Start With A Win - 10 EFFECTIVE Strategies for Dealing with a BAD BOSS | Adam Contos

Episode Date: March 20, 2024

Today on Start With a Win is the ultimate guide to thriving in a challenging work environment. Your host Adam Contos dives deep into the strategies and mindset needed to succeed even under a bad boss. Adam shares ten actionable tips to navigate difficult situations, maintain motivation, and achieve growth, all while fostering a positive work environment. From understanding your boss's perspective to prioritizing self-care, Start With a Win equips listeners with the tools to excel professionally, no matter the circumstances. Tune in and transform your career trajectory today!00:00 Intro00:30 Am I the bad boss?00:57 Could it be this, causing you to be a bad boss!01:47 Tip 1 – Seek this.02:40 Tip 2 – Maintain this regardless of that!04:07 Tip 3 – Keep this for the right reason.05:15 Tip 4 – Ask questions and respond this way!06:28 Tip 5 – This is key to workplace happiness.07:17 Tip 6 – The five C’s – start this way and end this same way!08:30 Tip 7 – Do this not that!09:32 Tip 8 – Set this and you can achieve!11:03 Tip 9 – Always look for this!12:20 Tip 10 – What balance do we need?14:17 Recognize this time…⚡️FREE RESOURCE: 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘞𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘓𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱?  ➡︎ https://adamcontos.com/myleadership===========================Subscribe and Listen to the Start With a Win Podcast HERE:📱 ===========================YT ➡︎ https://www.youtube.com/@AdamContosCEOApple ➡︎ https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/start-with-a-win/id1438598347Spotify ➡︎ https://open.spotify.com/show/4w1qmb90KZOKoisbwj6cqT===========================Connect with Adam:===========================Website ➡︎ https://adamcontos.com/Facebook  ➡︎ https://facebook.com/AdamContosCEOTwitter  ➡︎ https://twitter.com/AdamContosCEOInstagram  ➡︎ https://instagram.com/adamcontosceo/#adamcontos #startwithawin #leadershipfactory

Do you work for a bad boss? There are still ways for you to succeed and grow in the business, even if you do work for a bad boss. Today, I'll give you 10 tips on how to work for that bad boss. Welcome to Start With A Win, where we unpack franchising, leadership, and business growth. Let's go. And coming to you from Area 15 Ventures and Start With A Win headquarters, it's Adam Kantos with Start With A Win. I have a question for you. Do you work for a bad boss? Let's start with what's a bad boss? It may be that it's you. I mean, let's be frank here. I've been a bad boss to myself. You might be your own bad boss running your life in a manner that just doesn't win for you or for the company you work for. Or it might be that your

boss is a manager instead of a leader and truly is a bad boss. Or perhaps a combination of those things, which is probably the likely outcome of your assessment. Or frankly, maybe you just feel burned out. Yes, people experience burnout. I've experienced burnout before also. What does that do? It turns you into a bad boss. The reality is we all end up working for a bad boss at some point and probably many different times during our lives and our careers. And let's be candid here. We are all bad bosses at some point also. Let's just hold up the mirror and admit we're not the best 100% of the time. This can be challenging, but there are strategies to help you navigate the situation, get promoted, maintain motivation, and manage frustration.

Today, I'm going to share with you 10 ways to work effectively under a bad boss, along with some strategies to get promoted, to maintain your motivation, and frankly, for dealing with the frustration. The first way to work for a bad boss is to understand their perspective. If we don't have an understanding of their perspective, we're kind of blind to the situation. First, seek to understand your boss's motivations and pressures. This can help you anticipate their needs and responses. Demonstrating empathy and understanding can position you as a reliable and insightful employee and frankly, someone that they lean on to help through those difficult times.

Knowing that you're strategically aligning with your boss's goals can be motivating for both you and for them, frankly. Understanding doesn't mean agreeing though. It's about navigating the landscape and being incredibly empathetic. Here's a great quote for you about empathy. Empathy is finding echoes of another person in yourself. That's the first one. Understand your boss. What is their motivation? Number two in the ways to work for a bad boss, maintain professionalism. Now, this sounds a lot easier than it is.

Maintaining professionalism is extremely difficult, especially when you get frustrated. So always maintain a high level of professionalism and check yourself on that regardless of your boss's behavior. If your boss fires off at you or yells at you, take a deep breath, smile, and say thank you, even if it doesn't seem like the right thing to do. The idea here is to take the high road. Maintain that professionalism in any environment. Professionalism is often a key criteria for promotion, and it is certainly a key criteria for becoming an executive in a business because businesses don't want the risk of a key leader who's going to fire off inappropriately at the employees or at the

customers or at shareholders or the board of directors for that matter. Take pride in your own standards and be a source of motivation by maintaining that professionalism. Focus on what you can control. Your behavior and your responses are truly what you can control. That's about it. So focus on that. Remember, professionalism is not the job you do. It's how you do the job. That's the second one, maintain professionalism. The third way to work for a bad boss, and I know some of you do this, but do it for the right reasons. Document your work. Number three is document your work. Keep records of your accomplishments and contributions. This is to use these records to make a case for your promotion and help the boss

give you more responsibility in the business. Seeing your achievements in writing can boost your morale and motivation also. Documentation provides a factual basis for any disputes that might happen within your organization. So take notes, but don't take them for the wrong reason. You're not gathering dry powder to attack. You're gathering information to justify your value. Look at it from that perspective. Documentation is a love letter that you write to your future self is a great quote to think about this. This is how you want to see yourself during your evaluation, and a great way to remember the things you've done for the company. So remember, number three, document what you do to help you grow in the company. Number four, on ways to work for a bad boss.

Seek feedback and continuous improvement. Regularly seek constructive feedback and opportunities to improve. A great way to do this is to say, how can I do that better next time? I would love your feedback. And again, the correct answer is thank you with a smile. It's not to be defensive. This demonstrates your commitment to personal and professional growth and to the future of the organization and the outcomes that reflect on that boss.

Improvement is a continual source of personal satisfaction. So take that to heart and use it to grow yourself. Focus on growth can overshadow frustration as well. If you're frustrated with something, but you lean towards growth, you're going to focus on that growth and it's going to cover up some of that frustration in your head and in your heart. So you're focused on the right things instead of the wrong things. Feedback is the breakfast of champions is a great quote that I like that has to do with focusing on this growth to overcome the frustrations. Number five in how to work for a bad boss, build a support network. Now, I'm not talking about building a union

against your boss, and I'm not talking about creating a civil uprising against your boss. Build a support network to cultivate positive relationships with colleagues and mentors. This support network can advocate for you and help you see those blind spots that you don't see because of the frustration that you're facing. Supportive relationships are key to workplace happiness, and studies show that. Remember, a good network provides emotional support and practical advice. So look for both of

those things and surround yourself with the people who are willing to lift you higher. Keep that in mind. Number six on how to work for a bad boss. Communicate effectively and regularly. Remember, communication creates clarity. Clarity prevents frustration and blind spots. It's hard to get surprised when you know what's expected of you and you know what's going on. So develop clear, concise, and respectful communication habits with your boss and with the rest of your company. Remember, always start with a smile, always end with a smile. Even if it's a difficult situation, look at those challenges as opportunities and communicate those opportunities. Good communication is critical for leadership roles.

Effective communication can lead to more successful outcomes as well. So remember, communication. I always say communication is like lighting a match in the forest. If we don't communicate and that continues to burn, it gets out of control. But if we communicate immediately, we put out that match, that small fire, so it doesn't turn into a forest fire and burn the whole forest or the whole company down. So communicate effectively, quickly, and with clarity. Clear communication can prevent major misunderstandings. That's the sixth way on how to work for a bad boss.

Number seven, number seven on how to work for a bad boss. I love this one. Stay solutions focused. Focus on solving problems rather than complaining about them. What do you typically see in meetings? Everybody gets together and they talk about the challenges that they're facing and everybody complains about it. And what happens? They end up pointing the finger at each other instead of people solving those problems. So stay solutions focused and you'll be seen as a problem solver and a better candidate for leadership in your organization. You'll also become a great resource for that problem boss, and it'll break you out of that complaining mindset and get you into the solving

mindset. Remember, solving problems can be inherently rewarding, and that's really what we're trying to do. Concentrating on solutions keeps you from dwelling on problems. I love this Duke Ellington quote about this. A problem is a chance for you to do your best. So use it for that. That's number seven. Number eight on how to work for a bad boss. Manage your expectations. This is important. Don't just manage your expectations, but manage your schedule around those expectations. Set realistic expectations about your boss's behavior and the work environment so you can achieve those expectations. If your boss is grumpy on Mondays, maybe set realistic expectations about how to deal with that on Mondays. Or maybe

there's a lack of motivation after lunchtime or something like that. Set realistic expectations around that. Know when to set your meetings. Know when to set your goals and your conversations with your boss. Understanding the reality of the workplace can guide your career strategy because you set realistic expectations. What does realistic expectation mean? It means communicate what's going to be done and how it's going to be done. Realistic expectations can really prevent disappointment by telling people, here's what we're going to do, here's how we're going to do it,

and here's how long it's going to take. And everybody's on the same sheet of music. Accepting what you cannot change reduces stress as well. So be clear and set realistic expectations about what cannot be changed. Get that stuff off the table as not going to work on this. Expectation is the root of all heartache, according to William Shakespeare. It's a great way of thinking about it. Set those expectations. Number nine on how to deal with a bad boss. Seek opportunities for self-advocacy. Always look for opportunities to showcase your skills and achievements, but don't be braggadocious

about it. Don't go in and pound your chest and say, look what I did. Talk about the great things that your team accomplished. And I just want to say that I'm really proud of our team and thank you for leading us this direction because we were able to accomplish these things. You know, appreciate people instead of bragging about yourself because a rising tide raises all ships. And when you're seen as that consummate positive influence for change, you're going to be looked at for promotions when it comes time to drive forward through these challenging times. Self-advocacy is the key to being noticed

for potential promotion, but do it in kind of a subversive manner. We're advocating for yourself through talking about the great things that the team is doing. Take control of your career trajectory, and this is so empowering by looking at these great things you're doing.

Proactive steps can shift focus from negative to positive when it comes to advocacy. So think about that. If there's negativity, there's probably no advocacy. Think about how can you promote those around you. And finally, the 10th way to work for a bad boss, take care of yourself. Because remember, when I started this, I might have said you might be the bad boss. Take care of yourself. Because remember, when I started this, I might have said you might be the bad boss. It's quite possible that you're contributing to that. Because if you're loading frustration on your boss's plate or on their shoulders, you are kind of that bad boss.

So here's number 10. Prioritize self-care and work-life balance. Now, the reality is there's no such thing as balance. It's more a work-life focus, but people don't quite understand that. So think about how do I balance working on all these things within my life? Ensure you take care of your mental and physical health and your family and spend some time just to have no responsibility. It's good to just blank your mind a little meditation. Your health and welfare and your nutrition and how much water you drink, things like that, limiting alcohol, don't go out partying every night.

I know I'm being a killjoy here, but the reality is we have to take care of ourselves in order to perform at the highest level across all aspects of our life. A well-balanced individual can perform better at everything, making them more likely to be promoted. That's what you want to hear, isn't it? So personal well-being is essential to maintain motivation and continue your upward trajectory in your business, even if you work for a bad boss. Especially if you work for a bad boss,

you're going to want to stay in a positive mindset and heart set so that you can keep pushing forward without getting overwhelmed by frustration. Stress management techniques can help manage frustration as well. So do a little Google search or look up on YouTube, how can I manage stress in the workplace, and focus on some of those things. Remember, taking care of yourself doesn't mean me first. It means me too. And that's number 10 on how to work for a bad boss. Now remember, while these strategies can help in managing a difficult work situation, it's also important to recognize when it's time to punch out. Maybe when a work environment is too toxic, and then consider seeking opportunities elsewhere. You don't have to tolerate misery if it's not going to change. Your well-being and career growth are paramount. So look at your business and look at yourself with those things in mind,

and don't work for a bad boss. That's Adam Kantos here with Start With A Win. Those are 10 ways on how to work for a bad boss. Maybe you're the bad boss. I think we have a combination of both things where our manager is maybe difficult, but we're also kind of difficult because we perpetuate some of those things. Or maybe we're in this little circle of misery with some of our coworkers. Think about all of that. Break away from the bad boss, and watch your career move forward. Have a great day. Don't forget to like and subscribe. We'll see you next time.