Everyone encounters "toxic" bosses, but in this economy, it's something people may just have to deal with. In their new book, Working for You Isn't Working for Me: The Ultimate Guide to Managing Your Boss (Portfolio, September 2009), authors Katherine Crowley (a psychotherapist) and Kathi Elster (a business strategist) help you detect bad behaviors and--luckily--tell you how to reclaim control of the relationship regardless of your rank. Here are the 20 behaviors; your boss may have one--or all.
- Chronic Critic: finds fault with everything you do
- Rule Changer: keeps changing and rearranging what he or she originally decided
- Yeller: explodes without notice and says incriminating things about you
- Underminer: will set you up to fail
- "I'm Always Right": needs to be considered infallible
- "You Threaten Me": takes credit when it's not due
- Grandiose: can't see past his or her own ego
- Control Freak: micromanages uncontrollably
- Love-Struck: can't manage his or her own emotions
- Calculating Confidante: has a hidden agenda
- Tell-All: makes you his or her captive audience
- Liar, Liar: can implicate you in his or her lies
- Sacred Cow: not going anywhere; if you challenge you will lose
- Checked Out: preoccupied with non-work-related matters
- Spineless: incapable of defending anyone
- Artful Dodger: afraid of tarnishing his or her perfect image
- Junior: many not value your experience
- Former Colleague: the balance of power has changed
- Unconscious Discriminator: unintentionally expresses bias
- Persecutor: targets and torments you
Thanks to HR Strange But True
