Dealing with bad managers

In the first part of this two-part column, I examined the situation when a good employee encounters a bad manager within the workplace. In this continuation column, strategies are proposed that can be highly effective when anyone, at any level, becomes part of a seemingly disempowering situation through a perceived immature approach from a person with a higher responsibility.

There is a lot of mythology that surrounds the position of management, some of which is created by managers.

Jill Hamlyn, MD, The People Business

To once again set the scenario, you believe that you have the attributes, attitude and abilities that set you apart as a "good" (valuable, committed, dedicated) employee. In the pursuance of your career you encounter a "bad" (ineffective, abusive, game playing, manipulative) manager. What can you or should you do in order to ensure that your career and reputation remain afloat?

One stratagem is to develop the rarely developed or understood skill of upward management. This is achieved by adhering to the "10% rule" - everything you do in whichever task, put in 10% more effort than you usually would. This 10% is not for the company but for yourself and is a sure way to constant self-improvement, which also builds resilience and resistance. Knowing that you have always put in more effort leads to greater self-assurance and peace of mind because the act of really making an effort builds self-esteem.

It is also worth your while to keep maverick behaviour in check. Although some mavericks have produced spectacular results, constant unorthodox behaviour garners a reputation for instability.

Internal self-acknowledgement of emotions felt, through the control of thought, can instantly enable you to control hostile or defensive physical, verbal or even written reactions or retorts. This is especially true in times of particular intimidation or stress that is initiated by another person. An example of this would be to internally acknowledge to yourself the feeling of anger, disappointment, hurt, intimidation, hostility, etc, by actually "labelling" the emotion as opposed to letting it exist in limbo. This internal "I feel" acknowledgement gives you an instant ability to regain control of your potential physical desire or reaction to be aggressive, rude, hostile, etc, moving instead into a more controlled domain.

There is prudence in starting to look at the manager as a person. There is a lot of mythology that surrounds the position of management, some of which is created by managers. However, a great many myths are attributable to employees themselves along with the fear and eulogising that go with this particular territory. Managers are first and foremost human beings who have walked this particular workplace path for longer, and who are seen as ready and able to assume more responsibility in this particular area.

We have seen a lot of fundamental changes over the past few decades, not least in our attitude to authority. The last generation respected (or, probably more accurately, feared) authority because it was authority. We have moved far away from respecting, or fearing, authority simply "because", but that also means that there is a gap to be filled in terms of why authority is respected. So, as an employee in a situation of bad management, you could possibly respect authority by virtue of the fact that it is authority, or you could look for something else about your manager to respect. It may not change the manager, but changing your attitude will definitely change the situation somewhat, which may make the path towards reconciliation clearer, if that is what you want.

It is also possible to fight within certain situations that exist, or alternatively listen in order to negotiate as you gain a greater understanding of the circumstance and how it works within the mind of the protagonist. Understanding means that we empower ourselves, which in turn allows us to manage ourselves, and the people around us.

A final consideration is to make the choice to stay. This is opposite to the more obvious or sometimes easier decision - to go (either physically or mentally). There is always a choice, although it may not be obviously and immediately apparent. If we do choose to stay, our actions could conceivably cause the situation to change, even if only slightly.

And finally, what happens when good management meets a bad employee...

What if you are a good manager, mature and responsible, and you come face-to-face with a bad employee? The core responsibility of management, and one on which our remuneration should be based, is our ability to manage those who fall within our jurisdiction. It is therefore necessary to look at the act, rather than the person and if it is deemed suitable, second and third chances may be given. However, at the same time you need to be practical. The cost/benefit ratio of giving more than one chance (or two or three chances) needs to be constantly borne in mind.

Logical thinking is of paramount importance as is managing yourself - and being a good manager entails constantly managing yourself, tweaking your performance, being honest when you have messed up (because we are all human) and being able to forgive yourself and others.

In the South African business environment as it stands at the moment, there has never been a better time than now to hone your workplace skills, whether you are an employee or a manager. A lot of nonsense has been stripped away, leaving the bare bones. This is the perfect environment in which to grow, in which to become real.