You wake up one day and there is a new boss. It could have been a promotion, transfer, internal organization, external hire or some other fate. Obvious from the get-go, you and the boss are not compatible. It doesn’t matter whether the superior is moody, incompetent, uncommunicative, tyrannical or Machiavellian. Your life will soon be in a rut because you are catching the BAD BOSS BLUES. Let’s describe a few of the distinctive varieties that top everyone’s Most Unwanted list.
OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE
Will work you until you drop. Capable of calling on Sundays, insists on arriving and leaving when it is dark out (even in the summer), provides relentless pressure, offers only a nanosecond of appreciation.
RECLUSIVE PARANOID
Will hide in his or her office.
POLITICAL NARCISSIST
Dismisses your presence because it is meaningless in the final analysis.
BLUTO
Wants to bully everyone into submission through screaming tirades, shouting at will, making scenes and management by terror philosophy.
MYOPTC BULLDOG
Has appreciation for his or her own opinion because there are possible alternatives to anything: their way or the wrong way.
CALAMITY MAGNATE
Attracts or creates every cataclysm, disaster and debacle within their warp zone abilities.
INSIDIOUS LAMPREY
Languishes on your knowledge, usurps your wisdom and lays claim to all contributions.
OVER-THE-SHOULDER QUALITY CONTROLLER
Smothers all attempts of individualism, ingenuity and the pursuit of life with a constant, never-ending, relentless triple-dot-the-“I” review.
There are numerous other personalities that can erode one’s ego and career. Always assess the situation to ensure that you haven’t overreacted to a momentary flaw (e.g., stress, illness). Examine opportunities to alter the environment by making positive suggestions or transferring to another department. If the scene remains untenable and internal change is not possible, then consider leaving. Your career and self-esteem are important. As Walter Winchell once said, “He didn’t carve his career, he chiseled it.” If life deals you a bad hand, then either fold, re-deal or change the rules.