How to manage a bad boss

Studies have shown that your manager can have a huge impact on how you feel about work, good or bad. According to research by the Workforce Institute UKG, 69% of people felt their manager had the greatest impact on their wellbeing. If your boss is brilliant, then you have the chance to thrive, but if your boss isn’t any good, then work might not be a great place to be.

Lead by example

Leaders can get so caught up in trying to do the job, be successful, worry about what their own managers think, that they forget that the people who they lead are individuals too. There are a lot of managers who could do with taking the time to think about what it means to be a leader and the impact they have on the people who report into them.  If you are on the receiving end of a bad manager, it doesn’t feel good, but it does give you an opportunity to lead by example, even if that means managing upwards, and inspire the sort of leadership you wish to see.

The first thing to do when you are dealing with a bad boss is to let go of the expectation that they should change. In an ideal world, they would self-reflect and realise their approach isn’t working. But we don’t live in an ideal world and if you are waiting for your boss to change you could be waiting a really long time.

I think a better approach is to reframe the situation like this; if my boss isn’t going to give me what I need, how do I make the best of this situation? You may be able to influence their behaviour but that will take some work on your part, and not just having a moan to your colleagues about how rubbish your boss is.

Are you up for that challenge?

There are different types of bad boss, but I want to focus on three that are particularly challenging to deal with, the micromanager, the hands-off boss and a difficult board.

The Micromanager

The micromanager can be found telling their entire team exactly what to do, criticising their work for not being correct and doing lots of the work themselves because “it’s just quicker and easier that way.” They are a very demoralising person to work for. They rarely offer praise, instead focusing on what is going wrong, and they don’t encourage and nurture people to grow. The lack of autonomy for people to do their job can feel stifling and there is a constant atmosphere of fear where people worry about getting anything wrong because they don’t want to be judged. So, what do you do about it? 

Managing a micromanager is not easy. They have a desire for control, a lack of trust, and an inability to support people to learn. I would also guess that they have high standards and are self-critical if they make any mistakes, in fact they would say that they don’t make mistakes.  If you can identify what is driving your manager to micromanage you, then you can pre-empt some of their interventions.

When you are assigned tasks, ask more questions about the things you know they will pull you up on later. Be mindful that the reason they are so involved might be that it is a skill you are still learning. Maybe the reason they are getting too involved in your work is because you are making mistakes. Mistakes are part of the learning process, so you need to make them, but perhaps showing your manager that you are aware of your weaknesses will help them to trust that you won’t send out sub-standard work but that you want the opportunity to learn.

It is hard to be positive towards someone who makes your day-to-day work world feel rubbish, but if their shortfall is due to incompetence rather than malice, then finding a way to reduce the micromanaging may help your relationship in the longer term.

The hands-off manager 

Being left to get on with it by your manager can be a huge compliment. They know and trust that you can get the work done so they don’t want to interfere. The feeling of autonomy can be great, but it can also feel like a lack of support. No matter how good you are at your job, having another person to bounce ideas around with and check that your plans are aligned with the overall strategy of the business is so important.

If your manager isn’t giving you what you need, try asking for what you are missing. Show them how you have tried to solve a problem and ask if they have any other information that could inform how you approach it. Rather than wait for them to tell you what you need, try to find it out yourself and go to them to fill in the blanks. If you assume that a hands-off manager is behaving this way because they think you are brilliant and capable, then they will likely react in a positive way if you ask for targeted support. It may be that your manager doesn’t realise the support you need, particularly if you always deliver good work. They will want you to succeed and will, hopefully, give you the support you are looking for when you ask for it.

The alternative perspective for a hands-off manager is that they are just not interested in supporting you or your development. This realisation can leave you feeling quite isolated, but it doesn’t mean that you won’t thrive at work. Use your manager to get what you need to be effective in your job and then look for support with your development elsewhere. Identify a person, either inside or outside of your organisation who you could approach to be your mentor. Develop your self-awareness of what you are good at and what you need to work on. Approach someone with a specific area of development in mind and a targeted ask of how this person can help you.

A difficult board

Reporting to the senior leadership team, CEO, or a board can be a thrilling experience. It is a chance to showcase your skills and talents, but it isn’t always easy. A supportive board can create opportunities for innovation and growth, but sometimes a challenging board just gets in the way of you being able to do a good job.

When you have a strong relationship with your senior leaders it can be an opportunity for collaboration. You as the executive bring your own perspective, and the board or CEO can provide a sounding board, a strategic perspective. If you work well together, you can do more as a group than you could on your own. I’ve found that collaborative influence is where you can be the most effective. You aren’t arguing with the people who are there to support you, but you might need to persuade them that your point of view is worth considering. When it is working well, these relationships and the work you deliver can be very rewarding, but they can also be very challenging.

Reporting to a CEO or board isn’t always easy, especially if you don’t have a good relationship with the people you are reporting into. There is a shift in the power dynamic in these relationships. In a typical hierarchy, your boss is considered right, or has the authority to overrule you, and it is possible they are more experienced than you so they can use this as a reason too. 

When you are reporting to a CEO or board, you will likely be the expert in the room. Their role is to provide strategic oversight and think about the wider aims of the organisation, yours is to deliver in your area of expertise. This isn’t always acknowledged in your interactions with people who may want to just tell you what to do.

A key skill to develop is being able to balance your own assessment of your work with the feedback from others. Knowing when to advocate for your point of view to be heard and when to reflect on the different perspective being offered. You want to be open to learning from this group of people, but you don’t want to be forced to make decisions which you know aren’t going to meet the aims of your organisation or will hinder you doing your job.

A good board will offer you support, challenge and feedback, which are all valuable if well balanced. If you aren’t getting this, it will be down to you to assess what you need and maybe seek support elsewhere. This is where a lot of senior leaders seek support from a coach, to get the support that is lacking and help them to push back against an unsupportive board or CEO.

Being a manager is a tough job. You are responsible for a team of people who are all unique, you must answer to those above you in the hierarchy and you have your own work to do and insecurities to overcome. And most people get very limited training or good role models to look up to. So, if your boss isn’t living up to your expectations spare them a thought because what they are doing is hard work. That said, being on the receiving end of a bad boss doesn’t feel good, so I wish you luck in trying to influence your relationship with them.

 A final point to note, a mediocre boss isn’t great, but a boss who is bullying you, harassing you, or behaving inappropriately is not ok. If you are concerned that your manager is being unacceptable you should seek support from a trusted colleague or contact Acas for advice.