Dealing With Bosses
How do I deal with a difficult boss?
How to deal with a difficult boss is, unfortunately, such a frequent question. Dealing with difficult people requires a lot of skill and a lot of finesse, also some training. If you can learn how to communicate with people based on their communication style, if you can adapt to the way that they communicate and if you can understand that there are very great differences in terms of personality and work style and identify those things, you'll be able to see there's no right, wrong or bad, just different. The difficult boss who you might think is a total jerk may not be a jerk after all. He may be great guy. The difficult boss may just have a style that's very different from yours. So if you do a little bit of research on personality styles, if you do some research on the Meyers-Briggs Type Indicator Assessment (mbti.org), or use another assessment tool called the DISC, which gives you tremendous information about different types of directing, interacting, and cautious and steady personality types at work and you'll encounter them every day, I'm sure. These resources will help you deal with a difficult boss in a way that you'll turn negative relationships into positive ones.
What should I do if my boss asks me out on a date?
If your boss asks you out on a date, the answer is always "no thank you". Common sense prevails here. If you start dating your boss obviously it may lead to lots of problems in the work place. Your co-workers may find out about it. Dating your boss could wind up causing a lot of gossip, you could wind up getting fired or your boss could wind up getting fired because of it. It's just simply not a good idea to mix business with pleasure.
How do I handle a boss that infringes on my personal time?
If you have a boss who infringes on your personal time, that means that he or she simply is not aware of your personal boundaries. It's important for you to have a conversation with him or her early on and let them know that your work hours are 8-5, 9-6, whatever they might be, and that you're happy to put in some additional time as needed, but that you have a family, you have a personal life, and they need to curtail their communication with you. Keep that during business hours. It's up to you at that point to be proactive and educate your employer if you have to as to what your boundaries are. Hopefully, your employer will abide by your boundaries. If not, it may be time for you to look for another position.
