So, You Work For a Jerk...
6 Things You Can Do and 1 Thing You Shouldn't
(Part 1 of a 2 part series)

What makes your boss a jerk? Is your boss...arrogant, critical, loud, sarcastic, condescending, conceited, unsympathetic, derogatory, malicious, callous, insulting or uncaring? It is a common tendency to accept rather than confront difficult behavior in bosses (along with ourselves). As an employee, it often feels as though there is little control over how you interact with your boss. While we cannot control the behavior of our boss, we can choose how we will respond and how we will proceed.

In this first part of a two part article, let's look at three of the six options that you can consider to make this a manageable situation.

1. What Planet Do They Work On?
   
   Every morning when Andrea walks into the NoCanTell Veterinary Clinic, the first thing she wants to know is "will my manager ignore me this morning like she does every morning"… like she didn't exist.
   
   Do see your boss as a person with the same day to day problems and personality idiosyncrasies to deal with as everyone else on the team. While this does not excuse a seemingly negative behavior, bosses deserve some degree of understanding that they, too, have things that distract them at times from the people around them. If this is more than just an occasional issue, it's time to manage your boss's potentially destructive behavior.
   
   
   • Consider having a private conversation regarding what you see as your boss's behavior towards you.
   • This may be the "instant message" needed to make your boss aware of other's perception of his/her behavior and treatment of others.
   • Ask if there is something you can do to make the interactions with your boss more productive, professional and less confrontational or destructive.
   
   
   
2. Welcome to the International House of Negativity
   
   We all know the game "telephone". People sit in a circle and one person whispers into the next person's ear. That person turns to the person next to them and whispers what they think they heard. This continues until it goes around the entire circle and back to the person who started. By that time the communication is no where near what was originally intended. This occurs because though we think we are good communicators, all too often we find that the message we send is received very differently from our intentions.
   
   It's time for you to take the initiative.
   
   
   • Establish short, scheduled meetings every two weeks to keep in contact and make sure you are both on the same "page".
   • Make sure that you have prepared a short list of topics to discuss and make an extra copy for your boss.
   • If you are not certain about the action plans after you have discussed a topic, be direct and say that you want to clarify the next steps.
   
   Making this extra effort will help short circuit the "telephone" game.



3. Focus on yourself
   
   Make a list of all the traits you would like your boss to have and make sure that you radiate them. Enhance your own skills to be known around the clinic as:
   
   1. Compassionate, complimentary, humble, gentle, kind, caring, modest, warmhearted
   2. a teacher
   3. patient, tolerant, empathetic
   
   Do choose to be the person you would like your boss to be. Lead by example.
   
   4. Do not complain and gossip.
   5. Focus on your own work and do the best job you can do.
   6. You will feel good about your outcomes and can go home every night happy with yourself.