- CAREERS DIFFICUlT BOSSES
THE BOSS FROM HELL?
Oft sind es die Vorgesetzten, die einem das Leben und die Arbeit schwer machen. MARGARET DAVIS hat
Experten befragt, wie Mit arbeiter(innen) mit den Eigenheiten ihres Chefs umgehen sollten. mMifiull disdQsure; I like my boss, and I wOllld say
that even if he wercn'r going ro read this. Many
employees are nOt so forrunate, however. Work-
plaee studies show that dissatisfaetion with
bosses is the main reason why peoplc leave their
jobs. In fact, 24 percent of American employccs in a
2007 Gallllp study said they would fire thctr boss if giv-
en the chance. "People leave managers, not companics,"
the study concluded.
Thrcc years ago, business srrategist Kathi Elster and
psychothcrapisr Katherine Crowley wrote a book about
workplace conflicrs w irh colleagues, Workillg with YOII
Is Kilfing Me (see "Further rcading" on page 49 ). "Af-
ter every speech [we gave about the bookJ, somcone
wOllld come over ro us and say, 'You don't understand,
it's my boss!'" Elster says. "We saw that the relation-
ship with thc boss was rhe primary one which eolored
all other interacrions ar work," Cro wley adds.
Thc resllir is tbeir second book, Working for You Isn'l
Working tor Me (see page 49 ), wh ich provides dcrailcd
ad vlec on how Ta deal with difficllir bosses. Readers a re
also given the chance to examinc their own behavior und
to discover how weil they handle authority. Business
Spotlight spoke ro Elster and Crowley to find out more.
Are there typical bad-boss behaviors?
Kathi Elster: We hear a lot about the spineless boss. He
or she is an avoider, very niee bur afraid of confronta-
rion a nd fairly incffcctive.
Katherine Crowley: Also typical are those who are over-
involved - rhe micramanagers. Then there a re the
ehrank eritics, the ~ controlling boss, and rhe ones
who think they're always right or are threatened by any-
one else. Another ty pe is rhe neglecting, distant boss-
46 Business SJXltlight
he or she could be an absentee, or somcone who has just
cheeked out for same reasan and is not doing their job.00 bad bosses have anything in common, or is every bad
boss different?
Crowley: No boss is all good or alJ bad, For example, a
spineless boss could be a great team player and very
supporrive in a number of ways, but they havc this one
specific behavior thar's on the dark side, whieh is that
they can't go co hru: for you.
Elster: We like to make a distincrjon between a bad boss
and a bad-boss behavior. YOtl may have a good boss
who has one behavior rh at drives you erazy. That's nOt
reallya bad boss. Ir's just that rhe ehemisrry betwecn
you and your boss is bad r---------~
somerimes. A CLOSER LOOK
Crowley: As for what bad Working for YOli Isn't Work-
bosses ha ve in common, I ing for Me is a Qtay on the
think the one rhing that we informal ~ "that works
see so often now is rhat for me," which means "this
most bosses aren't trained ro is good," or "that"s fine for
ma nage. You really just ger me."' Used in the negative,
rheir raw persona liry: whar it means "this situation or
way of working is not right
thcy think a boss should for me." Elster and Crowley
look like rather than some- might have ca lied their
thing that they received book rou're Not the Right
guidance on - for example, Boss for Me - but this
learning how ro ger the best would not have sounded as
work out of their staff. clever.absentee Lrebs;,n'ti;1
bat; go to - lor sb, [bret) Ifm/.
check out I.tfck 'autl
Color 5th. I'hl' r")
conclude Ik;,n'klu:d)
dark side: be on the - ['du:rk sald" l
disclosure: fun - [dls'klouJ'r")
(disclosure
distinction idl's(JokJ'n)
guidance l 'g3Id>ns)
idiom i 'ldi:.ml
micromanager
[' ma I krou,mremdyr")
neglecting [nl'glektlol
overly ['ool''1"liO]
play Iple!1
ps\'(:hotherapist (,s3Ikou'O<>r"plst· 1
raw [r.,;1
spineless [ 'spaml"sl
work fOf sb. I'w~;k b;r·]Abwesende(r)
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EnthOltung)
Unterschied
Anleitung
idiomatische Redewendung
Manager(in), der/d ie alles bis
ins kleinste Detail ~ontrollieren
mOChte
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Psychotherapeut(in)
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ohne Rückgrat
hier; gut fOr jmdn, sein4/ 2010