by Jacqueline Trovato

Created on: July 30, 2009   Last Updated: August 01, 2009

Bad bosses: How to work for a control freak

Subordinates don't negotiate enough with their bosses. There is a lot of blame to share on this, but the important thing is that everybody and the organization is worse off as a result. Subservience leads to low morale, poor decision-making, and it reduces productivity.

How to Negotiate With the Boss

In a typical case, a boss will give a subordinate a task that unknown to the boss exceeds the subordinate's readily available resources. The subordinate, who prides himself on being a team player, salutes and says, Yes, sir! He knows he's got a problem, but he doesn't want to complain; besides, it's an opportunity to show how valuable he is.

The boss hasn't a clue that the subordinate must work nights and weekends to complete the task, and thus expresses no gratitude for these extraordinary efforts. The result is (1) an employee who feels overworked and unappreciated; (2) slipshod work; or (3) both. Of course, if the work is deficient, the boss will let the employee know immediately. Each time this cycle is repeated, the employee becomes unhappy and less productive.

Most bosses don't want to make poor decisions, give unreasonable assignments, or embitter their employees by requiring them to sacrifice their personal lives. But yes-people unwittingly encourage their bosses to do all those things. By refusing to speak up, sycophants deprive their bosses of information they need to manage intelligently.

Negotiate Assignments

The ideal time for boss-subordinate negotiations is when the boss first gives an assignment. If the project is well-considered and within the subordinate's capacity, then negotiating isn't called for. If the subordinate believes it needs to be rethought, or if given its deadline and priority, it clearly exceeds readily available resources, then he has a responsibility to negotiate it.

First, the subordinate should make sure he fully understands the project. This is a very important step from which he must not be deterred, either by his timidity or the boss's impatience. It's even okay to be a little pushy about this if necessary. If he jumps into an assignment with a flawed understanding of what the boss really wants, he'll look bad, the boss will be angry, and everybody's time will be wasted. He should get agreement on the overall outline, the tasks and subtask, and the desired outcome. He should also discuss the anticipated short-and long-term effects. If he see's public relations, political,

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>