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At some point, we all wind up with a boss with a temper. In an ideal world, we could just receive instructions, receive feedback, take the notes, make the improvements, and even get a little positive feedback all without…emotions. But we are humans and so are our bosses. Depending on how seasoned your boss is, you may have one who has really mastered things like tact and diplomacy—one who understands that speaking down to you or rolling her eyes at you doesn’t create an encouraging workplace. I’m lucky enough to have such a boss now, but I’ve had some doozies in my day. The workplace brings many personalities together and, in some cases, the traits that put someone in a position of power are not the most desirable ones. Like being pushy, uncompromising, demanding, a perfectionist, and intimidating. People like that do run companies sometimes. They bullied their way to the top and they will bully their employees. But, the thing is, sometimes you may not be in a position, financially, to just walk away and find another job. Or maybe you actually really love your work—your daily tasks, and the values of the company—but it’s just the boss who is an issue. In other cases, this boss will only be your boss for a period of time. If all goes as planned and you get that promotion, you’ll answer to somebody else one day. But in the meantime—and as part of getting that promotion—you need to deal with your current boss. Even if she isn’t tactful or graceful towards you, you must be towards her. She holds the keys to your future and you must play nice—even if you’re the only one to do so. So here are tips for staying sane when your boss has a temper.
Do not react to the tone
Though it can be hard, do not react to her tone. And trust me—it will be hard sometimes. Sometimes, she will speak to you with such condescension or impatience in her voice, that you really want to fight back. But just extract the words—the mandate or the question—from the tone and respond neutrally to that. Don’t throw gas on the fire.
