It Doesn't Take a Wizard to Build a Better Boss

Sometimes you can't get the boss to listen. Try examining what you're doing to get the boss's attention. Does the boss respond better in the morning? In a team meeting or one-on-one? Are there people the boss does listen to -- and what can you learn from them? Are you presenting ideas to the boss in the best form? Do you even know how the boss likes to get information -- memos, e-mail, phone mail, in person?

If the boss is simply a hardass, then develop a support system elsewhere: colleagues who appreciate what you do for them, subordinates who recognize your willingness to do battle on their behalf. Although we all prefer to work for bosses who have some interpersonal skills and sensitivity, the hard truth is that it isn't the boss's job to make you feel good. If you do work for a Tin Man, however, you'll often come away with an appreciation for the importance of heart -- and with much stronger skills.

"Here, Here! What's all this jabberwock when there's work to be done?" -- Auntie Em

IV. Building a Better Boss: The Wizard Is You

Bosses are just people. When you confront one you don't like -- whether Scarecrow, Cowardly Lion, or Tin Man -- take a step back, ask yourself what the problem really is, see if there isn't a hint of opportunity lurking within the boss's glaring inadequacy.

Make sure you don't become the kind of boss you're angry about having. It's easy to let your boss's attitude infect your own. Remember what you don't like about the boss -- then take pains not to become your enemy.

Be realistic. The best strategy for dealing with a really insufferable boss can be to plan your exit. Determining that you'll be gone from your job in one year can be liberating: it can release a lot of built-up emotional pressure, change your day-to-day attitude, and sometimes even allow you the perspective you need to solve problems that once seemed intractable.

Remember that everyone complains about the boss. And almost every great boss is only great in retrospect. The lessons emerge after the pain subsides. What remains is the wisdom you gained from difficult experiences. The words of the Wizard of Oz are instructive. Chided by Dorothy for being "a very bad man," the Wizard corrects her. "No, my dear," he tells Dorothy, "I'm a very good man. I'm just a very bad wizard."

Finally, when you're working for a Scarecrow, Cowardly Lion, or Tin Man, take responsibility for as much of the situation as you can. Your boss's problems aren't your fault; they don't even have to be your problems. And sometimes you can change the dynamic with a problem boss simply by calling on your own strengths -- remembering that "boss" is a title more often than it is a verb. Once you take the initiative, you are starting your own journey down the Yellow Brick Road toward building a better you -- and leaving it to the boss to build a better boss.

Professor Len Schlesinger (lschlesinger@hbs.edu) builds better bosses at the Harvard Business School. His most recent book is "The Real Heroes of Business ... And Not a CEO Among Them" (Currency/Doubleday, 1994).

"10 Questions to Build a Better Understanding of the Boss"

"Boss to Self: How to Build a Better Me"

"Managerial Wisdom from the Journey to Oz"