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A challenging boss is a boss who does not understand the emotional needs of his or her
employees. Challenging bosses also lack skill and tact when addressing their employees'
emotions; thus, they end up creating additional problems on top of not understanding their
employees' emotions. As a result, of not understanding their employees' emotional needs,
these bosses are not able to appropriately distribute work assignments equally, do not treat
all employees fairly, and are unable to separate their personal life from their work life.
Other characteristics of a challenging boss include:
* A boss who favors certain employees and grants them special privileges.
* A boss who is not able to regulate an employee's workload.
* A boss who continuously develops new policies or procedures for employees to follow.
* A boss who is not able to regulate his or her own emotions when dealing with
employees.
* A boss who rewards employees for liking him/her versus their work performance.
Challenging bosses used to be called jerks! Today we refer to these bosses as having
low emotional intelligence (EI), which is the inability to read and best utilize the
emotions of other people, i.e., employees. In other words, low EI bosses are unable to
understand their employee's emotions, and the damage that they create because they have no understanding of social dynamics involved in an office environment.
So when you are pulling your hair out because you get reprimanded for being late to
work once, and your coworker leaves work early and takes long lunches because he or
she is your boss's favorite employee; instead of calling your boss a jerk and holding
your breath until he/she changes-first try taking a more effective approach.
Bosses who have low EI require employees who are able to set boundaries, set limits,
and provide them with direction and structure. In other words, you need to manage
your work and your boss.
1.) Set Boundaries: A boss with low EI usually does not understand where the boundaries
of other people start and end. Therefore, employees need to politely inform their
boss where their boundaries are in terms of space, language, and authority.
2.) Set Limits: A boss with low EI usually does not understand how his/her behavior
impacts other people. Therefore, employees need to politely point out, e.g., that new
projects need to come at the beginning of the day and not when you are walking out the
door to go home.
3.) Set Direction & Structure: A boss with low EI requires direction and structure. If your performance review is already a month late, instead of getting angry, offer to help your boss by writing the performance review yourself, offer to help him/her to complete it at the time of the review, and set an appoint time to complete it.
You can stomp up and down and hold your breath all day long, if you want, but your low
EI boss will not change until you start to act proactively instead of reactively.
Happy Working,
Gary Vikesland, MA LP CEAP
Part I: An Unseen Force
in Your Company
There is an unseen force within your company that can increase revenues by an average
of 682 percent, can expand your workforce by an average 282 percent, and can grow your
company's stock prices by an average of 901 percent.
This same unseen force can prevent your company from sexual harassment and discrimination
lawsuits, will reduce employee theft and violence, and can even make your employees more
productive.
This same unseen force can help your company transition into a new economy, and at the
same time help your company successfully adjust to a merger or acquisition. It also is
a must needed force if your company wants to expand globally.
Lastly, this same unseen force can help you to attract talented employees, reduce employee
turnover, and can make all your employees satisfied with you and the company. And it is
a must have if you are attempting to have your employees work within a team environment.
Got any ideas what this unseen force is?
Read More!
Happy Working,
Gary Vikesland, MA LP CEAP
Employer-Employee.com
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