hi alhana,
thanks for being so understanding..... my fren emailed this to me.... just to share with you... its kinda long.
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Spotting the Boss from Hell
by Danny Pancho
Just as the interviewer is sizing you up, conduct a discreet personality test on him, too. You may be the right worker for him, but is he the right employer for you?
Countless books have been written on the different kinds of managers and management styles in the workplace. There are the Theory X, the Theory Y, and the Theory Z types. There are the autocratic and the paternal kinds, the macro-managers and the micro-managers. But for the jobseeker, what specific kind of manager an employer is matters less than whether he is a "good" boss to work for. Is he someone you can get along with? Will he give you the opportunity to learn and grow? One of the employee's worst-if not the worst-nightmares is to work under a neurotic, capricious, complex superior out to make your life miserable. So spare yourself that aggravation-learn to single out the boss from hell during the interview. Here, three kinds of "bad" bosses you might do well to avoid.
1. The Ego-Tripper
What he is: This is the kind of boss who always needs to have his ego massaged. He strongly believes that he is always right and that everyone should agree with him. He is more interested in what he has to say than what you have to tell him.
A macro-manager, he won't give you detailed or specific instructions on how to do your tasks. Instead, he will just give you the desired objective, and leave you to do things entirely on your own. But no matter how good you are or the results you produce, he will not be contented. He will always give you a piece of his mind on how he could have done things better.
Woe to the subordinate who gets into an argument with him, no matter how right he (the subordinate) may be. This type of boss always ends up winning the argument. He is the classic example of the saying, "The boss may be wrong but he is still the boss and will always therefore be right."
How to spot him: This kind of boss is the easiest to spot. Instead of being interviewed by him, you end up listening to his boasts. He will regale you with his achievements in the companies he worked for-how he was able to increase sales, improve operations, cut costs, etc.
Why avoid him: Working for this superior can prove to be frustrating and can deter a subordinate's development. Worse, if the employee is not too confident of himself and his expertise, he may eventually end up doubting his own qualifications and going into depression.
2. The Control Freak
What he is: This kind of boss is characterized by a desire to always know what his subordinates are doing and how things are being done. When giving you tasks and assignments, he will describe every detailed step of the procedure you must follow. Deviate one little bit, and he gets really upset.
This manager also does not expect initiative from his subordinates. To him, they are mere soldiers who must carry out his detailed instructions. Occasionally, he may listen to your proposal. However, if he finds it too complicated for his taste, he will overrule you and order you to do it his way. Thus, your knowledge, expertise and experience are of no use to this kind of boss.
How to spot him: Identifying him during the interview may be difficult as he seems genuinely concerned with what you are saying and may listen to you a great deal. However, his line of questioning may give some indication that he is a control freak. Such questions as, "How were you able to ensure…," "What control measures did you have to take…," "Did you expect any deviation from…" may give you a hint of his true nature.
Why avoid him: Initially, working for this type may be nice, since you don't have to think for yourself; you just have to implement his orders. However, in the long run, you may lose your creativity and flexibility and get tired of being bossed around.
3. The Insecure Boss
What he is: This kind of boss is similar to the Ego-Tripper-he will not listen to you and will always find fault in what you do. The difference is that he does not boast about how good he is. He feels so insecure that he's always trying to show you who the boss is. Like the Control Freak, he also likes things done his way-albeit for different reasons. While the Control Freak just wants to have everything under his control, the Insecure Boss is more after the credit that he expects to get from implementing his idea. And he is so insecure that he always wants to have something (or someone) to fall back on just in case something goes wrong.
For example, if you are an expert in your particular field, there are some decisions that you can automatically make because of your knowledge and experience. However, the Insecure Boss will not accept such decisions at face value. He will ask you to come out with several options, complete with the pros and cons to convince him that you are taking the right course of action. It is not that he does not trust you; he wants to show you that he arrived at that course of action himself after evaluating all the options. He also wants to have something to show his superior in case the decision is wrong.
This kind of boss will also do everything to make you look bad and make himself look good. His primary reason for doing this is the fear of losing his importance or his seniority. He possesses what we usually term "crab mentality."
How to spot him: This is the most difficult kind of boss to identify during an interview. Like the Control Freak, he seems to be genuinely interested in what you are saying and may even ask relevant questions. However, he is actually out to probe how good you are and what kind of threat you present. The best way to know his type is to give highly technical replies and see his reaction. If you can sense him becoming fidgety because he does not follow your explanation, yet pretends to know or understand, or if he tries to divert the discussion to another topic, then you had better watch out.
Why avoid him: If you are not ambitious and are willing to do "useless tasks" (because your knowledge or expertise qualifies you for more challenging work), then working with the Insecure Boss may be bearable. However, if you are the ambitious type with a dynamic personality that always wants things done fast, then you may eventually get bored and frustrated.
Sometimes, despite our awareness of these boss traps, our desire to land a job pushes us to disregard these warnings and sign the job contract. Alas, regret often comes at the end. However, do not despair. There are ways to survive these kinds of bosses until you can find another job-but that is another story.
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i think my boss is an ego-tripper.
