8 Ways of Dealing with a Boss

by Catherine MatticeJul 23, 2012

You may have your dream job that you love and would never give up, but it seems too good to be true. Your boss isn’t the most understandable person. So how do you go about dealing with a boss you don’t like?

“Think about your boss. If the image of your superior doesn’t automatically anger and frustrate you, consider yourself lucky. If you even like your boss, don’t ever take that job for granted. Not every boss in your career will see eye to eye with you on work issues, and some might have a management style that clashes with your personality. You may even encounter a few that are downright abusive.”

In order to fully embrace your dream job, you need to be able to embrace the people you work with. These tips will help you do so.

Incivility, bullying, and harassment occur because the culture allows them to. Before starting inclusivity initiatives, you’ve got to stop bad behavior. Take this assessment to determine if your workplace fosters a positive culture.

About Catherine Mattice

Catherine Mattice, MA, SPHR, SHRM-SCP is President of consulting and training firm, Civility Partners, and has been successfully providing programs in workplace bullying and building positive workplaces since 2007. Her clients include Fortune 500’s, the military, several universities and hospitals, government agencies, small businesses and nonprofits. She has published in a variety of trade magazines and has appeared several times on NPR, FOX, NBC, and ABC as an expert, as well as in USA Today, Inc Magazine, Huffington Post, Entrepreneur Magazine, and more. Catherine is Past-President of the Association for Talent Development (ATD), San Diego Chapter and teaches at National University. In his book foreword, Ken Blanchard called her book, BACK OFF! Your Kick-Ass Guide to Ending Bullying at Work, “the most comprehensive and valuable handbook on the topic.” She recently released a second book entitled, SEEKING CIVILITY: How Leaders, Managers and HR Can Create a Workplace Free of Bullying.

Post-Election Chaos: 3 Ways to Keep Psychological Safety Intact

by Jennifer Areola | November 20, 2024 | Civil & Healthy Workplaces | 0 Comments

According to a survey by the American Psychological Association, nearly 70% of Americans view political discourse as a significant source of stress, and workplaces are no exception. In fact, SHRM reports that political and social tensions have driven workplace...

Your CEO thinks HR is operational, not strategic?

by Catherine Mattice | November 14, 2024 | Leadership | 0 Comments

Do these comments resonate with you? Owners don’t understand that we’re not just paperwork. HR is a punching bag expected to resolve everyone’s mess. There’s no HR budget, no support, and a team of 2 for 300+ employees. Even after a workforce survey, leadership still...

Free Webinar: Unlock Your Managers’ Leadership Potential

by Catherine Mattice | October 30, 2024 | Leadership | 0 Comments

Being good at your job doesn’t make you good at managing people. You know this. You also know the outcome when an individual contributor moves to a manager role without receiving the right training – a struggling team, unclear expectations, conflict, disengaged...

5 Tools for Pitching Culture Change to Leadership

by Jennifer Areola | October 16, 2024 | Corporate Culture & Employee Engagement | 0 Comments

You already know that a strong culture leads to engaged employees, lower turnover, and a healthier bottom line, but convincing leadership? That’s a different story. It's exhausting pushing for changes that are dismissed as “soft skills” or shot down because they don't...

Why leadership’s ‘Hands-Off’ approach to culture is costing you more than you think

by Jennifer Areola | October 9, 2024 | Leadership | 0 Comments

Picture this: you’re actively working to foster a positive workplace culture, but managers and leaders are adopting a 'hands-off' approach. At first, it seems harmless, even convenient—but beneath the surface, it's quietly wreaking havoc. Top talent? They're slipping...

Elections and Leadership: 3 Ways Your Reaction Can Impact Your Team

by Jennifer Areola | October 2, 2024 | Leadership | 0 Comments

Election season tends to bring division and tension, and it’s hard to avoid. Even if you’ve reminded your team to steer clear of political conversations at work, it’s likely that the topic will still pop up here and there. The truth is, having employees with different...

You Have It All Wrong: 4 Ways Employers Can Successfully Influence Well-Being

by Catherine Mattice | September 25, 2024 | Leadership | 0 Comments

Did you know that the World Health Organization (WHO) classified burnout as an occupational phenomenon? In other words, while leaders and HR tend to classify burnout as a personal failing, as evidenced in the way they tackle it with offerings of gym memberships and...

5 Tips You Haven’t Seen for Engaging Hybrid And Remote Workers

by Catherine Mattice | September 18, 2024 | Corporate Culture & Employee Engagement | 0 Comments

According to Forbes, one in five workers is working remotely and 98% of workers want to work remotely at least some of the time. Yet, despite the flexibility that hybrid and remote work offer, engagement is a major challenge. In fact, the 2023 State of Remote Work...

Measuring Onboarding Effectiveness: Key Metrics for Success

by Catherine Mattice | September 17, 2024 | Leadership | 0 Comments

Having an employee orientation program is a great start. It usually involves getting paperwork signed, introducing new hires around the office, and providing some initial training. But are you truly onboarding your employees? Effective onboarding is more than just a...

Measuring Recruiting and Hiring Success: Key Metrics to Track

by Catherine Mattice | September 17, 2024 | Leadership | 0 Comments

In the past, recruiting was often a "spray and pray" approach—posting job openings everywhere and hoping the right candidate would find their way to us, even faxing over their resumes. Thankfully, recruiting today is far more strategic, thanks to the internet and...