| Homepage | Web Directory | Article Directory | Bid Directory |
![]() Articles. News. Information. | |
Category of Information, News & Articles |
|
|
Few Things Are More Destructive Than An Insecure Boss
Few things are more destructive to a career than a boss who is insecure. Unfortunately, it is a near certainty that most people will encounter one or more such persons along the way. "The actions of an insecure boss will eventually create an insecure organization, riddled with anxiety and indecision," says Ramon Greenwood, senior career counselor at Common Sense At Work.com. "People will spend more time looking over their shoulders than looking ahead. Good defenses become more important than effective offenses." Seven Traits Of An Insecure Boss You will know your boss is suffering from an insecurity complex when he or she is engaging in behavior highlighted by these seven such traits: 1. The boss insists on absolute control over everything in the department. He rules with an iron hand, refusing to delegate any real authority. He doesn't trust anyone. He has few allies. Those allies he does enlist are formed into a tight little clique strongly obligated to his authority and dependent on it. They live an uncertain life on a short leash. 2. The boss constantly interferes in the work of his staff. Second guesses are the order of the day. 3. He constantly defends his position. Every question or hint of criticism is treated as a challenge to his worth and authority. He doubts he has the respect of his associates. Those who exhibit a mind of their own are under constant attack. 4. The insecure boss is most often an absolute perfectionist. He will climb the wall when you make a mistake. But look out. When he fouls up, he will blame it on someone else. He has to be right every time. 5. He will resist making decisions. This means endless studies and return trips to the drawing boards. 6. He will frequently remind you who is boss. 7. He finds it next to impossible to laugh at himself, but he is quick to laugh at others. SEVEN ACTIONS YOU CAN TAKE There are no certain quick fixes, but there are seven steps that will help mitigate the situation and advance your own interests. Actually, insecure bosses can offer opportunities. 1. Be certain you are not contributing to your superior's low self-esteem. Do everything you can to reassure him of your respect for his position and your commitment to helping him do his job. 2. Shore him up at every opportunity. Learn where he feels most insecure--where his hot buttons are--and make a special effort to be helpful in these areas. 3. When you have to challenge him, and surely you will from time to time, be certain to do it in a positive way. Don't question his authority. Never challenge or criticize the boss in the presence of others. 4. Never go around your insecure boss to deal directly with his boss without explicit approval. Make sure he realizes that you clearly understand the hierarchical relationships. You don't want to become an endangered species because you are seen as questioning his judgement and appealing to higher authorities. 5. Always be sure he gets more than his fair share of credit for your good work. Stay one step behind him when the limelight shines. 6. Find some of his good points and acknowledge them, publicly as well as privately. Remember, your boss may be a pain in the neck to work with, but surely he must have some redeeming features worthy of compliments. 7. Think of your own insecurities and what helps you deal with them. Apply what you learn from this analysis to dealing with your insecure boss. Ramon Greenwood is former senior vice president of American Express; a professional director for various businesses; a consultant; a published author of career related books and a syndicated column. Senior career counselor for http://www.CommonSenseAtWork.com
MORE RESOURCES:
Management - Google News |
RELATED ARTICLES
Growing Profits is Easy! Everyone involved in running a business from the smallest start-up to a major corporate dreams about how to achieve sustained profitable growth. I'm a great believer that business is simple - it's only us human beings that make it complex. Are You the Culprit? Are you a business, non-profit or association manager who pretty much ignores your organization's important outside audiences?If that's you, do you realize how difficult you're making it to achieve the important behavior changes you really need and want? I mean changes that lead directly to achieving your department, division or subsidiary's objectives?I'm talking about achieving new levels of membership applications; growing the repeat purchase rate; capital givers looking your way; attracting new prospects; expanding the list of organizations officially specifying your service and products; or suppliers newly motivated to meet your strict quality and delivery requirements.Start operating in your own best interest by taking a closer look at the public relations work underway on behalf of your unit. What Every Manager Should Know About How to Conduct Successful Training Activities Whether you are training preschoolers in the classroom or executives in the board room, here are 15 premises you might want to keep in mind the next time you're designing training activities.1. Popular Business Misconceptions Cost You Money! Faulty information costs you money! Which of these popular business misconceptions do you believe?Popular Misconception #1: "We Only Need Our Books Done Once A Year For Tax Purposes." Are Your Accounting Records Adequate To Run Your Business?Although it is important to keep records for tax purposes, it is not the only reason (or even the primary reason) good accounting records should be kept. Regaining Control - Nine Steps for New Managers My client had faced the same challenge, which was frustrating as well as intimidating for him as well - yet he was determined to break the mould.With my background in a similar business, I have faced this several times. 4 Simple Steps to Successful Delegation Last month, my featured article was about creating a "Stop Doing" list. Hopefully, if you followed my suggestion, you now have a list of tasks that you are looking to delegate away. Manage or Lead - Why the Difference Matters and What to Do About That Difference Many books have been written about managing people, and an equally large number have been written about leadership. Some use the words manage and lead interchangeably, and some talk about the differences between the words, building a distinction based on style or behaviors. How to Coach Your Employees - 5 Simple Steps Anyone Can Do! Want to get more from your people, but you don't know how? Are you up for a small challenge and prepared to do things a little differently? If so, we have five changes to your style that you will find easy to incorporate into the way you work and your people will love you for it; you will have more time and your business will flourish.Think about it - is that not worth just the little effort required? Stop Fixing ThingsNext time someone comes to you with a problem in your business, STOP, before you give the solution and try the next step. Training Managers and New Trainers Training managers use many of the same interpersonal and analytical skills that other types of departments use. In particular, they need to be good communicators, and highly skillful in interpersonal relations. Tales From The Corporate Frontlines: Job Security in Todays Workplace This article, Job Security in Today's Workplace, is part of AlphaMeasure's compilation, Tales from the Corporate Frontlines. It tells the story of a manager who decides to look for ways to bolster the morale in his company when it crashes after an extensive layoff. Creative People, Innovative People The title implies that some people are and others not.This is a myth. Miracle Max On Market Breakthroughs Successful enterprise building requires seven elements. These are:1. Cold Water Comments - What They Are and How to Manage Them! Cold Water Comments - What They Are and How to Manage Them! Cold Water Comments are those comments, phrases and ideas that are meant to discourage, disparage, discredit and generally douse your ideas! There are several things you can do to keep those comments in someone's bucket or warm them up once they've been tossed. Planning for the Cold Water - With Towels in Each Hand! Step 1 - Identify the Possible Cold WaterMake a list of all the comments you have heard in the past and might expect to hear now. What Personal Assistants Really Want What would happen if the personal assistants in your organisation were away for a week? How would it affect the running of your business or department? How would it affect you?personally?If you are fortunate to have a personal assistant whom you heavily rely on to assist you, in most instances you would find yourself run ragged if they were absent for longer than a day.This week I spoke with two clients who were in the situation where their p. How to Beat the Turf Mentality Want to hear a fascinating story? Let's sit in at a meeting of the human resources department of a large corporation. A number of human resources specialists are gathered in the board room. Creativity Management - The Value of Being Prolific When asked his secret to success, the author Graham Green said that it was down to his always writing 500 words a day. There are real reasons why this philosophy rings true:a) The single best creative product tends to appear at that point in the career when the creator is being most prolific - quality of output is closely related to quantity. Want to Manage Your Time? Get Real! You know the drill - the ridiculous deadlines, the relentless barrage of email, voicemail, phone calls, all those "got a minute" interruptions, the constant worrying that one of those many balls you're juggling is going to unexpectedly drop.When you're on total overload, all you want is relief - preferably the fast and easy kind. Talent Recruitment Challenges of High Technology Companies As a result of the dot com meltdown and the decline of the NASDAQ in 2001, many organizations had no alternatives but to lay off many talented IT professionals. Currently, the pool of available talent in the labour market is large. Delegate Tasks to the Right Person SELECTING THE RIGHT PERSON: To whom should tasks be delegated? Selecting the right subordinate to do the work is an evaluative process, and managers must be able to identify individuals both capable and willing to handle responsibility.DETERMINING EMPLOYEE RESPONSIBILITY: A careful review should be made of past assumptions about personnel. More Problem-Solving Success Tips The ability to solve complicated problems quickly is more important than ever in today's tough economy.From the time we're little kids, we're taught to solve problems by trial and error. |
| Home | Sitemap | |
| © 2006 eInfoJunction.com | Homepage | Web Directory | Article Directory| Bid Directory |