Staff II – Text
Check unknown vocabulary before you read the text:
insecurity – not enough confidence; self-doubt
odd(ly) – unusual; strange
at your expense – “you pay”; it’s your trouble
trusted – worthy of trust; “a sure friend”
ally – a person, group, or nation that is associated with another or others for some common cause or purpose; „a friend“
threat – an indication or warning of probable trouble
to convince – persuade; talk into; make believe
top performer – an employee with high performance/productivity
morale – the spirit of a group that makes the members want the group to succeed
envy – a feeling of unhappiness/dissatisfaction with regard to another\'s advantages, success
doubt – a feeling of uncertainty about the truth, reality, or nature of something; distrust
terrified – filled with terror; frightened
to get rid of – eliminate
hide and seek – one of a variety of children\'s games in which one player gives the others a chance to hide and then tries to find them
to acknowledge – give thanks for
My Boss Is a Nightmare
Everybody's got their insecurities. But some people are ruled by theirs. When your boss is one of them, his insecurities will rule your day ... and your career prospects.
"Insecurity is one of the most common causes of managers behaving oddly," said Shaun Belding, author of "Winning With the Boss From Hell." "You're never quite sure what to expect from them."
Well, maybe there is one thing: They'll do anything to make themselves feel better, even if it's at your expense.
Your best-case scenario: you manage to become a trusted ally because you learn to change your actions and comments to make your big boss feel happy.
Your worst-case scenario: You're a threat! It’s not important what you do. Sooner or later you will get fired!
That happened to one woman I know whose marketing talents, popularity with colleagues and ability to communicate well with top management drove her direct manager crazy. The manager would schedule meetings on days she knew she wouldn't be there, let her employee do what she did best but then take credit for her work, and in the end convinced new management to fire her, although she was a top performer. "You felt the manager always wanted to throw you under the bus at every turn," the fired woman said.
Of course, not all insecure bosses are so bad. But even the nicest of them can kill productivity and morale and push good employees out the door, said Rich Wellins, senior vice president of human-resource consulting firm Development Dimensions International.
Driven by fear, envy or just serious self-doubt, a boss's insecurities can manifest as:
Micromanaging: Bosses who are perfectionists, terrified of making a mistake, or terrified of losing their jobs, will interfere and obstruct work-flow.
Indecisiveness: Some bosses are not able to make the tough decisions -- particularly when it comes to getting rid of poor performers. That can bring down a strong team.
Hide and seek: The insecure boss isn't able to give a team a sense of purpose, tends not to be very visible with employees or customers and often hides in his office.
Inability to give direction: You do what the guy once said he wanted, and now he says he wanted you to do something else. Worse, he wanted you to understand that he wanted you to do something else and is angry that you haven't.
Since you can't choose your bosses, chances are good you'll end up working for a few during your career. The absolute worst way to deal with them is to take credit for your successes without acknowledging them, or make your managers feel stupid in front of others by correcting them or criticizing their decisions