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HOW TO DEAL WITH A BULLY BOSS--THE PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL STORY

Chances are good that you have or will have experienced a bad boss in your career. Somesurveys indicated that almost 50 percent of employees had some experience with these bad

bosses. One survey estimates that these bozos cost companies $84 billion (USD). This doesntinclude the human costs, stress, heart conditions and sick days that devastate individuals.

Storytelling is becoming a business tool that can be used in a variety of business issues. Thisstory illustrates how an employee, Ted, dealt with his bad boss. There are lessons to be learnedfrom Teds story. The story is adapted from an actual encounter.

Teds Story

The year just started and was already getting rough. Ted had just survived the latest layoff; hisdivorce started and now was assigned to a job with a guy who was known to be a boss fromhell.Micro-management, nit-picking, nasty, Ken had it all. Just like about everyone else, he was

jockeying for position within a new organization. This may have been the reason for his behavior.

It seemed Ted couldnt do anything right. Everything he did was criticized. There werecontinuous calls for updates; one day when he had to hide in an unoccupied office to get somerelief. He felt so much stress he had to go to a doctor; his blood pressure was high. He boughtwhat seemed to be every book about working for a difficult boss. His colleagues were great, butthe pressure continued. He met the deadlines but that wasnt enough.

Ken didnt care about my personal matters. This was a time when corporate concern about balancing work-life matters didnt exist.

Somehow Ted got through the year. The divorce was completed at the end of the year. NewYears Eve was tough; He moved into a new house. The rough year was over, so he thought. Yetlooming was his performance appraisal.

Ted foolishly thought that he would get at least an average rating and qualify for a modest payincrease so he could start paying off the debts that ran up. The time came for Teds appraisalfeedback; everyone got theirs but not Ted. He got my feedback one night when I went to anATM machine. His paychecks were directly deposited to his bank account. When the littlereceipt came out Ted knew the appraisal was not good.

Ken finally called Ted into his office and told him what he already knew: he gave him a lessthan acceptable rating, and all Ted got was the Team award that everyone receivedno salary

increase. Ted even had to endure Kens critique.He was angry and foolishly went to talk with Kens boss. This was a risky move. He listened butnothing was done. Ted wouldnt let the issue rest. He decided that he would not let a year pass

before getting performance feedback. Ted met with Ken and proposed that they meet every threemonths to calibrate where he stood.

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Ted kept careful records of work that he did and relevant information, memos that would showwhat accomplished during the next three months. Ted organized this information into a reportand scheduled the first meeting. At first the discussion was difficult. It was like they both were inuncharted territory. The next meetings got increasingly better. Ken seemed to get a better understanding of Teds accomplishments.

The next year brought a two-step increase in Teds rating with a salary increase and a bonus. Kenand Ted eventually developed a mutual respect for each other and it seemed that they becamefriends.

Ted learned that if you are going to be a leader, you need to face up to conflict and manage it.

Lessons You Can Use

Deal with tough issues as they face you. If you dont or if you delay, they becomedemons that will haunt you. Leaders have the courage to continuously face conflict and

tough issues. The worst thing is to do nothing. Bad bosses will only change their behavior if you become a squeaky wheel.

Forget about appealing to the HR department, using any whistleblowing resources or going to the bosss boss. This is like trying to get out of a ticket in municipal trafficcourts the judge is more willing listen to the police and your boss is the police. This isan issue you must handle yourself.

You have more options to approach a difficult boss than you might think. Put emotionsaside, even though this is tough. Carefully think through the points you want to reviewwith your boss. Have them typed on a one page agenda and keep to it. If you follow arational, businesslike manner, your chances of making progress are improve. Unless your

boss is a total jerk, your image will be enhanced.Most people facing a bad boss encounter have a natural tendency to become insular. Beassured you are not alone. There are many resources available (see below).

Leaders know and understand their people. Leading in the current economy means thathelping people cope with personal matters is good business.

Keep the bigger picture in mind. This will help you put your current dilemma in perspective. Your job is important but dont let become your whole life. Your world ismeant to be accepted, managed and enjoyed.

Useful References

Baldoni, John Managing Bully Bosses, Harvard Management Update, Sep2005, Vol. 10 Issue9.

Deblauwe, Tony Tangling with Tyrants: Managing the Balance of Power at Work, PagefreePublishing, 2009.

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Johnson, Davida Sharpe and Elinor. Managing Conflict with Your Boss . Greensboro: Center for Creative Leadership, 2007.

Rose, Barbara, Dealing with a bad boss turns work into nightmare Chicago Tribune (IL), Nov24, 2007.

Srivastava, Mehul, Think your boss is bad? Think again -- meet the worst Sacramento Bee,The (CA), Aug 12, 2006.

Scott, Gini Graham, A Survival Guide For Working With Bad Bosses Ph.D. AMACOM,2008

Terez, Tom, You Could Just Spit: Tales of Bad Bosses Workforce, 10928332, Dec2001, Vol.80, Issue 12.

Torres, Blanca, Stand up to bully bosses, experts say Baltimore Sun, The (MD), Jul 06, 2005.

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