We’ve all been there and have experienced it at least once in our lives–that life and soul-sucking force that makes you dread getting out of bed and going to work.
I’m talking about working for shitty bosses of course!
The popular movie Horrible Bosses, starring Jennifer Aniston and Jason Bateman, highlighted in a comedic and fictional way the unfortunate reality of shitty bosses.
We are badass ladies, and this is just one more obstacle in life that we can overcome with just a little bit of inner coaching. After working for a wide variety of shitty bosses over the years, I am here to pass on my wisdom to you and help you rise above and genuinely smile when dealing with your own shitty bosses.
These five things, in essence, can help shape and form you into a better leader, preparing you to blaze your own path in the business world. There’s nothing more badass than being a compassionate and respected leader in the world.
5 Things I’ve Learned Working for Shitty Bosses
1. It’s Not Me – It’s My Shitty Bosses
This is the first lesson I ever learned, and the most important in order to move forward in your career and life. You cannot allow shitty bosses to affect your attitude. Their attitude is their problem, not yours. It is out of your control–you cannot make difficult and shitty bosses see the light.
Give it up now.
Instead, use their shittiness to strengthen your resolve. The strongest people in the world have enormous amounts of resilience–after all, everything and anything worth doing requires resilience. You’ll learn to bend during the storms and stay strong in times of strife. Smile, nod, do your job to the best of your abilities and know that this experience will change the way you see the business world, your career and most of all, life.
2. Sorry I Can’t Hear You Over My Own Voice
One of the shittiest things a boss can do is not listen to their employees. These types of shitty bosses believe they know everything and employees are just their underlings who do not deserve a voice. This makes for difficult conversations, but if you can muster up the inner strength to listen to them yammer on and on, you are learning the best part of communication–listening.
It might be tough to do at first but always keep a positive attitude through it.
Let your boss’s lack of communication teach and motivate you to network and build relationships with your industry. You never know when you might need to call upon your network.
3. Banging Your Head Into a Wall
Life is filled with unfair situations. Dealing with an arrogant boss is challenging and can be unfair. Those who cannot lead, instead bully and blame others for their own shortcomings.
Don’t allow yourself to fall prey to this behavior with your shitty bosses.
This can sometimes be the most difficult trait of shitty bosses to deal with, especially if you are like me and want to stand up to being treated unfairly. I can’t tell you how many times I wanted to be like Rocky and knock out a shitty boss as if they were Clubber Lang in Rocky III!
Instead of banging your head into a wall by fighting back against someone you’re not going to win against, look for your own strengths and weaknesses, and also in those around you. Play into them and learn that instead of bullying or blaming others, you need to employ everyone’s differences, find your solutions and move forward.
4. Give Me Your Money and Go
Some shitty bosses are only in business for the money and do not care about their clients or customers. It’s their way or nothing. I had one particularly shitty boss who didn’t care if the client ever returned or referred us out. As long as they spent their money once was more than enough for him. I had clients tell me they loved the way I handled their account, but wouldn’t be returning to the establishment.
That’s when I had to employ the advice in #1–it’s not me, it’s my shitty boss.
I learned from my shitty boss that customer service is tantamount to any business. People want to feel special and appreciated, especially when spending their hard-earned money. Take care of your customers and they will take care of you.
5. Hello, My Name Is Grace
If life has taught me anything, it is that we must find something in every situation to be grateful for. Being ungrateful makes one bitter and ugly. Shitty bosses are ungrateful.
I was able to pay my bills working for shitty bosses, and for that I am grateful. I learned how to treat people fairly and with respect. I also learned to be patient and strong in times of annoyance–that taught me humility. I suffered well and learned to find the silver lining in every situation. I found strength in remaining calm when dealing with shitty bosses. You learn to face other difficult situations in life with that same almost zen calmness.
Learning to employ the traits of gratitude, patience, humility, and calmness while dealing with shitty bosses equals grace.
Working for a shitty boss does require a lot of flexibility, patience, and perseverance, but the ultimate growth and pay-off are more than worth it when you look back–just keep that in mind when dealing with your own shitty bosses and you will go far!
