The document discusses the traits of bad bosses, including negativity, selfishness, rudeness, unethical behavior, laziness, and ignorance, which can severely impact employee performance and morale. It provides strategies for dealing with such bosses, emphasizing the importance of understanding their secret desires and fears to navigate the workplace effectively. Additionally, it suggests actions like seeking mentorship, improving personal performance, and knowing when to leave a detrimental work environment.

1. BAD BOSS
Compiled by Col Mukteshwar Prasad(Retd),
Mtech(IITD),CE(I),FIE(I),FIETE,FISLE,FInstOD,AMCSI
Contact -9007224278, e-mail –muktesh_prasad@yahoo.co.in
for book ”Decoding Services Selection Board” and SSB guidance
and training at Shivnandani Edu and Defence Academy

2. Traits Of Bad Bosses
• 1. Negative
• He is always negative about everything.
• Not just about you.
• He can be negative even with the most positive things – as if there is nothing in
this world that will make him happy.
• If you feel he is just negative about you, the he is negative somewhere else, too.
• He does not know how to look at things from the right view – work or otherwise.
• 2. Selfish
• Here, goal means the collective goal, not his own selfish goal.
• The goal of your unit and company he is supposed to help achieve.
• If he is always plotting to move up even at the expense of the people under him,
he must be a very ignorant person. He does not know that the better his team, the
better he is in rising to the top.
• .

3. Traits Of Bad Bosses
• 3. Rude
• Likely indulges in lies, may spread gossip, talking behind everyone’s back.
• Even if he speaks well about you and speaks ill of someone to you, he is likely
to speak ill of you to someone else
• 4. Unethical
• He is most probably unethical in his conduct which is detrimental to team and unit
• He takes credit from the team. He will create excuses when he makes a mistake and
punishes others for the same mistakes. Leading by example is not in his vocabulary.
• 5. Lazy
• He will act smart and look busy. He will tell everyone to do everything and one wonders
what he does. But he gets away with it from his bosses . His motto is, “A boss doesn’t have
to work.
• 6. Ignorant
• He thinks he is smart. He thinks he works hard. He thinks he has employed the worst
people in the world. Everybody is at fault and everyone needs him. When in reality the
company is better off without him.

4. How To Work Your Bad Boss
• Generally most people mean well, but simply execute their job poorly sometimes and
sometimes, there are BAD bosses. We must learn “to Work "on Bad Boss
• According to dictionary.com, “to work” something or someone is to put them
into effective operation, to operate that thing or person for productive
purposes.
• Put your Bad Boss into effective operation to get whatever you want in your job
or career by learning your boss’s secret desire and secret fear
• Two biggest issues of Bad Boss are:
• They can negatively impact our work performance.
• They can make life miserable
• We often hear “being difficult.” about Bad Boss. It’s hard to know exactly where
the difficulty lie. All we know is it is difficult to work successfully with this person.
• An incompetent person is someone who is
• Functionally inadequate or
• Insufficient in Knowledge, Skills, Judgment, or Strength.

5. How To Work Your Bad Boss
• Incompetent or biased Boss Doesn’t
• Know much about being a manager and
• Probably knows little to nothing about the area of work you do.
• Is frustrating and can seriously damage or derail one’s career.
• Can’ help his subordinate to grow
• Potential damage man ,hence strategy to minimize or avoid such damage.
• Potential to impact your Career
• Bad decisions – Lack of understanding of your work and even cluless
(Knowingly or unknowingly)
• They lack insight and understanding.
• Blame you for all ills
• Credit for everything right
• Will fail to to project you for your competence in front of those who
matter
• Wastes your precious time

6. How To Work Your Bad Boss
• Career Impact:
• Bad direction – Possibly direction can be bad or pointless leaving main issue
untouched
• Bad support – Rather than supportive of career trajectory may be
supporting either the wrong things or person.
• Will underplay your productivity and delivery
• May be a roadblock to your career or simply no help (In terms of
increments, pay hike ,important assignment etc.)
(Answer exploit whatever strengths they do have to your advantage or
minimally avoid career limiting outcomes.)

7. How To Work Your Bad Boss
• Know Your Bad Boss’s Secret Desire And Secret Fear
• Every boss has a secret desire – something he or she really wants but won’t
reveal, because underneath that secret desire is a secret fear or insecurity that
your Bad Boss can’t admit or doesn’t even understand.
• Your boss’s blind spot is your opportunity.
• When you satisfy your Bad Boss’s innermost needs, you become important
to your boss.
• Now, you have the power to get what you want.
• Your Bad Boss Doesn’t Care About You
• Most bosses are worried about their own job security
• Bad Bosses only care about themselves.
• Convincing your Boss to work more productively together is rather difficult .
• But by learning the secrets to his or her behavior, and putting that knowledge
to use for the productive purpose of getting what you want is doable.

8. How To Work Your Bad Boss
• What’s Holding You Back At Work?
• One experiences much less talented or smart than you are getting what they
want.
• They’ve already figured out how to work their Boss.
• They have what you don’t have, style.
• They have the know-how to work their Boss’s secret fears and desires.
• That’s how they get what they want.
• They’re getting that raise, that promotion, that whatever you want too but
somehow is always just out of your grasp. Don’t despair.
• Learn secret fears and desires that make your Boss tick, you can use that knowledge
to help you own your job instead of the job owning you.

9. How To Work Your Bad Boss
• 1. ‘Up Level’ yourself.
• Leadership have to come from you.
• Keep creating and pursuing a direction you know will achieve results
good for your company.
• Management will notice your initiative sooner than later.
• Keep your Boss in the loop with the feeling that he is the Boss
• 2. Figure out the problem spots.
• Try to observe problem spots created by your Boss and make a plan to
counteract the problem.
• Ask/request your Boss to involve you in decisions affecting your Office
or Group.
• May not work always , but most often than not he will fall back on you
as you know the subject better than anyone as he has to protect himself
.

10. How To Work Your Bad Boss
• 3. Teach them.
• Every meeting with your Boss is an opportunity to explain the hazards as
his performance depends on your efficiency as well. It is an investment
• 4. Look for a mentor.
• Look around for someone at a higher level other than your Boss as mentor
• Ask them to be your mentor.
• It will be flattering to them and helpful to you
• 5. Leave.
• Sometimes it’s better for your career to leave/Change Office/ work on short comings
rather than try to stick it out.
• Work on your Some weakness / short comings which he tries to exploit
• If all effort to adjust fails then it may be time for you to pursue something
else/change Department .
• Though damaging personally and career wise ,still take risk.
• Frustration not to come in the way of managing the situation more effectively

11. How To Work Your Bad Boss
• 6. Look To Your Own Performance First
• You might think they are being difficult, because they are demanding a
different level of output from you.
• Make sure you are clear on what they expect from you.
• 7. Realize You May Have Opposing Styles
• Your expectations from your boss may not be met
• You might think they are unfriendly simply because both of you must
crossed each other path in career un the office or Organisation .
• May even be perceived bias ethnic/caste/creed /colour etc
• May not be courteous in meetings ,may be he thinks waste of time.
• Examine your own expectations of what you think they should be
doing.
• They may not be very outgoing or simply operate differently than what
you’re used to. Reset your expectations.

12. How To Work Your Bad Boss
• 8.. Learn The Boss
• Spend some time really observing this person to see what they do that
is impacting you.
• Probably he might be extra stress created his Boss as he is creating for
you. His stress tolerance span may be smaller
• Learn appropriate interaction time when he remains in rhythm
• 9.. Don’t Shrink
• Do not try and avoid him or shrink
• This may keep you under the radar. It is worth exhausting all your
options.
• Communication can help resolving issues

13. How To Work Your Bad Boss
• 10. Become Indispensable-Keep enhancing your level of problem solving
and support.
• It will certainly be noticed by your Boss sometimes ,
• You can become the “go-to” person that they respect and depend on.
• 11. Let It Roll Off Of You-Do not waste your energy running into such
demanding, critical, and downright volatile Bosses.
• Learn to keep yourself out of it as it will impact you more both physically
and mentally. Easier said than done- yes you will keep some mangeable
overload
• Do not let their method of delivery be what grabs your attention or
reaction.
• Even the most difficult of bosses can be tamed or at least subdued.
• May be he is quick to engage in verbal battle. If you stand up he may
back down. He may be testing people and trouble those who backout .
• Even Boss respects those who respect themselves