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What is the best way to deal with an angry boss?

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Question added by Rana Alnajjar , Web developer , Lebcards
Date Posted: 2016/08/17
Gayasuddin Mohammed
by Gayasuddin Mohammed , Advocate , Practicing Law before High Court at Hyderabad

Its better keep quiet when the boss is angry and let him/her cool down themselves. Its no point talking when the person is angry as it moves no where and may cause further unnecessary problems which are unwarranted. Talk to him/her when the person is in cool mind. That is the best strategy. Thanks.

Nadjib RABAHI
by Nadjib RABAHI , Freelancer , My own account

by :

  • respect and appreciation
  • the smile
  • Saluting
  • Discipline
  • Professional
  • Calm
  • Good treatment
  • Do the work best
  • work perfiction
  • Avoid delays
  • Avoid accumulation of tasks
  • Achieving results
  • Punctuality
  • Avoid anything that might result in making him angry
  • making progress
  • Avoid conflicts
  • Avoid problems
  • Make suggestions about work
  • Execution orders
  • Compliance to the rules of procedure of the company
  • Participate in solving the outstanding problems
  • creativity
  • Relieve the pressure
  • Provide assistance as much as possible

Wail Zayid
by Wail Zayid , Facilities Supervisor , Shade Corporation

Thank you for the invitation.

A previous boss has frame picture on his wall, the picture says " There is two rules for work :

Rule No. 1- The Boss is always right.

Rule No. 2- If the boss is wrong refer to rule No. 1

 

Awwab Ahmed
by Awwab Ahmed , Web-Developer, Graphic-Designer. , Conobio

Hmm! I haven't experience this till yet, because Alhamduillah its look like from birth my boss haven't get angry,

Best way is to say first about profit or accomplish of your work to change your sir mood, :)

Deleted user
by Deleted user

The best way to deal with an angry boss is not to deal with him when he's angry. Wait until his anger is gone and then communicate with him. But if you have to, there are some basic rules to follow:

  • Be calm, and keep a calm voice tone.
  • Listen more than talk.
  • keep a neutral face expression, no smiling no smirking.
  • Don't try to break any bad news at this stage.
  • Try to pull yourself out of the situation.
  • Try not to provoke him.
  • Try calming him down.
  • Use positive words / comments instead of negative ones.
  • Try using the "I" or "We" word instead of the "You" word.

Terrence Walmsley
by Terrence Walmsley , Owner , The Awesome Group of Companies

Perhaps the hardest question of all. This is where your true leadership and management skills are tested.

Firstly, a leader will take full responsibility of actions if the problem fall within their area.

Make sure you take emotions out of the equation. Analyse the issues before you react. 

If it is a staff generated issue, again understand the facts. There jay be a reason as to why something caused the problem. The lean method of '5 why' is the perfect tool to drill down to root cause.

Back to the boss, don't argue with them. Let them vent and listen. Listening is most important in this situation. When they ask, " Well what are you going to do about it?", reply simply, " I will root cause the issue and present back to you on my findings and solution". The fact that they have had to call you in to discuss the issue now means you have to reprioritise your tasks. This is now number one. Have your second in charge assist with other priorities until this is resolved.

Mohamed Essam
by Mohamed Essam , sales manager , El-Marwa Renewable Energy

Be Profissional, Do your duties as best as you can and don't hesitate to ask for your rights or to object any false assignment.

Vaiyapuri Gopalakrishnan
by Vaiyapuri Gopalakrishnan , Manager - After Sales , M/s Saud Bahwan Automotive llc

Agree on experts answers. Thanks for your invitation.

Owais Jaffar
by Owais Jaffar , Head of SEO and Social Media , Knowledge Path

First and foremost, the first step is to determine where the anger is cause of anger and where it is directed at. Depending on the type of boss you might have one that is angry at you because of some issue, angry because of a domestic issue but is taking out the anger on the employee or just woke up on the wrong side of the bed. The latter two situations would require you to evade him till he/she cools off but be subtle as being obvious would probably land you in hot water. If it is the former, then try to find out what went wrong and where you can make improvements or do things differently in the future, a simple sincere apology can go a long way. Making sure to never repeat the same mistake twice will also give out the impression that you are willing to learn from your mistakes.

However, if you end up being under a boss who just likes to be a boss without understanding the meaning of it, I suggest you start applying else where as there are some great bosses out there. Employees don't leave companies, they leave bosses.

AHMED BUALI
by AHMED BUALI , Lead Project Manager , General Electric Oil & Gas / BHGE

There is no one best way of dealing with this situation. However, understanding his prespective, his personality, and behavior is your key success in this situation. It would be very helpful to control your emotions and find the way to reframe the situation and influence the boss to maintain the required level of respect and relationship.

VENKATA RAO
by VENKATA RAO , HR Manager , BSCPL Infrastructure Ltd

A moody boss can set all the team on edge, when nobody else is sure what frame of mind the boss is going to bring to work and spread through the entire office. While you can't decipher all the reasons behind why your boss is moody and chooses to take out this moodiness on staff, you can do things to make your own situation more comfortable.

 

Recognizing that you can't change another person, dealing with a moody boss is a lot about changing how you react to this person but it's also about setting boundaries with your boss in an assertive way that your boss is forced to acknowledge because you won't budge (politely, of course). Although it's probable that you feel that being at the tail end of your boss's bad moods is all too hard, it's worth the effort of asserting yourself and protecting yourself against boss unpredictability so that you can get on with your work and not end up taking any falls for your boss's bad moves.

 

There are some steps like

  1. Recognize what you can and cannot change in a workplace context. Every day we have to get along with people who aren't necessarily people we'd ask over for dinner or have intimate chats with. The workplace is a microcosm of having to get along with people from all walks of life, regardless of their personalities. And a moody boss isn't going to be that rare given the pressures that bosses are often under. So, what you cannot change is your boss or your boss's moods; only your boss can do that after having an epiphany and maybe that moment will never come, so stop waiting around for it. What youcan change is your response to your boss' moodiness and the way you see it impacting you. Should you choose to see it as reflecting on you personally, you will have a much harder and less pleasant time working with your boss than should you choose to see the boss being of a certain temperament and liable to unleash moodiness on anyone in his or her vicinity. By recognizing that you cannot change your boss but that you can take a realistic perspective, you take the first step in improving your own situation.    
  2. Pinpoint what you mean by moodiness. Moodiness is a fairly indistinct label that is easy to apply but not so easy to describe. Try to describe what you perceive as moodiness in boss, to order to help you address it more effectively. Moodiness can be sourced in a variety of traits and behaviors, including depression, anger, manipulation, insecurity, fear, nastiness, sickness, mid-life crises, grief, and so forth. Naturally, it isn't your place to guess at the personal motivations or underlying needs of your boss's moodiness but you do need to distinguish between variable moodiness as a general personality trait and moodiness that is manipulative and bullying. In the case of nastiness and bullying behavior, rely on workplace procedures and legal rights to deal with a bullying boss. For other cases of moodiness, you need to put into place your own strategies for working with and mostly "around" your moody boss.
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  4. Stop envying the hierarchy. A major problem with many workplaces is their hierarchical structure, which simply means that some people are always placed above others. This structure has its own in-built bias against a boss because the workers underneath will often look to the boss and think unhelpful thoughts such as "they're the boss, they should be [doing] X, Y Z" or "the boss should know better" or "the boss is so not helping me, moody fool". Question where your expectations for the boss come from – unless you've been in the boss' shoes, it is going to be very hard to know what ought to be done instead of what is being done from a management perspective (technical and creative issues aside). The boss is often a little squeezed - complaining staff underneath and performance-pressured questioning from their own bosses or the board above. By realizing that the hierarchy creates situations in which a boss is likely to behave a little like a pressure cooker, you can introduce more understanding and compassion into your constructive assessment of the situation while still not belittling your own concerns.  
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  6. Stay healthy and well rested. It is much harder to deal with other people when you're sleep deprived, hungry, nutritionally unbalanced, and lacking in exercise outlets. You can easily start to see the world through the lens of the small circle in which you're moving because work soon becomes everything rather than one part of your whole life. The importance of daily exercise, regular and healthy sleep patterns, and nutritionally sound eating comes to the fore when dealing with difficult people because you will have your wits about you, you'll feel strong in body and mind, and you won't be prey to the fears that can creep up unawares when feeling tired, despondent, and under-the-weather.  
  7. 5  Avoid being a wimp or a clone. Do not engage your boss by turning into an obsequious "yes person" who will do anything to dance around the boss's moods. That might work initially but it won't solve anything and you will come away resentful, bitter, and liable to start complaining. Be prepared to stand up to your boss in an assertive way when the workplace issues require it. Healthy feedback and conflict resolution is an important part of producing good workplace results as well as clearing the air. If you feel that you're stifling your creativity, abilities, skills, or even your personality for the sake of appeasing a moody boss, then it's time for action!  
  8. Listen carefully. Sometimes we're the enemy we're trying to avoid because we just don't listen properly. In not listening carefully, we start assuming, interrupting, switching off, and making our own plans while the boss is headed in the other direction. For a moody boss, this can make things much worse because telling staff something that is not implemented through lack of careful listening and later asking a ton of obvious questions can contribute to triggering off more moodiness. No, you are not responsible for the boss' moodiness and yes, your boss should control it. But equally, neither should you frustrate another person through lazy listening and poor follow-through as a result.  
  9. Document everything. Moodiness means unpredictability, therefore shoring up your own undeniable forms of defense is essential so that you can respond to allegations of not performing wherever needed. By keeping very good records of what the boss has asked of you, including asking for clarifications, extensions, changes, etc. to your work program, you can provide proof when your moody boss flies off the handle and seeks to drag you under. It's not your place to prevent the moodiness but it is your place to prove that you had a set series of expectations in place and that you have fulfilled workplace expectations as requested.  
  10. Interact with your moody boss assertively. You have a right to express your boundaries in the workplace. This means making it clear in a polite but forthright manner when things are not appropriate in your interactions together. For example, if your moody boss is working up to a screeching match about some work you've done; instead of screeching back, simply say firmly that you will return to discuss the work when the two of you have had a chance to calm down and think about it a little more. Or, if you feel constrained to sit there, be calm and confident and when the tirade ends, simply say "Thank you for your observations. I will consider them all in detail and provide you with a written response." The fact that you're both still calm, and taking it seriously enough to write a record of it may make your boss realize the gravity of their behavior there and then. Even if not, you have stated what you intend to do, including making a written record of the event and you haven't stooped to imitating or reflecting their hysterics.
  11. Avoid turning your boss' insecurity into your insecurity. An insecure (and often therefore moody) boss who needs constant approbation is a pain but since there are plenty of such people in the workforce, you need to learn how to deal with them. Such a boss can often target a person whom they feel has slighted them or let them down, even if the person has done so totally unwittingly. The risk of dealing with this type of moody boss is that of taking on board their insecurities and making them your own. Rather than doing that, ask questions, seek clarification, and make it plain that you have done your work to the best of your ability, and that while you're always open to learning to do things better, you are not solely responsible for shared or team outcomes nor are you the end of the line where work remains to be checked. Don't let an insecure boss question your skills.
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  13. Be humble when analyzing your role in the situation and own up to any negatives you might be contributing to the state of affairs in your workplace.Shock to the system as it might be, think about the ways in which you might be contributing to viewing your boss as moody. Do other colleagues agree with your assessment or are they simply deferring to your constant whining? Do you respect yourself and believe that your work is good, and your skills are strong? Or do you feel helpless and unable to take control of your work and therefore project your own moods on others? At least be fair and look at this possibility before dismissing it.  
  14. Tips :  
  • Nastiness and abusive behavior have a contagious, trickle-down effect within a workplace. Once superiors do it, so others follow suit. In recognizing what is happening, you're already one step ahead. By realizing that you can refuse to participate in it, you start to make a change, ever so small, in how this contagion spreads.
  • If your boss is really moody and shouts at you all the time it might be time to switch careers.
  • Sometimes you may feel better having someone with you when you discuss challenging workplace issues with your boss. This may be enough to bring a moody boss to their senses because a witness is involved. Then again, it may do nothing more than subject the two of you to the moodiness but at least you have comfort in numbers.
  • Some workplaces have successfully move to a more horizontal structure where all persons involved have a voice in what happens in the workplace. You could either look for such a workplace, where boss and staff interaction is leveled, or you could even agitate for changes within your own organization. Sometimes the focus on something like this can give you back a sense of purpose that you felt had been removed from you.
  • An interactive and collaborative workplace is always desired, however, it is vital to remember that to obtain harmonious balance throughout the workplace, certain actions must be restricted. Sometimes it is easier, to stick your head down and do your work quietly, rather than striking up regular arguments.

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