How to Survive a Crabby Boss
No one is immune from having a bad day. It's inevitable that there is a person who searches for the clouds when the sun is shining bright. At times, that person is either a co-worker or your boss. Initially, you may have thought you caught them on a bad day. If after assessing the situation, you have determined that your boss is not just having a crabby day, you have a crabby boss. However, there are ways you can shield yourself from her gloom.
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Instructions
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Kill him with kindness. It's hard for your boss to be crabby if you constantly smile or if you seem to have two positive rebuttals for each one of his pessimistic remarks. If you exude kindness when you are around your boss, he will have a hard time staying in his crabby mood. He will either cheer up or avoid you and your kindness.
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Assess your boss's behavior. You need to determine if your boss is crabby with everyone, or if her crankiness has to do with you. If the boss acts crabby around everyone, there is not much you can do about it. The behavior could be natural. If she only behaves this way around you, "perhaps the issue is more with you than with the boss," according to Dr. Stephen J. Johnson, a licensed psychotherapist and educator in California. If you have determined that the problem is with you, ask her what you can do to fix it.
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Put yourself in your boss's shoes. The stress at work may be responsible for stealing your boss's joy. Outside of work, or under normal circumstances, your boss may be a pleasant person. Put yourself in his shoes and pay attention to the environment in the workplace. You may find that his bad mood is a consequence of events at the office, such as poor sales or disgruntled customers.
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Exceed expectations. Always put your best foot forward in the office; if you exceed your boss's expectations, she won't have any reason to be crabby toward you.
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Confront your boss. If your boss uses harsh comments that are belittling and mean, respectfully ask him to stop talking to you that way. Your boss may behave like this because other employees tolerate it. You do not have to deal with unwarranted criticism from your boss. If it continues, you may need to go above his head.
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Tips & Warnings
Do not take your boss's behavior personal if it has nothing to do with your job performance.
If the crabbiness at the office is affecting your productivity, it may be time to look for another job.
