7 Tips to deal with a difficult boss

In an ideal world, we would have adorable bosses – managers who make us feel valued, who are constantly rooting for our success and who are just all-round fantastic people to have around.
Unfortunately, that's not always the case. But, whether the person you work for is a micromanager, has anger management problems, demonstrates favouritism towards one person, is a workplace bully, or just isn't very competent, you still have to make the best of the situation and get your job done.

Here are a couple of tips which can help you in dealing with difficult bosses:

* Make sure that you are dealing with a ‘Bad Boss’

Before trying to fix your bad boss, make sure you really are dealing with one. Is there a reason for her behaviour, or are you being too hard on him or her? It is best to observe for a few days and see whether your boss is just a bad boss or the behaviour was a one off case.

* Identify what drives your boss

Understanding why your boss does or cares about certain things can give you an insight into his or her management style. You being able to figure out what drives a certain response, reaction or behaviour of your boss, you will be in a better position to avoid offending him or her.

* Don’t let your boss’s behaviour affect your work

No matter how bad your boss' behaviour, avoid letting it affect your work. You want to stay on good terms with other leaders in the company, not to mention, keep the job that you have. Don’t try to counteract by working slower or taking a day off so that it makes you feel better. It will only increase the pile of workload on your desk. Just keep at your work and let your work speak for you.

* Stop assuming that they know everything

Just because someone has a managerial title doesn’t mean that they have all the right answers, all the time.The title ‘manager’ is not equivalent to ‘all knowing.’ If you are confident that your point is a valid one, hold you stance and make sure that you have enough material to back it.

* Act as a leader

When dealing with an incompetent boss, sometimes it's best to make some leadership decisions on your own.If you know your area well enough, there is no reason to not go ahead creating and pursuing a direction you know will achieve good results for your company. People who do this are naturally followed by their peers as an informal leader. This might also help you get noticed by the management. Of course, your boss is your superior hence remember to keep him in the loop with everything so as to not undermine his position.

* Identify Triggers

If your boss has anger management problems, identify what triggers her meltdowns and be extra militant about avoiding those. For instance, if your boss is extra finicky about perfect documents, be cautious before submitting any document to him or her. Re-read the document to see if you have missed any points and make sure you run your work through spelling and grammar check before submission.

* Avoid future bad bosses

When interviewing with a new company, do your research ahead of time to make sure you're not getting into another situation with a less-than-ideal manager. Try to set-up a meeting with your future manager before-hand. During your casual meeting or conversation, remember that your purpose is to learn general information about the company and its culture. However, use this opportunity to discover as much about your potential boss as possible.