How To Deal With a Bad Boss

We've ALL dealt with a bad boss at one time or another. How did you deal with yours?

Did you sit back and take abuse?
Did you argue?
Did you seek revenge?
Did you agree with everything he/she said?

Our emotions sometime get in the way of clear thinking, thus resulting in getting let go or quitting prematurely.

Before I list the ten ways to deal with a bad boss, lemme tell ya how I dealt with one many, many years ago.

This pantload I was working for was tired of paying me my salary. So what was he to do so he could cut my pay altogether? Fire me? He would need some sort of a reason. Besides, he'd have to pay me unemployment.

So, needing any shred of evidence that I wasn't doing my job, this yam hauls me into his office and starts accusing me - in front of two witnesses he gathered - of not doing my job. Of course, I WAS doing my job and I told him so. He did the best he could to try to get me to say something like "Maybe I could do better" or "I will work harder" or some such thing. But I wouldn't budge, because I knew I was doing my job...efficiently & properly and I wasn't gonna give him the satisfaction of trying to get me to say otherwise. If I did, that would be all the excuse he would need to let me go.

The more he tried to get me to admit to something, and the more I disagreed, the more mad he got. Finally, after literally a half hour, he basically gave up but figured he'd get me to quit on my own...exasperated, he stood up from behind his desk and shouted at the top of his lungs "GET OUT OF MY OFFICE!!!!!" thinking that would make me mad enough to quit. I looked at him, shrugged my shoulders, calmly said "okay", walked out of his office and went back to work. That REALLY ticked him off. He had nothing to fire me for and had no choice but to let it go. I stayed a few more months and even got promoted. Finally, when I was ready, I quit.

NOW, HERE ARE TEN WAYS TO DEAL WITH A BAD BOSS:

1. Make Sure You’re Dealing With a “Bad Boss”

2. Identify Your Boss’ Motivation

3. Don’t Let it Affect Your Work

4. Stay One Step Ahead

5. Set Boundaries

6. Stop Assuming They Know Everything

7. Act as the Leader

8. Identify Triggers

9. Use Tips from Couples' Therapy

10. Avoid Future Bad Bosses

To read in-depth what each of the above ten steps mean, CLICK HERE to read the whole article on themuse.com.

Thankfully, I have great bosses here...I hope you do, too.

Good luck!