Let’s be clear. This article isn’t about my boss. I’m writing about your superior and your working situation. Oh. Not yours either? This article provides helpful tips to your neighbor, cousin, or spouse who may have the unfortunate pleasure of working for a not so pleasant, domineering, disagreeable, socially inedpt, workalcoholic, anal retentive, certified bastard, bitch, self doubter, negative reciprocator boss in this recessionary economy. You're not buying it? Ok I'm the jerk. Ops. On second thought, maybe I need to walk this back a little further. What you are reading is merely a review of the book,
How to work for a jerk: your success is the best revenge by Robert M. Hochheiser.
Mr. Hochheiser observes and classifies the following individuals as ‘jerks.’
(1) People who are more attuned to their own self interests rather than the interests of the organization ;
(2) Individuals who create rather than mitigate conflict. Turf battles not from honest differences of opinion or how best to meet the needs of the organization; but how various decisions may affect one’s own welfare and impact one’s own power;
(3) Workers who use tactics such as withholding of information, misinformation, lack of information and too much superfluous information to obtain personal power instead of the improvement of employee-management relationships and productivity.
The author begins his first chapter with these poignant words, “Some bosses are incompetent jerks, but in many other instances, they’re jerks only if you look at what they do from the standpoint of the welfare of the organization they work for. Look at what they have done for themselves, however, and you’ll see that they’re absolute geniuses.”(p.4) .
Hochheiser’s recommendations for working for a jerk
The first step according to Hochheiser is to identify the type of boss for whom you work. There are eight basic classifications: Managers, Lone Wolves, Firefighters, Powerphiliacs, Con Artists, Bureaucrats, Wimps, Real Jerks and Dilettante. In addition to the eight categories, Hochheiser offered specific strategies for working with the Dilettante, Corporate Dinosaur and the Entrepreneur. The subsequent steps provide the reader with suggested tactics based upon the management styles mentioned above.
- Become indispensible to your boss so that he/she does not short-circuit your career.
- Refrain from being perceived as a threat to your supervisor.
- Offer something special, compliment their weakness or ‘do their dirty work.’ (p.32).
- Observe your boss’s boss. What your boss unloads on his subordinates flows from above (his uber boss) and so on.
- Take your emotions and frustrations out of the equation. Analytical logic, maintain a firm grip on reality, particularly, in a trying situation is invaluable.
Closing
This book is a short classic (only 228 pages). In a nonjudgmental tone, the author offers a perspective to help the reader understand that a boss’s behavior can change with the pull of a lever, if only we would take the time to learn how to become proficient in making him/her happy and adept in helping him to satisfy his/her boss. Who knows? With your patience, you might teach this old geezer a thing or two about building and maintaining relationships; selfless service, and model a work/life balance to show that work isn't all that. In fact, researchers point to studies which show that 85% of all learning occurs on the job (Raybould, 2000). So, let’s crank it up.
As such, I would recommend this book to any young manager fresh out of the gate, to mid-career professionals looking for a way to re-boot, and to old-timers seeking to maintain their grip on this fast paced, ever changing work environment.
This article will be continued in part two, Playing Office Politics
Another article you might like
How to survive a toxic workplace and/or marriage
Literary Resources
Hochheiser, R.M. (1987). wot to work for a jerk. New York: Vintage Books.
Raybould, B. (2000). Performance Support Engineering Part One: Key Concepts. Ariel PSE Technology.
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