talking but not necessarily listening, delegating
responsibility and demanding immediate answers to questions. This individual also may make an arbitrary and incorrect decision if pushed, she says.
Brittain offers two tips for winning over the dominant: Model the supervisor`s approach to language, working his or her favorite phrases into the conversation; when presenting a project, make all the decisions except one, which you allow the boss to make while providing your own input. This will involve the manager in the project and make him or her less likely to criticize your work, she says.
Among the experts` other suggestions:
– Take control of the situation by discussing specific goals and expectations with your boss, and then confirm these points in writing afterward.
– Try to make your boss dependent on you for technical know-how and reliable feedback.
– Learn to ”walk in the boss` shoes mentally,” says Brittain. ”You have to understand where they`re coming from and learn to speak their language.”
– Consider whether alcoholism or another addiction is an underlying problem for the boss. In those situations, or when a manager takes a ”damned if you do and damned if you don`t” approach to the efforts of subordinates, your best move might be to leave the department or look for another job, Kinsella says.
LIFELINES
Job seminar
”Learning to Work with Difficult People,” a seminar by Women Employed: 5:30 to 7 p.m., Thursday, 22 W. Monroe St., Suite 1400. Cost: $20 for members. You must join to attend. Sliding-scale dues: $25 to $45. Call 312-782-3902.
Women in Management
Women in Management offers educational programs for female managers, entrepreneurs and professionals. Annual dues: $75 to $100, depending on chapter. For information, call the national office at 312-263-3636.
Career resource
”How to Deal with Difficult People,” an audio and video cassette series, is available through CareerTrack Publications, Boulder, Colo. Video: $149.95;
audio: $49.95. 303-440-7440 or 800-334-1018.
Women in careers
National Association for Women in Careers offers leadership conferences and training for members. Annual dues: $30 to $60, depending on chapter. For more information, call 312-938-7662.
Related reading
”The Knowledge Executive” by Harlan Cleveland (E.P. Dutton, $10.95); ”The Female Advantage, Women`s Ways of Leadership” by Sally Helgesen (Doubleday, $19.95).
