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Who's afraid of the big bad boss?
By Helen Beckett
Bosses from hell come in all shapes and sizes. And they’re everywhere, according to Harvey Hornstein, author of Brutal Bosses and Their Prey: How to Identify and Overcome Abuse in the Workplace . “All industries are equally represented,” concludes Hornstein after a survey of 1,000 workers in the United States.
Check Hornstein’s list of typical bosses to see where yours fits in:
- Conquerors: The equivalent of the playground bully, this boss is obsessed with power. This type will put you on permanent tea-making duty and pour the stuff into the plant pot in front of your eyes.
- Performers: This boss feels threatened very easily and will attack anyone who seems to be competitive. Don’t have a bright idea in front of this one.
- Manipulators: This breed wants to appear to be top dog at all costs. If this boss has a pet project that’s going awry, expect it to be palmed off on you and dressed up as an “opportunity”.
- Dehumanisers: People are just numbers to these robots. They’ll see you as a company asset and boy, will they try to sweat you. Don’t expect tea and sympathy if you have a problem on the home front: just make sure you turn up on time.
- Blamers: This sort is righteous about wrongness and loves to dish out the blame. When this boss reprimands you, you’ll be reminded first that it’s a telling off you deserve.
- Rationalisers: The mantra of these bosses is “the company comes first”. They justify their criticisms with the belief that it needed to be said and that they’re the best person to say it.
It’s fun to compare notes on where your boss fits into the spectrum of badness, but the issue is serious. Research compiled by the University of Manchester suggests that about 40% of all stress-related illness is directly attributable to bullying in the workplace.
If you’ve got an intimidating boss, take heart; there are actions you can take to reduce his or her power. One is a technique taken from the acting world that can increase your status, or confidence, and reduce the probability of your being treated like a doormat.
Imagine your behaviour on a scale of one to ten, where ten is a dictator and one is a mouse. Individuals display different “strengths” of behaviour and confidence, according to whom they are talking. If you’re very intimidated and your boss is a despot, you may be a one or a two and your boss will be a towering ten.
If you narrow the gap a few notches, you’ll reduce the likelihood of being treated badly, says Robin Chandler, founder of the Impact Factory, a coaching company. You can have fun with this and try it out on your mates in the pub before you unleash yourself in the world of work.
The idea is not to take on a bully or to match them in status, otherwise there will be a fight, warns Chandler. But walking taller, speaking louder and making eye contact will make a huge difference.
So take your space and your boss may just have to budge over a little bit.
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