One thing that you were most likely not taught in school is the concept of "emotional competence", i.e. your ability to deal rationally with your emotions in a professional manner so that you can remain cool in the face of extreme provocation. In other words, "never let them see you sweat!".
In order to survive in the workplace, one thing that you need to master is "emotional competence".
The article below discusses the best way to cope with a bad boss so that you can survive and thrive in the workplace.
Is your boss about to drive you crazy? Here are some coping strategies to help you keep your sanity (and maybe your job).
At one point or another, you will have a bad boss. Maybe your boss won’t be like the one in Dilbert, but still he or she might make your work difficult. Here are some tips to help you cope.
Note: This article is also available as a PDF download.
1: Avoid responding in kind
If your boss acts like a jerk, becomes abusive, or is freaking out, your initial impulse might be to do the same thing. Fight that temptation, hard though it might be. Repaying “evil for evil” accomplishes nothing and only makes the situation worse. If you maintain your professionalism, it will make a positive impression on those who are watching or those who hear about it — including possibly your boss’s boss.
Here’s an extreme example, but one based on a true incident. Suppose you’ve just sat down at a restaurant with your boss, and the latter becomes agitated that there are no menus. Rather than get agitated yourself, perhaps because the boss is blaming you for the lack of menus, try to stay calm and simply say, “Boss, the menus are on the way.” Repeat as often as necessary.
2: Document your work
Keep track of your accomplishments and of compliments you get from co-workers or managers of other departments. Record the date of these incidents. When documenting these items, try to record as well the significance of the accomplishment. What problem existed at the time? What would have happened had you not acted? How did your action have a positive effect on the entire organization? Keep this information on a system other than your work computer or company network - that is, keep it in a place where you can still access it even if you leave or are terminated.
3: Use objective measures
When documenting your accomplishments, try to use objective measurements. If you’re on a help desk, for example, “I resolved that ticket promptly” is a meaningless statement. However, “I resolved that ticket in three hours, compared to the departmental average of five hours,” carries more credibility. If you’re in a call center, similarly, a statement that “I answered 80% of my calls within the second ring” is preferable to “I answered my calls promptly.”
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