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Try to understand
what motivates your boss. Your boss won't be perfect. You may work for
someone who's never managed anyone before. You may work for someone with
an entirely different work style or personality than you have. Your
boss's priorities are probably different than yours. You can't change
your boss. Understanding what motivates your boss may help you develop
some strategies for making the best of the situation. In her book Rules
for the Road: Surviving Your First Job Out of School, Eve Luppert
suggests motivations and techniques for working with several common
types of supervisors.
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Control
Freak. He is motivated by the fear that something will go wrong and he will be
blamed. Try to anticipate his needs and provide it on time or
early. One benefit of working for a control freak boss is that
you'll learn every step of a process. As he sees that you
anticipate needs, he will trust you and may become a great mentor
for someone they trust.
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Hands-Off.
She is in the business to do her own thing, not to manage you. She
doesn't have time to stop and explain to you, and won't be good at
giving feedback. Find someone else who has done your job or does
your job, and get guidance. Find the time when your boss is most
receptive and have questions prepared then. Find a way to let your
boss know what you're doing and what you've accomplished.
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His
Job is Your Job. Maybe this person is paid to strategize, but he doesn't get much done.
Don't slack off because your boss seems to do so. Make sure you
tell him how long an assignment will take when he assigns it.
Doing your boss's work will give you a chance to learn things
beyond your job and may prepare you for a job with more
responsibility.
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Let's
Be Friends. She wants to be liked or loved. She isn't good at drawing lines between
her personal and professional life. Be friendly and persuasive,
not confrontational. This boss can be a good mentor, often makes
decisions by committee and is often open about information.
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Grouch.
He complains and criticizes all the time. Try to defend him to his
detractors; this will build trust. Whenever you have a conflict at
work, step back and develop a strategy. Don't react immediately.
Don't take his criticism personally.
It is your
responsibility to learn to get along with your boss. You can't change
who he is, but you can control your behavior and expectations. Make sure
you give your strategy time to work; be patient.
Camila
Alire said, "If you are having trouble with supervisor, ask
yourself, is it you or is it the supervisor? Do others have trouble with
this person? If the supervisor acts the same with everyone, then what
can you do to work better with them? Find out from others what works and
what doesn't. If you're the only one who has a problem with the
supervisor, then do some self-reflection - is the problem affected by
gender, race, personality? For example, does this person have trouble
dealing with people of your gender? Are you contributing to the problem?
If it's you, what can you do to change your behavior. If you are
entry-level and only one having trouble with a supervisor, the library
director will not be too understanding. It's a challenge - a mark of a
good supervisor is how they deal with personnel. Ask yourself, is this a
functional institution? If not, then get out."
About
the Author:
Priscilla K.
Shontz is a web designer and freelance writer and has worked in university, community college, medical and public
libraries. She is author of Jump Start Your Career in Library
& Information Science and is a past president of the ALA New Members Round
Table.
Article
submitted Mar 2002
Disclaimer: The
ideas expressed in LIScareer articles are those of their respective
authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the LIScareer
editors.
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