He was recently promoted and, although he is technically very capable, I am afraid his management skills are extremely poor. He does not explain himself very well and he has a problem communicating to the people who now report to him. He is also a control freak. I had a major bust-up with him the other day and am getting to the stage where I think I might deck him. What should I do?
A I generally want the same thing from my boss that I want from my underwear - that is, a little bit of support and a little bit of freedom. And like a pair of ill-fitting pants, a bad boss can make the working day seem very uncomfortable.
Unfortunately, bosses of technically oriented companies are often promoted because they are whizz-kid geeks who have an impressive knowledge of the technical side of the business. But when it comes to managing people, they don't have a clue.
Sadly, inside every crap manager is a voice telling them they are a poor boss and, as a result, they over-compensate to make up for where they think they are weak and become a caricature of what they believe a boss should be.
They will shout, bully and scream. They will invariably be belligerent and they will usually be difficult to please. However, they will also be quite easy to deal with.
So if you want to keep your job, do not deck your boss. Let him believe he is in control, always stay calm and never get into an argument. If you are not sure what he wants you to do, repeat it back to him to confirm what he wants.
If he's a control freak, it's probably because he isn't confident in the role - so think about how you can win him over. Complete any work on time and always make sure you show him what you have done. Work out what winds him up and try to work around it.
Don't forget that your boss probably has some positive areas. After all, someone must have thought so or he wouldn't have been promoted, so ask for the odd bit of technical advice, even if you don't need it. This will demonstrate that you respect him and feed his ego.
Hopefully, this should win him over and, like a pair of old Calvin Kleins, you'll start to find things slightly more comfortable.
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