As the old adage goes "one bad apple can spoil the bushel." In an office environment this means that one difficult person can make it almost impossible for a team or department to function well. Research into group dynamics has shown that one hostile, lazy or unethical individual on a project dramatically decreases the chances of project success. This is especially true when the difficult person is in a leadership role.
Picture the scenario: you start a new job, or take on a new responsibility and at first everything is fine. Then for whatever reason, things start to change. Work you had been praised for is no longer acceptable. Deadlines keep getting shorter. New responsibilities keep getting piled on with the old before you have a chance to catch up. Your performance review doesn't look good and you are already too overwhelmed to fight back. Regardless of whether you are learning something new, or you are a seasoned employee in a new setting, you will make mistakes. We all do. However, an unscrupulous boss may use even small slip ups as ammunition against an employee he or she does not like instead of coaching to improve performance. (A good boss, on the other hand, will offer constructive criticism and help you brainstorm to problem solve.) If you find yourself faced with a leader who is clearly using you as a scapegoat and building a case against you it is important to protect yourself.
Possibly the most important thing you can do to keep the situation from getting too ugly is to document everything. Make sure you understand the parameters of your job. If you are being forced to take on work outside those parameters and it is interfering with the core work you are accountable for document it. Try and keep a clear time line of every problematic interaction you have with your boss. Make a note of everything you are asked to do, your response to the request, if and when you were able to complete the request and your boss's response to your work. Write down any out of line comments from your boss. Keep track of how you are spending your time. If it comes down to a he said she said moment often the person with better records will see the more favorable outcome, so it is important to have detailed notes to support your side of the story if your job is on the line or (worst case scenario) you have to file for unemployment. Keeping comprehensive records may also help you identify specific areas that are more contentious. If you are interested in avoiding conflict and getting the job done, identifying things that set your boss off may help you fly under the radar in the future.
If you have your heart set on sticking with the job, than identifying specific stress points between you and your boss will be essential to repairing the relationship. Watch him or her carefully. Is he or she prickly with everyone? Are there certain traits that seem to bring out vindictive behavior more than others? Is he or she willing to be appeased by certain things? While catering to a moody boss is not usually an ideal situation, if you are attached enough to the job it may be worth it to figure out if you can work around his or her triggers without setting them off. Perhaps your boss perceives certain kinds of work as higher priority, can you finish these tasks first without letting your other work suffer? Is there a certain time of day that appears to be better for approaching him or her? If your boss is truly vindictive it may not matter what you do. If your boss's behavior is extreme enough, identifying and documenting it may allow you to build your own case and lobby for new leadership. If you can't come up with a plan to restore peace and you don't think you have enough documentation to prove your point to upper management it may be time to start thinking about your exit strategy.
How you leave a difficult work situation is important. You may want to quietly arrange a meeting with your HR department and ask about the possibility of an internal transfer. If you don't think staying with the company is really an option and the situation with your boss is continuing to escalate start looking for work right away. It is easier to find work while you still have a job than it is once you are unemployed. Update your resume. Check with coworkers you trust about using them as references. Start putting yourself out there and you may be able to avoid a final showdown and leave on your own terms. It is important to focus on your goals at this point, don't let yourself get caught up in what went wrong.
When you are interviewing try to say as little as possible about why you are leaving. Prospective employers don't want to hear all about the problems you had with your old boss. Simply explaining that it wasn't a good fit should be sufficient and ultimately you will look better if you can put a positive spin on things. While dealing with difficult people is always stressful, if you keep a positive attitude you should be able to leave with your peace of mind intact. Just keep reminding yourself you did your best. Don't try to own someone else's bad attitude.