Are you frustrated by working under bad leadership? Don’t worry – you CAN rise above it!
Did you think you’d reach a point where you could be free from poor leaders? Perhaps you’ve switched jobs or risen up the corporate ladder, partly in the hope that, one day, you’ll be able to just get on with being brilliant without constantly being frustrated, held back or tripped up by your boss. Perhaps you are the boss – and still find you’re answering to someone who’s frustrating your work.
Take heart! As well as growing your patience (essential for your peace of mind AND your effectiveness), you can try some practical tips from Caroline Castrillon at Forbes Magazine.
Caroline recommends practical actions to help with 5 common traits of ‘bad leadership’:
- Poor communication.
- Micromanagement.
- Lack of accountability.
- Inflexibility to change.
- Lack of empathy.
These tips can be summarised in 2 powerful maxims for any of us:
1 Speak the other person’s motivational language
Many of the things that frustrate you about other people are a natural (if regrettable) product of their particular personality, perspectives and motivational value system (as assessed by the Strength Deployment Inventory). It comes naturally for them to see things and approach work the way they do.
So you have a choice – be frustrated or try to connect with what matters to them. For example, if your boss follows the rules without any consideration of how it impacts you personally, try framing the conversation in terms of the fairness or justice of the situation. Similarly, if it feels like you’re working for a task-obsessed slave driver, try linking your proposals to productivity and acommplishment.
Speaking other people’s motivational language is an incredibly powerful tool in any situation.
2 Get on with what you can do
Sometimes the most practical thing you can do is to let go of the frustration with your boss and to focus on what you can control – your own actions. “Shut up and move on” is often heard in motivational circles, and it can sound callous or irresponsible. Yet, as Caroline Castrillon argues, it can help mitigate against your boss’s shortcomings. It’s also an essential ingredient in developing your own emotional intelligence, which will make you more effective and more resilient at work.
Getting on with it might involve just ignoring the boss – but Caroline also recommends things like taking clear notes about discussions and actions, and being consistent and proactive in communicating. That way, you have done all you can to ensure a situation is managed well.
Try it this week…
Which of the 5 traits above is currently frustrating you the most in your boss or a coworker?
Write it down.
Now write down 2 ways in which you could try connecting with that person differently, and 2 ways in which you can get on with what you can do.
Try that for a whole week and see: a) how you feel; b) whether you’re getting things done more smoothly. And if not, perhaps this a good thing to discuss with your coach?