Discussions of leadership tend to focus on its positive outcomes, such as innovation, employee engagement or organizational performance. However, for the majority of employees, the leaders in their organizations are a source of stress rather than inspiration. Indeed, for every transformational leader and emotionally intelligent manager out there, there are dozens of toxic bosses, and they come in many different forms. Barbara Kellerman at Harvard University has devoted a great deal of her career to studying problematic leaders. She identified seven major types: (1) incompetent, (2) rigid, (3) intemperate, (4) callous, (5) corrupt, (6) insular, and (7) evil. What all these types have in common is their ability to induce stress in others, particularly their subordinates. Unsurprisingly, research shows that the experience of having a bad boss can be akin to post-traumatic stress disorder.
How to Deal with a Boss Who Stresses You Out
For the majority of employees, the leaders in their organizations are a source of stress rather than inspiration. Since bad bosses are ubiquitous, it is hard to avoid them. So what’s the best way to deal with a stress-inducing boss? First, learn to predict their behavioral patterns and ensuing moods, which will help you prepare yourself for dealing with the situation. Try not to make things worse by being a source of stress yourself. If you annoy or upset your manager, or the work you produce is unacceptable, you can expect the worst aspects of their personality to emerge. Instead, make yourself indispensable to your boss, and ensure that he or she looks better with you on board. No matter how stress-inducing your boss might be, and how good you become at coping with their dark side, the only way to ensure you remain on their good side is by being a valuable resource to them.