There are a lot of things that can affect your work potential. One of these is your manager. Getting to know the type of manager you have is an important step towards cultivating a professional relationship with them - after all, bosses can dictate whether your stay with the company will be pleasurable or not.
Here are 10 different types of bosses, and how you can relate to them.
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The Workaholic
The workaholic is a boss who tends to work overtime, even through holidays. They are usually very keen on finishing projects on time, and will suggest extra work hours in order to achieve this. Most of them hardly go on sick days, or take leave from the office.
Working under a workaholic can be stressful, especially if you’re not one. There’s a high chance it will greatly impact on your work life balance. If you want to flourish under this sort of management, make sure you complete your deliverables on time. They will have no reason to hold you back for more work.
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The Visionary
Visionary bosses tend to dream a lot about the company’s potential, and the future. They have a lot of ideas about which direction the company can take, but usually lack the initiation capability.
In order for you to endear yourself to a visionary boss, always try to help them achieve their ambitions. Help them understand their goal by making contributions, and by following it up on a regular basis. If everything works out well, they’ll have you to thank (and you might even get a promotion for it).
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The Micro Manager
Micro managers are dreaded in any workplace. Most bosses tend to become micro managers whenever the company is making losses. They will start concentrating on every single action you make, be it work or non-work related. They might concentrate on things like how long you took during lunch, what amount of work you’ve been able to deliver in a day or how much time you’ve spent on the phone.
If this is your boss type, the best solution is to make them busy. The only way to do this is by making sure you complete your work in time. They will have so much work to review that they will forget about micro managing.
Note: Don’t take their over-involvement personally. Just do your work normally.
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The Pace-setter
Pace-setter bosses like to gauge their employees by giving them constant tasks in order to find out how good they are. They might give you challenges to accomplish by a certain time, while expecting nothing but the best from you. They always expect things to be done better and faster each time.
You will have to work extremely hard under a pace-setter boss to stay in their good books.
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The Under Qualified
This boss is one who is less educated than you, or knows little about the company and its processes. These bosses tend to be the creation of their own employees, since they will rely on you to provide information they might not be aware of. Never underestimate or undermine their power.
Keep them close, and explain things they might not be aware of. Once they get up to speed with everything, they will have you to thank. If top management feels that they are underperforming, chances are you might be promoted to their position. It will always be a win-win situation for you.
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The Squeezer Boss
If you are looking at career growth prospects, these bosses tend to be the best to work with. The squeezer boss knows what each employee is capable of, and they “squeeze” every last ounce of talent from the employee. This means they will give you more assignments related to your talent, which will be great in boosting your resume. Their main problem is that they will insist on having their employees work overtime, and on off days. This is due to the demands they might have.
Even though your career might take off, your life work balance will be greatly impacted. Unfortunately, there’s little you can do with this type of a boss. Your only options are to ask for a pay rise for your extra input, or to find an alternative job (in a place where you can maintain your work-life balance).
You’ll have mastered enough experience to start your own consultancy or freelancing business after this.
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The Intimidator
These bosses are often called dictators as well. They resort to intimidation tactics, such as yelling, when communicating with their employees. They will definitely scold you if you fail to perform in a satisfactory manner.
A good way of dealing with such bosses is by making sure you do your work. Never give them excuses to yell at you. Communicate with them about the work you’re doing if need be, but don’t succumb to their intimidation tactics. They will come to appreciate you for this.
Note: Just like in the case of micro managers, never take it personally. It’s always about the job.
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The Unpredictable Boss
If you have an unpredictable boss, then there’s not much that you can do. These bosses’ actions are hard to predict. Whereas they may be satisfied with something today, the same may not necessarily be true tomorrow. This means that you’ll always have to break into a sweat whenever you’re reporting to them. The only way you can try and alleviate their “unpredictability” is by ensuring that you do your work as expected.
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The Traditionalist
These bosses tend to stick to old company traditions, and they may bring this up during meetings. They have probably been in the company for a very long time and they don’t take kindly to change. Never try arguing with a traditionalist, always be receptive to their ideas. You never know, some of their old methods might actually work.
If there’s an easier way of doing something, you can bring it to their attention in a polite manner. They don’t like to feel challenged. They’ll get more receptive to your ideas once they feel you’re receptive to theirs.
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The Perfect Boss
Perfect bosses are people who treat everyone in the workplace fairly. They listen to suggestions, and are willing to give you space to do your work. They will advise you on your career prospects, and might help you achieve your career goals. Furthermore, their work relationship does not end in the office. They are always ready to follow up with you on your favourite team’s game after work hours.
Sadly enough, the world does not have as many perfect bosses as everyone would wish. If you have a perfect boss, appreciate their efforts! They will leave a huge void once they leave the company.
Conclusion
There’s not much you can do to change your boss in the workplace. They also have their own targets to meet, and they will do everything in their power to attain them. Be humble, and you’ll learn a lot from them. No matter which category they are in, there’s that one quality they have that you will come to appreciate.
Do you have more tips on how to deal with different categories of bosses? Share them with other freelancers below.
