Career Management >> Managing an angry boss
Working in today’s competitive market, fighting against regular deadlines, insecurity of job because of the prevailing recession, all these have become a part and parcel of our lives. To top it all, the difficulty of keeping the “Boss” happy is something we would like to take care as the first priority. This being done can help us cope with the rest of the issues.
Managing an angry boss is quite a task, especially if we land up with a man who is perpetually angry and complaining. But more than often the boss does have a reason to be angry and we are just the victim of his outburst.
First, we should never take his aggressive behavior personally. Keep on reminding yourselves, that, he is not family. He is a person for whom I work and he can no way touch my emotions, thus make me upset or insulted. Once we are capable of conditioning our mind with this fact, it becomes much easier to tackle the angry person in front of us.
Next comes the part where we need to understand “Why” he is angry? Is there a genuine reason for him to be angry, or, is he just throwing tantrums over a very petty issue. If you find there has been a reason which triggered his anger, and that reason lies with you, the only easy way to calm your boss down is 100 per cent submission. You need to own up to your mistakes and apologize. This done at the right time and with the correct body language can almost get the situation under control and the boss is forced to get a hold on his anger.
The worst happens, when, you have a boss losing his head and shouting at you, and at the same time you do the same. You keep arguing with him and try to prove your point at that very moment. But this not only aggravates the situation but can also lead to more serious issues like you getting fired or even worse an irreparable relationship between your boss and you.
Managing an angry boss becomes difficult, when the boss is angry and expressing his anger before your colleagues. We are not concerned anymore about the reason or cause, but about the fact that your boss is blasting you in front of your colleagues. In such a situation, arguing with him is a big “No No”. We need to remember, that, humiliating your boss in front of others will be much more serious and offensive than keeping silent and patient till the steam is off the angry person.
Few tips on how to handle situations like this:
1. After your boss calms down, talk to him alone and explain the situation. Accept your mistakes and make him understand that he has every right to be angry but he could have avoided the unpleasant incident by calling him alone and talking about it.
2. Assure him, that this kind of a mistake will not happen in future, but if there is something, you will take soul responsibility of the result and repair it.
One should remember, bosses are humans like us, and maybe handling more pressure from people above him. He is responsible for the work which happens under his control and he does not have an option to correct the mistake once committed.
Befriend your boss and keep a good rapport balanced with professionalism and socialism.
Life becomes easier, as most part of our day is spent at work. So it makes sense making the work more pleasant place to spend hours.
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