The bad nature of the boss is one of the most common reasons for dismissing employees at will. Even if all other working conditions are satisfactory, not many subordinates are ready to endure bad temper and incompetence. Moreover, the option of changing the manager is almost never considered.
The idea of re-educating your boss may seem like a pipe dream and utopia, but that's not entirely true. There are tricks that will help make a good person out of your boss.
Formulation of the problem
For the goal to be achieved, it must be correctly defined. You need to work with the specific characteristics of the boss, which will directly affect the relationship with him in the process of work. So, experts point to 5 main qualities of a good boss:
- Willingness to assist. A bad boss does not think about how, with what resources and in what conditions his subordinates fulfill their duties. However, it is in his interests to facilitate their work by providing, if possible, everything necessary for this.
- Motivation. Support for employees may consist not only in the technical creation of conditions, but also in psychological assistance, the main factor of which will be the motivation for new successes and achievements.
- Creating an atmosphere of trust. With good bosses, a confidential atmosphere inside the team naturally forms.
- Feedback. Employees should not only understand their tasks, but also know about the quality of their implementation. For example, a good boss will delicately point out mistakes in the work done or emphasize strengths, but will certainly provide this feedback.
- Ability to make the right decisions. The leader himself is not safe from mistakes, but he must have developed a decision-making system based on the principle of responsibility both to the company and to subordinates.
Unfortunately, only a few leaders correspond to all of these qualities. But you can at least try to change the situation for the better.
Meeting with the boss
Work on change begins with planning a meeting with the boss. This is the surest and perhaps the only way to achieve your goals. Studies show that many employees experience an internal desire to establish direct communication with senior management, hoping in this way to solve urgent problems during a conversation. This is a completely logical and justified step, which should be decided if the need is ripe for change. It remains only to correctly approach the organization of the meeting so that it does not end in disappointment.
The right attitude to talk
Initially, you should decide on the psychological message of the meeting from the initiator. No matter how much irritation may accumulate in relation to the boss, you need to start a conversation with him in a calm state. Do not immediately rush into criticism and list complaints. This will not give any result other than a negative response. The message should be friendly, but with understandable tasks, which also should not be forgotten.
Defining Expectations
One of the basic topics that should be addressed during the conversation is the boss's expectations from the employee. Understanding exactly what the manager expects from a subordinate, in itself can solve many problems in business relationships. It is important to clearly state this topic with the designation of specific paragraphs on obligations.It may well be that the boss does not want to talk about it and will evade answers. In such a situation, you can express your vision of your tasks, with which work will continue. Gradually, the boss himself will begin to get involved in the discussion, revealing his expectations more fully.
Prioritization
The duties of the youngest employee in the company are unlikely to fit into a set of 2-3 tasks. Even if its functions are simple, they will consist of different operations of small order. As tasks become more complicated, the problem of their segmentation according to the principle of priority value will become more acute. It is important for the employee to know what matters in case of shortage of time or other work resources will have to come to the fore, and which can be postponed. The chief should tell about these priorities, which, perhaps, will make his understanding of the duties of subordinates more clear.
Boundary definition
The lack of clear working process conditions allows the boss to abuse his powers. This can be expressed in various forms with requests and even requirements addressed to the employee. As a result, under the pressure of a superior employee agrees to unfavorable conditions only because clear boundaries of his labor activity were not initially established.
Moreover, even if there is a regulation with rules governing labor activity, their review may take place. For example, boundaries may relate to working hours, the number of breaks, the volume of work performed, etc. If the subordinate cannot fulfill his duties in the given conditions, he has every reason to at least talk about it with the boss. Moreover, it is important to emphasize that the changes will ultimately benefit not only the employee himself, but also the company.
As practice shows, favorable working conditions positively affect the productivity of employees. This understanding must be conveyed to the boss, after which there will be a chance that he will continue to be more attentive to the working conditions of his subordinates.
Change control
One meeting is unlikely to bring the expected results, but it will form a point of report for progress and set the direction for moving for the better. Next, it is necessary to put into practice regular meetings with a discussion of the planned changes. The following topics should be raised during such conversations:
- The dynamics of progress. First of all, it is necessary to share with the boss impressions about the changes. It is important that he knows exactly how the agreements concluded in the first conversation affected the work process.
- Revision of expectations. Even small changes can affect many aspects of work, which will lead to the need to revise the very expectations of the boss.
- Confirmation of established boundaries. If over the past time there have been facts of violation of previously agreed boundaries, it is necessary to tell the chief so that he takes appropriate measures for their new approval.
- Revision of priorities. It is possible that at some point a change in priorities with respect to work functions will be required. This question also needs to be raised so that both the boss and the employee himself correctly understand the tasks facing them.
Conclusion
Do not count on quick changes in the nature of the boss. The established mechanisms for controlling the work process in themselves are aimed at improving business relationships, but they require the boss to display their original will. Will this terrible person be able to meet, perhaps, abandoning part of his principles? If you can, then progress will certainly go in the right direction. And in order for this will to manifest itself, it is necessary during the conversations to emphasize the need to achieve common interests. It is important to recall that this is ultimately about the benefits for the company, and not about the personal desires of a particular subordinate.