Malcolm O. Munro - The "Career Fitness" Coach

Dealing with a Wimpy Boss

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What do you do with the boss who won't use their authority to actually be the boss?  What if you work with someone who delegates the tough tasks for someone else to do?  How do you handle the boss who refuses to take charge?

I'm going to suggest seizing control if the boss won't choose to exercise it!

Now before I blast this week's bad boss, let me suggest that in some ways, this behavior can be explained.  Many people think the path to organizational success is to work your way to the top.  In fact, being at the top is a sometimes daunting place to be.  Nobody can prepare you for the hassles and stress that await you.  In the face of that stress, the new boss may turn back to old habits, behaviors, and even tasks that they held before the promotion.  And confronting problems?  They either go completely over the top or they shrink away. 

You have no control over how your boss makes this transition.

Here's what you can do:

1. Start asserting yourself!  If you've always wanted to try something new or do something a different way, this is your chance.  Get your act together, build the process, and put it into practice.
2. Take charge of your immediate area.  You don't need positional authority to be a leader.  I know you probably don't agree, but keep in mind leadership doesn't need a title to happen.  Management does.  Start thinking strategically and voice your thoughts.  Demonstrate you know how to add value and get busy doing it.
3. Be a good example.  If your boss demonstrates wimpiness, be the opposite and act decisively.  This is your chance to show the higher-ups you're qualified for bigger things.

There are some people who wait for opportunities to come to them.  If you have this type of wimpy boss, you have an opportunity to really demonstrate your worth.   Get busy this week building your own leadership and management skills! 

AND, if you're this type of boss, you're a complete disappointment to me.  Somebody thought enough of you to hire or promote you to that leadership role.  You better start acting in that role or find another line of work.  Leadership is a privilege.  Treat it as such!

Are you rude? Maybe you should think again

Fed up with the rude behavior you experience day in and day out? Is it aggressive driving, co-workers who don't wash their hands or smokers who use the sidewalk as their personal ashtrays?

What about the sales clerks who ignore you -- then act like they own the store when you finally get their attention?

It's time for a return to civility!  To read more from Oprah.com, click HERE!

Dealing with an Arrogant Boss

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Imagine if we still had kings like they did in the old days.  They would strut around with their big robes and crowns, compelling us to bow down as they moved through the streets.  At the sign of any criticism, they'd simply single us out for decapitation. 

Some of us unfortunately still live this way.  Arrogant bosses, the "kings" (and "queens") of our days still rule some workplace kingdoms demanding workers pay homage to their greatness.

Arrogant bosses exhibit a sense of entitlement, an incessant string of comments about how great they are, an attitude that demeans others of lower rank or position, and a focus on their needs over the needs of others.  If you're sharing a particular story with someone and they overhear it, they'll chime in with a similar story of their own.  At their least annoying, they'll simply be in your way.  At their worst, they'll inundate your day with deliberate arrogant pain. 

Here are some quick strategies on how to deal with them:

Don’t:

• Openly confront them – they would enjoy beating you down
• Try to one-up them – this is their game and they know how to play it
• Attempt to compete with them – why bother?  It’s a losing game

Do:

• Ignore them – they thrive on an audience and accolades – a silent or non-existent audience completely deflates them!

Of course the best way to deal with tyrants is to just not do it.  In this tough economy that may not be an option, but your sanity may dictate you make the move.  Whatever you do, don't become a clone of your boss.  Without a formal mentor program and development, that is always a scary potential outcome!

Dealing with Bad Bosses: The Screamer

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We're in our second week of figuring out how to deal with bad bosses.  This week's culprit is the screamer.

Screamers fly off the handle at the slightest provocation.  Why?  Their anger is an emotional response to outward stimuli.  It’s a fancy way of saying people get ticked off when actions fail to meet expectations.  According to Daniel Goleman, the “guru” of Emotional Intelligence, our brains are open systems, which, unlike our circulatory system that flows in a continuous loop, take in outside information and process it. 

What does this mean?

If you can’t manage anger, it just grows.  This is why  rage escalates.  Your only hope is to get out of the way until it subsides.  Angry people are irrational. Irrational people can’t be reasoned with. Your rational response will only put fuel on the fire. 

Don’t:

• Attempt to calm them down
• Rationalize with them
• Argue or further provoke them
• Take a swing at them

Do:

• Keep your cool
• Make a conscious effort to control your own response
• Wait for the right moment to revisit the issue when they’ve calmed down

In some ways, this boss is the most dangerous because their anger can provoke ours.  Keep in mind that positionally, they outrank you so your response will probably lead to the demise of your tenure at the company.  If screamer behavior is causing you undue stress that's affecting your personal and physical well-being, it might be time to find a new position.

If there is good news here, I think it's that screamers become caricatures and what they do to motivate simply makes them look foolish.  Still intimidating, but foolish.  They will never be seen as a leader. 

5 Recession-Proof Industries

With health care costs, food prices, and the unemployment rate on the rise, you need to do everything you can to protect yourself - and your career - from the danger of recession.

Take a look at this ARTICLE from MyEduSeek on 5 Recession-Proof Industries that Pay.

Which Jobs are in Danger of Going Away?

As the impact of the economic crisis takes hold, employees from Wall Street to Main Street are feeling nervous about their jobs, and with good reason.  As of September, 760,000 jobs have already been lost this year, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.  And a quarter of U.S. employers expect to make layoffs in the next 12 months, according to a recent report by consulting firm Watson Wyatt.

But which industries will suffer the most? Experts say certain sectors are more vulnerable to layoffs than others.  To read which ones, click HERE to get the full article from CNN.com

Ten guilt-free ways to say no

Have a hard time saying "NO?"  Check out this article from Real Simple for some suggestions!

Dealing with Bad Bosses: The Unpredictable Time Bomb

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There you are, busy at work when your boss appears.  He begins yelling at you in front of everyone about your missed deadline.  His insults then turn personal.  You feel your blood pressure rising and muscles tightening.  As he moves into your personal space, you smell his bad breath and cheap aftershave.  He then grins and he hurls one last insult.  That’s all it takes – you shove him down and proceed to kick his head in like a watermelon, the cheers of your coworkers rising in the background.

Well that’s what you wanted to do anyway wasn’t it?  Most likely you slinked back to your cube, head down with your tail between your legs. 

This week the mailbag was full of questions on how to deal with bad bosses.  For the next several weeks, I'm going to answer them and give you some suggestions on how to deal with your bad boss.  This week's question comes from Carrie F. from Bowie, MD.

Dear Coach,
My boss is evil.  I never know what he's up to until he blows up at me.  Then he slinks back to his office like nothing's happened.  We can't stand his unpredictability.  None of us knows what he'll do next but we all feel very uncomfortable.

Carrie, I call bosses like yours the Unpredictable Time Bomb.

The scariest thing about these tyrants is their unpredictability. It’s like the sudden air pocket drop you experience on a calm airline flight.  Worse, they can shift mood right before your eyes after drawing you into their comfort zone, dropping the hammer on you when you least expect it.  The Time Bomb also exhibits a talent for hitting your with rage and insults while smiling.  I once worked for a boss who smiled all the time.  The only way you knew he was about to explode was when his face turned red and he began to rapidly grind his front teeth, all while still smiling.  He reminded me a little of the rather disturbing Burger King King. 

To deal with the Time Bomb, you’ll have to carefully study them.

Don’t:

• Turn your back on them – always be wary

• Be taken in by their sometimes charming behavior

Do:

• Respond to everything they say and do to you with caution

• Observe their behavior – watch for things that seem to trigger them

• See if patterns develop – are you doing something unconsciously that sets them off?

Remember, even in tough economic times, it's sometimes better to quit your boss than to put up with unhealthy behavior.  Use your HR Department if need be.  At the end of this series, I'll give you some very clear steps to take when trying to handle ALL bad bosses.

When this recession or whatever it's called is over, people will be leaving their companies in droves.  It's happened after every economic downturn and will happen again.  The bad bosses will get theirs and then some. 

Mass layoffs highest since 9/11

Ok so the news continues to get worse.  Read the following story on CNN.com.

Now, here's the encouraging news.  Jobs are still out there (if you're looking) so keep at it.  If you're worrying about losing your job, now is NOT the time to skulk away and keep your head down.  Show that you're valuable.  Demonstrate how you make a difference.  Prove you're a contributor.  You'll improve your chances of staying around when layoffs come, and if you don't survive them, at least you'll have something remarkable to show on your resume.

Keep your chin up!

How to Deal with Difficult People

You can view this week's tip on YouTube by clicking HERE!

Over the past couple of weeks we've been looking at ways to build job security through adding value.  We discovered that we do it through solving complex problems and also through helping our organization save and make money.  The final step to adding value is by getting along well with others.

People, by nature, can be difficult to deal with.  If we get annoyed with our friends and loved ones, it's no shocker that our co-workers can drive us crazy too.  However, our ability to be professional and not drawn into the conflict is paramount if we want to keep our jobs.

Several years ago, I worked in a small organization that had one difficult person who derailed all of us with his annoying behavior.  For almost 3 years this person's influence affected our work, morale, and sanity.  Productivity declined as we had to work around this person to avoid conflict and annoyance.  Eventually, he opted to move on just before the boss got up the nerve to fire him.  One person's difficult behavior can severely hamper an organization's effectiveness.  I wonder how much money this person directly or indirectly costed us?

Let me translate this for you:  If you're an annoying person, (and you should know it if you are), GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER!  Either you're going to ruin your career or take the organization down with you!

Now, for the rest of us.  We need to avoid being that difficult person.  Take a look at your attitude and work behavior.  If people seem to avoid you or if hate and discontent seem to follow you, there's a good chance you're that difficult person.  FIX YOURSELF NOW!

If you're having trouble dealing with those difficult people, it might be a good idea to develop a strategy to cope.  If not, you may find yourself dragged down with them.  Here are your choices:

1. Stay, Listen, and Do Nothing – This is where many of us choose to stay.  Often, it's easier to tolerate than confront.  If you choose this though, don't whine about the difficult person.
2. Walk Away – If the situation is irresolvable, we may have no choice but to walk away.  Realize though that walking away is a temporary solution, and the real problem will resurface eventually.
3. Work on Changing OUR Attitudes – If the difficult people seem to be everywhere, maybe WE need to look at OUR own attitudes.  It could be that we have some “blind spots” that we don’t notice, but others do.
4. Change OUR Behavior – If we change our behavior, the difficult person will have to readjust to our new behavior – it may end the conflict. 

I'm really interested in your job security.  Having everyone employed is a priority in a tight economy.  While you don't have control over a lot of things, you do have an opportunity to do all in your power to maintain your job security.  This week, think about what you can do to solve problems, make or save money in your organization, and avoid being a difficult person.

Next week, I'll entertain a question from one of my readers.  If you have one, email it directly to me HERE!