What to do if your boss is acting in bad faith?
21 June 2013
Read by 2988 persons
Help, my boss isn't up to the job! Your manager can't delegate, can't make decisions, is a tyrant, acts in bad faith, steals your ideas... It's well known, your boss has every vice. Our advice to appease him.
How to manage your boss?
Bad faith, wherever it comes from, leaves a bitter taste for anyone confronted with it, and this is no less true when it comes to your boss.
His profile. The boss is very much like a weathervane. He announces a priority task only to change his mind the next day. He briefs you on a subject and claims that it wasn't what was asked of you when you submit your work.
The difficulties this implies for you. Starting from the principle that the boss is always right, this implies that you are incompetent because you don't understand what he is saying, that you are yourself acting in bad faith, or even that you are lying and are a saboteur. Your ego can take a hit. It makes you want to record the boss's words to replay them when he contradicts himself.
Solutions to get out of it. Avoid direct accusations. This would be useless and you would never win. Saying in front of witnesses "that's not what you told me yesterday" is the best way to trigger a conflict spiral where everyone hardens their position. The best thing to do is to remain silent. You must put your pride aside and take a step back. Admit with humor that this type of behavior is a privilege of the boss! You can adopt an attitude so that no one loses face, such as: "It seemed to me that it was you who wished to..."
If it is the Big Boss who publicly doubts your word, you can indicate to him, privately, that you wish in the future not to be contradicted on points that seemed clear to you in front of other colleagues. Rather than ending up in a shouting match, console yourself by understanding the reasons for the bad faith. For Patrick Estrade, psychologist and author of "Bonjour l'ambiance!... How to improve human relations in the workplace", "bad faith should be considered as the persistence of childish attitudes leading him to avoid (often in a very dishonorable way) difficulties, obstacles or problems instead of confronting them. In this sense, bad faith must therefore be considered as a form of existential weakness. Generally rather stubborn, narrow-minded, devious, aggressive, unscrupulous, the person acting in bad faith - whatever their professional function - appears as a mediocre and classless personality."
Letudiant.fr
Posted online June 21, 2013.
How to manage your boss?
Bad faith, wherever it comes from, leaves a bitter taste for anyone confronted with it, and this is no less true when it comes to your boss.
His profile. The boss is very much like a weathervane. He announces a priority task only to change his mind the next day. He briefs you on a subject and claims that it wasn't what was asked of you when you submit your work.
The difficulties this implies for you. Starting from the principle that the boss is always right, this implies that you are incompetent because you don't understand what he is saying, that you are yourself acting in bad faith, or even that you are lying and are a saboteur. Your ego can take a hit. It makes you want to record the boss's words to replay them when he contradicts himself.
Solutions to get out of it. Avoid direct accusations. This would be useless and you would never win. Saying in front of witnesses "that's not what you told me yesterday" is the best way to trigger a conflict spiral where everyone hardens their position. The best thing to do is to remain silent. You must put your pride aside and take a step back. Admit with humor that this type of behavior is a privilege of the boss! You can adopt an attitude so that no one loses face, such as: "It seemed to me that it was you who wished to..."
If it is the Big Boss who publicly doubts your word, you can indicate to him, privately, that you wish in the future not to be contradicted on points that seemed clear to you in front of other colleagues. Rather than ending up in a shouting match, console yourself by understanding the reasons for the bad faith. For Patrick Estrade, psychologist and author of "Bonjour l'ambiance!... How to improve human relations in the workplace", "bad faith should be considered as the persistence of childish attitudes leading him to avoid (often in a very dishonorable way) difficulties, obstacles or problems instead of confronting them. In this sense, bad faith must therefore be considered as a form of existential weakness. Generally rather stubborn, narrow-minded, devious, aggressive, unscrupulous, the person acting in bad faith - whatever their professional function - appears as a mediocre and classless personality."
Letudiant.fr
Posted online June 21, 2013.
