How To Manage Your Boss

Your relationship with your boss can have a lot to do with whether you view your work as a blessing or a burden. If you’ve had to add “difficult boss” to your already full plate of worries, you may need to learn better ways to get along with your superior. Learn to manage upward, and you’ll have greater chances of keeping your job-and saving your sanity-no matter what kind of boss you get saddled with.

1. Accept reality. Given the chance, you might elect for a different boss. But the fact is, you’re stuck with your present superior whether you like it or not. Fighting reality-and your boss-will only make things worse for you. Acknowledging facts can hopefully clear your mind, allowing you to find more positive ways to deal with the situation.
2. Turn inward. You may need to look in the mirror and reflect on your own motives and motivation. Are you being fair to your boss, or sour-graping because you feel you should be in his or her position? You yourself may be adding to the tension in your relationship. By striving for objectivity, you might find that you can actually get along with your supervisor quite well.
3. People won’t change. Bear in mind that you cannot force others to change their attitude just to make you feel better. The only person you can control is yourself. By changing the way you respond and react, you may just have a better relationship with your boss than you ever thought possible.
4. Keep your emotions in check. You don’t have to be buddy-buddy with your manager, but you do have to maintain a professional, respectful relationship. This means too that you do not grouse to anyone who cares to listen just what a beast your boss is-it’s bound to reach him or her, with dire consequences for you! Instead, try discussing with a trusted friend about what coping strategy will work best with your boss.

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