Fast Talk

You don't. You head for greener pastures.

Obviously your approach is predicated on your relationship with him.

I think you have to offer both positives and negatives; don't tell, but have a conversation. Not even the worst boss be 100 percent meta-physically "bad". So I would address areas of strength as well as the areas that need improvement.

I think how one approaches this situation depends on your position within an organization. If you are a subordinate, most likely one would not address an issue with a boss as they are concerned that they would be perceived as complaining. I've seen many good employees let issues with their superiors gnaw at them, and never address a boss' weaknesses.

While it's easy to say that direct and immediate discussion is the best solution, often times, this course of action is not practical.

The same way you tell your wife she looks fat in those pants. You either don't, or you get kicked to the curb.

Don't. No win situation. Find another gig. Move on. Resign gracefully. Be exceptionally discrete during the exit interview.

you don't, becuase they're a bad boss, even if you tell them it will do no good.

I suppose it depends on what it is that makes this boss a bad one.

I believe we need to embrace the traits that make a bad boss "a bad boss" and see them for what they really are. For example, a person who has low self-esteem might take it out on their subordinates.

Personally, I would begin a conversation about this topic with something like this, "you know, when you treat people in this office badly it makes us all feel uncomfortable. I'm sure that's not what you meant to do but..." or "is there a reason that you treat me poorly that I should know about" or "have I offended you in some way that makes you treat me like..."

And then of course, you could just find some blogs on "how to tell your boss he's a bad boss" and e-mail them to him. LOL

If there is nothing you can do to make the scoundrel change his ways, then I suggest you focus on his strengths and overlook his faults. Or find a new job.

wear a tie to work.

You take a job somewhere else for less money.

walk into his office and tell him he did the wrong thing and smarten up

Telling your boss that he’s bad at his managerial duties won’t change his behavior for the better; in fact, it might make things worse. Instead, focus on the specific behavior in each incident that interferes with you doing an excellent job. Always put comments in the context of business results. For example, you might say something like, “When you don’t respond to my e-mail messages, due dates get missed, customers get annoyed and our department results decline.” There are lots of free tips for dealing with other specific bad-boss behavior at BigBadBoss.com (http://www.bigbadboss.com).

Good luck with the situation—I hope you can make it work for you.

Marilyn Haight

in my experience it's rare to have a "bad boss" in the sense that 100% is bad and no redeeming qualities - so it might help to think about the good and the bad - build up the good and then explain how this may be adversely impacted by other behaviours

quit

Some questions do not have answers. And some kind of work are tooooooooooo tedious , but some ( someone Smart)one has to do it. heres some suggestion :

1. US mail : mail a letter , and sign it by his Bosses name.

2. Email his wife.
3. Or if you still want to tell him straight ( from the heart) ...tell him straight ;)). Note: theres nothing called a Job insurance in this country.

You don't - even if you did, he be deaf. You suffer it, or plot and scheme and get another job.

You don't.

You offer constructive critisism and hope that he gets the message...

i would say that typically bad bosses are usually considered bad at what they do not because of intention but because of method. These bad methods typically lead to bosses that are frustrated with employees because they don't get the results from the people they are responsible for. It's all cyclical. To break the cycle I think it's important during the reception of coaching to align with what the boss is trying to achieve and tell him/her that you would be able to achieve those goals faster if said method was changed in directing your actions.

In your exit interview.

Subtely give him examples of an imaginary friend's imaginary boss where the latter did things differently and (much better)..

Do what they tell you and do it well, but get to know other people in your industry hard and quick. The leverage you have in being able to leave will either give you an out or make your boss realize that you can't be treated that way.

Look for the following signs:
1. High turnover
2. Little or no respect from subordinates
3. No one dares bring up a negative criticism
4. The boss's superiors think everything is perfect
5. The boss seems to have plateaued on the learning curve
6. Year after year after year everything stays the same

If these are present, then this is probably how your boss wants it - because it's easy and doesn't involve change, thinking or even acknowledging problems. The people who stay probably want it that way too - COMPLACENCY. Take a lesson from professional athletes - If you want to play better, you want to play with better teammates, you want a coach you can learn from and respect, you want to win, then trade to a better team. Unless you can take over the team or a new coach comes on board, QUIT! With all the books, seminars, FastCompany articles, etc. it's not that hard to be a good boss. The ones who are good want to be and the ones who are bad don't care. And the bad ones don't deserve smart, hard working and loyal employees. Would you allow your kid to be taught by a bad teacher? Would you buy a car from a company known for putting out duds? Treat yourself better - get a better boss.

do a video outtake mock up on u -tube and have it routed via the viral net work ie not from u ....
better yet have sales trng or learning and devel team at the company insert it as a teaching video clip...

you do it by pointing out his short comings, and suggesting how he could do better, politely!

Never burn your bridges behind you. Leave with dignity, your boss will never be able to share information with others that you were full of sour grapes. You have left his employee, his being a bad boss is no longer your problem. Exit interviews can be held against you, say nothing negative, leave in good stead.

Nothing good can come of giving your supervisor negative feedback. Use the situation as a learning experience, and while you're learning to manage upwards in order to preserve in-office sanity, try these three simple steps. 1) Start planning an exit strategy by networking within your industry. 2) Tell your boss that sometimes you aren't able to respond to his/her needs as quickly as you would like: could the two of you find some time to sit down and discuss better communication strategies. 3) Immediately contact your human resources department; be honest, upfront, and ask for their advice/help. Do not, however give the impression that you're about to jump ship, but rather that you're trying to make it work.

Keep in mind, your 'bad boss' will discuss your performance with fellow employees at some point, and you want those comments to be positive.

try telling you're boss a story about a fictional boss (over drinks or lunch)that reflects his management and maybe he'll see you're point with out getting mad.

I would suggest changing the question to: how can you encourage your boss to be a better one? Ultimately, if you can build a relationship with your boss where you can ask to give him feedback, you have opened the door to improvement. Perhaps asking your boss for feedback will start the process.

I believe that we need to treat bad bosses like a tumour - first we diagnose, treat and if all else fails we excise.
The diagnosis bit is tricky if this has been a long-running problem. Identify and classify each intolerable set of behaviours or inherent characteristics. From this, then determine if it is detrimental to you, to others or the company. If the answer is 'others or the company', encourage others to go to HR to fight the problem for you.
If you find, on closer inspection that you are the only recipient of this incompetence I would not discuss this with your boss, I would advise you to cover yourself and do your best to encourage your relocation either upward or sideways movement within the organisation.
The treating and excising steps are for the long haul, so see how you go for now, before we put on the boxing gloves. Good luck.

It is interesting that some comments here essentially forget ethics and leadership traits. Some are amazingly good advice. Others are too pragmatic - some so self-centered that they are embarrassing to read.

Where are your standards of basic responsibility - the ones that supersede mere butt-covering and office politics? Be a real leader - do not just stand in line and wait to be let out for recess. Find a way to address the problem without causing real damage to your career. In other words, use your head and your heart to manipulate the situation against the aggressor.
I have worked with plenty of people who embrace "duck and cover" habits for dealing with bad bosses, and they are the reason bad bosses rise to the top. Bad bosses walk all over all the selfish, gutless cowards in the company. Suckers.
Rather than leaving and believing a terrible boss out of sight is no longer your problem, create the possibility of change. Stop being babies and cowards. Start by losing your patience with your bad boss - or your bullying boss - in front of other subordinates. Unless you are in a company full of cowards, at least you will have witnesses who could acknowledge the boss' abuse should it come to that. Those who have been put upon now have someone willing to stand up to the boss to validate their feelings of being bullied. Just don't take it too far unless you are willing to lose your job.
If it is a case of an excitable and insecure boss who gets demeaning to subord's when the pressure is on, simply ask him if it is necessary to talk to you in a berating tone. If he cannot respond, then you have just won one battle. Bad bosses have disarming skills of fooling themselves (thus fooling others), I have found, so be aware that they are convincingly unaware of their stupidity.
Work it out in your own mind first, be adult about it (which is hard when your boss reminds of the oversized brat who flicked tater tots at you in high school). Be ready to address the issue with his or her boss, since one cannot count on HR to back you - they are typically on the side of managers (look up "Why we hate HR"). Be willing to move on, most of all.
There is enough abuse to go around, I do not think tolerating unreasonable bosses is a matter of business - it is a matter of promoting bad behavior. It is exactly what happens in an abusive relationship of any type - the victimized sustain the abuser's power by enabling them to be a bully. Stop supporting bad habits by default: This is the same concept that provides children with no sense of respect or work ethics. People tolerate bad behavior and it will thus not change.
If dysfunction is the rule of a company, that creepy feeling you get is telling you to find another job, and quick. Be prepared to realize, depending on your job, that, sadly, "quick" might be six months, a year, possibly more. That is a long time to put up with a moron and enabling his bad behavior, so don't enable it. Try to alter that path.
And, yes, move on. But you don't have to be a selfish coward about it.

I will tell a bad boss story when I am with colleagues and the boss. I will lead the topic and let him know what the bad boss is, meanwhile I will give him a hint.

you tell them on the yearly employee satisfaction survey....they will get the message because their increases/bonus's are in percentage based on how the employees feel about

During an exit interview after putting in your papers

A 360 degree review is a powerful way to do it because then you're not the only one - odds are if he or she's a bad boss your comrades are feeling that pain too.

I agree with the entry by Christine Vargas. Nothing good will come of this. Having my share of bad bosses in the past, I received negative impacts when I addressed it. The only option I found was planning my exit strategy. This could mean transferring within the company to leaving the company. I have done both options and both worked out well for me.

You need to learn how to manage your boss. Everyone has a an achilles tendon and you have to try to see life from their perspective to understand where they are coming from. Then you have to think about the message you want to deliver to them (in a positive, abstract and inpersonal manner) and a strategy for delivery. You can't come across as if you are giving feedback, but rather commenting on something that needs improvement. Usually you will humble them because they get what you are saying, but you are not criticizing them directly.

Many operate out of fear that they will lose control or that they must be the smartest guy in the room. So the tactic I use is called "planting a seed". In a very casual way, make a comment about an initiative or interaction or issue that you think needs to be addressed. Give your perspective and ideas. Talk about what the impact is to the group @ large. Then step away and never mention it again. It will be amazing but your boss will come up with a similar idea in 1-3 months. Granted it will be his idea and not yours, but what the heck, you still accomplished what you wanted.

If your boss is passive aggressive the best way to deal with them is call them on it, but not in public. Ask them to coffee or request a 1x1 and just plainly say, "the other day, I sensed you were unhappy with me. If so I would really like us to be on the same page because I value our working relationship and respect you a lot. If you could give me some constructive feedback, I would really like to improve". Passive aggressive people can't handle being called out for their behavior and your boss will change toward you. But guess what, you took the high road so they won't want to have the interaction again.

If you have one of those bosses that runs hot & cold on you due to their inability to manage their own stress levels, then you need to get them when they are in a really good mood and talk about it nicely. I usually speak abstractly in terms of leadership philosophy. Here's a sample dialog I like to use for these types of people:

I think being a leader is a tremendous responsibility. They are like public figures and people are always reading into their body language, actions and tone of voice. It must be rough being a leader, but it is even rougher being a person who has been blown off or spoken to roughly by a boss. That poor person would probably lose sleep at night and worry that their job was in danger and their performance will begin to slip due to anxiety. But worse than that it becomes like a virus that spreads and word will get out and people will be afraid to take chances or make mistakes, and then the company will grind to a halt. Innovation and progress is built on mistakes so it is really important that we nurture the interactions and environment to encourage our employees to make mistakes. That is why I think a leader really has a rough job because they must never allow their stress to impact people personally and directly due to the long term ramifications it can have on an organization.

Now if your boss is just plain old abusive (this is rare) then you need to just tell them directly. I sense you don't want me here, is that true? Then outline to them the interaction. But again, defer to them, give them a chance to explain and make an agreement to get on the same page because you really like the boss and want to have a healthy relationship with them. Then look for a new job ;-)

You don't. The power differential is too great, and his bosses have already signaled to you that they're behind him by not firing him previously.

You've got no way to know if he's the one in a thousand who'll actually welcome the opportunity to improve until you've cut your throat.

Put up with it or quit.

I tend to agree with David and would definitely start there. However, some bosses can catapult to their position due to who they know rather then what they know.

From experience, if your boss is truly a inadequate, it will come to light sooner or later (see today's economy). When he or she does they'll most likely blame their employees or support group. Make sure you maintain evidence - emails, request, etc. - on how they failed you as well. It may just get you or your team to the next level.

A good boss will set himself as a good example. His action is effective. He is human. The way he talks and performs his duties speak for him. He is not a preacher but a man of good actions. His action is a mirror of his personality.

Shoot the bastard in the crotch with a tazer in the parking lot.