Do You Hate Your Boss?

by Paige Cohen, senior editor

I have some good news and some bad news for?you?today. Most people like to hear the bad news first, and since I can’t ask?you?directly, let’s just start there.

At some point in?your?life,?you’re going to have a horrible?boss. It’s just a matter of what type of horrible?boss?you’ll get.

For instance,?you?may end up with a?babysitter?boss, who constantly oversteps, checks in way too often, and hovers over?your?every move. They tell themselves that they're helping?you?out, that?you?simply aren’t ready to handle this or that assignment on?your?own. But in reality, they're?probably just anxious?and need to maintain a sense of control by micromanaging.

Sounds like a bummer, right? At least they have good intentions. I would choose the babysitter over the gaslighter any day.

The gaslighter is the classic example of the toxic?boss.?You’ve probably seen them in a variety of?Hollywood films. In the words of our author,?Mary Abbajay, “While it is easy to spot toxic leaders who scream, bully, and abuse publicly, gaslighting behavior is much more covert. Gaslighters know how to fly under the radar. They are adept at undermining an employee’s self-esteem, confidence, and sense of reality in subtle, sneaky, and hard-to-prove ways."

There’s also:

• The?passive-aggressive?boss?(ugh)
• The?badass?boss?(who?you?at once admire, want to be, and fear)
• The?perfectionist?boss?(aka Miranda Priestly)
• The?shadow figure?boss?(never present, yet somehow, always watching)

The list goes on.

Now for the good news:?You?are also going to have some great?bosses throughout?your?career. And when?you?do?end up with a horrible?boss, know that (1)?you?are not alone and (2) there are a lot of tools?you?can use to create distance, cope, and manage?your?situation and?your?mental health.

So, in this week's newsletter, I want to share an article on how to manage a toxic boss. I hope you find it useful: Ask an Expert: What Should I Do If My Boss Is Gaslighting Me? by Mary Abbajay.

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