Posted by Found yourself in a workplace where you have to work with a toxic boss? At some point, you will have to struggle through mistreatment from your boss and maybe even suffer their mistakes. What if the level of toxicity starts to wear on your patience? Here is a list of the different kinds of toxic bosses and ways you can try in dealing with them.
The Scatterbrain
The Scatterbrain is very passionate, so much so that they are constantly sharing new ideas, but never follow-up with any of them. Their constant “innovations” can create distractions and make it significantly harder for any employees to prioritise. Some of the worst traits of The Scatterbrain include:
- Â Inefficient
- Disruptive
- Hasty decisions
- Easily distractedÂ
- Unfocused
How to overcome a Scatterbrain?
- Ask them to sort and prioritise each project as well as providing reasonable deadlines.Â
- Ask about how these new ideas can help the team to achieve the goals and the bottom line.
- Be transparent and honest with your time need to produce quality work.
- Give your own suggestions on how to improve processes and increase productivity.
- Stay organised and provide a weekly plan to your boss to ensure that both of you are on the same page.
The Lone Wolf
The Lone Wolf excels in improving the bottom line, but does not enjoy working with others, and encourages people on “every man for himself” environment. Success is not valued as a team effort instead, the Lone Wolf measures individual productivity, creating an overly competitive work environment. Some of the worst traits of The Lone Wolf include:
- Refuses help
- Aloof
- Overly high expectations
- Gives poor directions
- Uninvolved
How to overcome a Lone Wolf?
- Promote teamwork amongst fellow colleagues.
- Take initiative in group discussions in-person and via email.
- Propose team goals and individual goals.
- Talk in detail about quarterly plans and receive written approval from management.
- Confirm project expectations and directions in written form.
The Airhead
The Airhead is always unprepared and forgetful. They constantly have to rely on team members to get things sorted and make little to no effort to improve their skills or leading the team, leaving the rest of the team frustrated, resentful and overworked. Some of the worst traits of the Airhead include:
- Apathetic
- Forgetful
- Lazy
- Incompetent
- Disorganised
How to overcome an Airhead?
- Say no when you don’t have the time to take over extra work or responsibilities.
- Simplify meetings and reports to ensure it’s concise and direct.
- Arrange time in your schedule for emergencies and last minute work.
- Assess their strengths and look for ways to better work with them.
- Plan ahead for your calendar events such as important meetings and deadlines.
The Loud Mouth
As the name stands, their motto is “Do as I say, not as I do.” The Loud Mouth only set terrible examples while holding on to employees with ridiculously high expectations and are quick to criticize. This would create a lack of motivation, respect and trust among workers. Some of the worst traits of the Loud Mouth include:
- Makes excuses
- Hypocritical
- Deceptive
- Arrogant
- Disingenuous
How to overcome a Loud Mouth?
- Make physical cues about how busy you are at work and try to shift your focus to important matters.
- Lead the conversation towards other team member’s areas of expertise.
- Setup detailed agendas with time frame for each duty so meetings don’t prolonged longer.
- Establish a workflow where each team member is responsible for their duties.
- Research and discuss with team members about standard company policies and procedures.
The Two-Face
They can be nice to you at first, but sooner or later you will realise how passive-aggressive the Two-Face can be. Their fear of confrontation would lead to miscommunication and creating an unfriendly work environment. Some of the worst traits of the Two-Face include:
- Sarcastic
- Hostile
- Resentful
- Devious
- Poor communicator
How to overcome a Two-Face?
- Use humour in a discussion to diffuse any tense situation and acknowledge the passive aggressive act.
- Point out the root of the problem instead of using passive aggressive action.
- Speak confidently and constructively with them.
- Organise group meetings where every person involved is encouraged to voice out their opinions.
- Ask for feedback in regards to your work performance.
The Micromanager
The Micromanager is a hard worker but struggles with control issues. They are always pushing employees to work on non-essential tasks and disrupting their daily activities, reducing productivity and disrupting workflow. Some of the worst traits of the Micromanager include:
- Overly critical
- Fails to delegate
- Distrusting
- Short-sighted
- Controlling
How to overcome a Micromanager?
- Ask questions that make them consider looking at the bigger picture.
- Outline every team member’s responsibilities before starting work on a project.
- Display your knowledge by providing suggestions on how to improve the work process.
- Gain their trust by exercising good understanding and achieving project goals.
- Stay proactive and provide project updates before they ask about it.
The Drama Queen
The Drama Queen can be moody and flighty. This is due to their emotional inconsistency which makes them hard to gauge, as they either explode everything out of proportion or are over the top enthusiastic, leaving employees confused and stressed at work. Some of the worst traits of the Drama Queen include:
- Impulsive
- Self-destructive
- Stubborn
- Exaggerative
- Unpredictable
How to overcome a Drama Queen
- Establish good rapport by providing quality work.
- Seek for directions and clarity in written form.
- Focus on the positive instead of the negative.
- Ignore their attention-grabbing antics.
- Ensure discussions are strictly limited to work matters only.
The Dictator
The Dictator controls the office with an iron fist. They believe they are the only ones who know best, and are not always welcome to suggestions or collaboration. They drive away valuable employees due to their close-mindedness and opinionated nature stifles innovation. Some of the worst traits of the Dictator include:
- Close-minded
- Argumentative
- Overly vocal
- Poor listener
- Condescending
How to overcome a Dictator
- Stay on the schedule so they have limited opportunity to talk.
- Remain level-headed and patient during discussion.
- Talk about issues in private instead of in front of a group meeting.
- Fact-check and present them in a humble way.
- Ask directed questions so that you can guide the conversation.
Have you ever experienced working under a toxic boss? Leave us your thoughts on the comment sections below. Head over to Jobstore.com and unveil your next job opportunity.
You Jing is a content writer who writes career and lifestyle contents to inspire job seekers and employers alike on their journey to work-life balance, empowerment and transformation in their career path.
Reach me at youjing@jobstore.com