How to Handle Your Own "Horrible Boss"

• You glare into the office of your supervisor; angry thoughts filling your mind as you wonder how someone so incompetent could actually be in charge of your career. Anger builds up more and more with each intelligible decision he or she makes.

• Your boss is smart and successful, but never seems to have the time to meet with you. You end up waiting hours to get back reports or receive new tasks to accomplish. You can only be so proactive and end up twiddling your thumbs, watching old episodes of the Office while you wait.

While the movie Horrible Bosses, might have been a bit over the top, there is some truth to the plight many employees face on a daily basis.  No matter how far we advance in our careers, eventually we are going to come across a boss that is either a tyrant, a fool, or too busy for his own good.   Some bosses don't care, some are clueless as to the stress they cause their employees, and some mean very well and just don't meet their employee's needs.  These bosses affect our careers and we need to learn how to work within their strange quirks.  Here are some tips on how to deal with bad bosses:

1. Leave it at work.  Try not to take negative feelings home with you.  At the end of the day, unless you are a doctor, you are not curing cancer.  You can only do your best, and hopefully, your best is good enough.  If it isn't, then you need to examine whether there is more you can do, or if a job that respects your efforts is something you need to seek.  It's as simple as that.  Let home be your respite from the rigors of work, as it is meant to be. 

2. Don't take it personally. The problem is with your boss's management skills or his personality, not you.  Just go about your job and, as stated above, do the best that you can.  At the same time, don't fall into a trap and shout back at your boss if he belittles you, no matter how embarrassed you are; don't let your "stupid" boss know just how "stupid" you think he is; and don't belittle your busy boss by demanding he get back to you in a timely manner.  These actions will only serve to hurt your career. 

3. Don't talk to co-workers about it. To avoid conflicts, confide in someone neutral who's off-site.  At work, it is best to go by the motto, "Don't Trust Anyone."  You may feel close to a co-worker, but you may not know how close they are to your boss or another co-worker who might pass along your complaints to the wrong people.  Just grin and bear it at work and then go home and tell your significant other, or call a friend and have a venting session.  You'll feel better after you do.  Also, don't vent on social media.  Nothing is private. 

4. Speak to your boss.  As long your boss is not entirely irrational, it may be worth airing concerns.  If the problem is getting out of hand, a professional conversation might be helpful.  You might find out your boss didn't even realize his or her behavior and might surprise you by changing his or her ways to the best of their ability.  Or they might get worse, but sometimes it's better to just express the problem and try to work toward a solution. 

5. Consult HR. If you've witnessed your HR department handle things well, turn to them.  They might have a better shot at changing your boss' ways.  In some situations, they might help transfer you to other departments if you are having trouble dealing with the current environment. 

6. If all else fails, start looking for a new job. You don't want to wait until things become unbearable or you risk being fired.  Sometimes, you just need to throw your hands up and start all over again.  But this shouldn't be the first reaction.  If you like your job and like the people you work with, it's better to try and defuse the situation before taking drastic action.