Thanks again for all the fantastic feedback you’ve provided about your career issues.
In this first post following your comments, I’m going to deal with one of the most common problems you raised, which was the tricky subject of how to deal with problems associated with your supervisor/boss.
This is clearly a very pressing problem that I thought we’d better deal with quickly, because a poor boss won’t just jeopardise your career growth, but can also negatively impact your personal life too.
I’m going to highlight 10 common problems you might face with your boss and provide advice with handling these issues. But first let’s compare academic supervisors to industry managers, and investigate where these common problems might stem from:
Academic vs Industry Bosses
In academia there’s a general perception that poor supervisors are all too common, perhaps due to the types of individual personalities attracted to the profession and the limited line-manager training offered to senior academics.
Whilst I do buy into the concept that better management training in academia could improve things for some lab workers, I’ve now had the chance to witness the best and worst of both academic and industrial management styles. And I can honestly say there isn’t much difference from what I’ve experienced.
This anecdotal evidence was gained from experiencing some of the best and worst that both sectors have to offer. I’ve beavered away in some awesome research labs and institutions with a great culture, churning out cutting edge data, but I’ve been in some awful ones too.
Likewise, I’ve been employed at some companies with a super team spirit and fantastic managers, but I’ve also worked in some pretty crummy ones too, with little direction and support.
All in all, I’ve found myself in teams of highly varied leadership quality, both in academia and industry. This had led me to believe (rather expectedly) that there are good and bad bosses in both, and perhaps in equal measure.
The structural hierarchies are analogous in academia and industry; both have a labour and management class structure (Figure 1).
Figure 1: Comparative structural hierarchy of workers in academia and industry
The workforce in academia are PhD students, postdocs, other non-principle investigator (PI) research staff and undergraduate interns, whilst in business it is made up of the commercial workforce; anyone whose role is directly linked to the delivery of products or services to customers (e.g. sales people, designers, engineers, content producers, non-academic scientists etc.). PhD students are doing a job in academia that’s analogous to graduate employees in industry.
Likewise, the management level staff are made up of PIs in academia and managers in business. I’ve observed that the most successful management class employees, possess intimate knowledge of the political aspects of their jobs and can push though their own creative ideas and agendas with colleagues. For some individuals, these demands can leave little time to worry about nurturing and helping others along the road to success.
Therefore, whatever career path you choose there’s a chance you may have to deal with problem bosses from time to time. So be prepared! Learning how to handle problems with your manager/supervisor will enhance your career success (and let’s be frank, could also preserve your sanity).
Understand the Bigger Picture
Try to fathom where the difficulties stem from that create problems with your boss. This can help you understand your boss’ predicament, so you can retain perspective on the situation. Don’t take things too personally, there are external factors at play in your boss’ work life that can affect you.
Think about your current manager. If you’re in academia, your PI may struggle with keeping their research, admin/teaching and personal duties in balance, all with competing demands on their time. This is analogous to the situation of junior managers in industry who are working towards their next promotion. People operating at these levels are constantly over booked and need to fight to maintain control of their schedules.
Finances are a major pressure for the management class. PIs are jockeying for lab recourses (including lab workers) through grant funding, whilst industry managers are fighting for divisional budgets and headcount.
As seniority increases, so too does responsibility and with this comes broadening organisational politics that need to be dealt with. This also demands time.
The reality is that some managers navigate these demands better than others and as a result, treat their employees better along the way. Others struggle immensely and this is where tensions can develop with their direct reports.
I’m not advocating that bad behaviour from bosses is acceptable and should be tolerated, just because it may be generated by external forces out of your boss’ control. Rather, I’m just highlighting that it is these pressures that are often the source of poor management styles.
Common Problems and Fixes
Factors out of your control might be the root cause of your boss’ poor management style, but that doesn’t mean you can’t alleviate the situation.
Below is a list of 10 common issues that you might face with your boss and tips on how to deal with them:
- Your boss is NEVER wrong and quick to blame
A great boss will admit when they c—k up, because this encourages their reports to ‘fess up when they make mistakes too. Sadly though, this behaviour is all too uncommon. Do NOT point out who was right and wrong in this situation. This will play into your boss’ insecurities and potentially make them harder to deal with.
It’s far better to make out you only care about the project’s progress. In response to blame from your boss, say something like “great, now we know that won’t work so we can proceed with plan B.”
- Your boss has irrational responses
This is a classic situation where your boss is passing on the pressure. Do not disrespect an irrational boss in public (irrespective of how correct you think you are). They are by definition irrational and therefore CANNOT be rationalised with.
Instead, choose a good time to speak to them in private about the situation and do not allow the conversation to become personal.
If the behaviour becomes increasing intolerable, use the appropriate channels to report it to your organisation. For this you will need recorded evidence (dates, times and conversations had to back your claims).
- Your work is NEVER good enough
Effective bosses inspire and motivate their workforce, whilst discouraging ones instil negative emotions. A discouraging boss is a demotivating one.
The best thing you can do is establish a close working connection with another work-based mentor or a supportive colleague, who can provide constructive feedback and support. This encouragement will be essential when self-doubt creeps in.
- Your boss is self-centred
This is a tough problem because you will find yourself potentially having to deal with narcissistic tendencies. The behaviour of a narcissistic boss can easily lower your self-esteem and increase your anxiety at work.
One approach that can help whilst you try to make it through this and achieve your goals, is to work out what is really important to your boss and excel in those things. This will help to keep you on the right side of them for the most part and keep their negative emotions at bay.
- Your boss throws tantrums
Woah, I’ve had a supervisor who did this a lot and it’s energy-sapping to deal with, but I eventually figured out how to manage it. I learnt fast that you can’t reason with someone when they’re in full tantrum mode. When a flare up occurred, I would act quickly to leave the scene.
I’d have a few ‘get out of here quick’ phrases to hand (“I’ve left a gel running…, the seminar’s about to start…, I’ve scheduled a call with the collaborator…”etc.),. Anything to remove me fast from the scene. Then say I’d come back to them after.
I’d then give it an hour or two (or more if it was a very bad), and go back before the end of the day to talk it through. By this time, they’d usually calmed down enough for us to converse rationally. I found this a very useful technique to preserve my sanity.
- Your boss provides little guidance
If you’ve got a ‘hands-off approach’ boss, you can take control of the situation and make it work.
Ask your boss for regular one-to-one meetings (assuming you don’t already have this) and prepare in advance. Go to the meetings with:
- A concise synopsis of progress to date
- An idea of what you need from the meeting for future progress
- A reminder that before the end of the meeting, you must review the next steps and agree on timelines
After the meeting, follow up with a thank you email, summarising what was agreed. This will encourage engagement with your boss.
- Your boss is moody and ignores you
This can be a sign your boss doesn’t like you or perhaps they’re just prone to mood swings. You can tell the difference if they do the same to colleagues or not. If it is the same, avoid your boss on ‘low’ days, you’re more likely to have productive discussions when they’re in a receptive mood.
If not, you’re likely being singled out for special treatment. Don’t panic if this is the case. Stay in the game and keep reaching out for meetings. Be warm and receptive when greeting them, arrive early and don’t leave early. Ask questions and stay engaged where you can. This might ease the situation.
Longer-term though if you’re treated poorly indefinitely, you may be better moving on to somewhere where your more valued, as it can have a negative influence on your career if it persists for too long.
- Your boss is passive-aggressive
Your boss expresses their dislike in an indirect manner and you can feel the negative energy their secreting during your conversations.
The key to handling this unnerving situation is to set clear expectations regarding their feedback on your work. Have a conversation with them where you refer to situations where you’d value their honest feedback.
Similar to problem 6, ensure you’re having regular one-to-one meetings as a conduit for receiving clear feedback. Even if they’re unable to be straight-up during the working week, they’ll feel accountable to provide this during your private meetings.
- Your boss’ feedback is irrelevant
I’ve had an incompetent boss on more than one occasion (I suspect it’s quite common). I’ve had bosses whose feedback exposed gaping holes in their knowledge of the field, or where they were so far up that ladder that their suggestions on the day job were largely irrelevant.
In this situation you’ll unfortunately have to work harder to plug the knowledge gap. This effort is needed to work effectively with your boss to get the job done and advance your career.
Don’t be afraid to ask others for help. Finding mentors who can provide helpful feedback where your boss is unable to, can substantially relieve the pressure.
- Your boss constantly changes their mind/direction
Things inevitably change during the course of a project and you need to pivot accordingly.
However, if your boss is constantly changing course and unable to stick to one approach at a time, then you can end up flip-flopping from one assignment to the next, exhausting yourself and reducing productivity.
This flip-flop management style is another one I’ve personally experienced. Eventually I learnt that I needed to seek clarity before launching into action. The standard questions I’d discuss with my boss included:
- How will this support our overall aim?
- What result(s) might we expect?
- Is this something that needs testing right now or should we wait in light of other data?
Discussing these would help my boss drill down on the drivers of their decision and evaluate how effective each proposal was. This technique helped me to significantly lessen the flip-flop management approach.
In Summary:
- Having a poor relationship with your boss can jeopardise your career
- Poor bosses are everywhere (in academia and industry)
- Relationship issues with your boss can arise from external factors
- Learning how to handle a difficult boss is a skill that will enhance your career
- Take control and learn how to handle these issues professionally
Have you experienced problems with your boss’ management style? How did you handle it?
Perhaps you’ve faced other problems not listed above (your boss gossips, steals the lime-light, doesn’t listen, takes favourites, micromanages, contacts you all the time at the weekend, over-promises, is untrustworthy, or perhaps worst of all is a creep)?
Drop a note in the comments box below to help others facing the same situation.
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