Over the past few weeks I’ve had multiple conversations with people about their frustrations with their boss and their attempts to change the boss’s behaviors. Here are a couple of things to keep in mind:
1. Bosses are human.
2. Humans are not changed by other people. The only person who can change that person is that person.
3. Rather than changing your boss, work to increase your understanding of your boss and then interact accordingly.
If your boss does things that totally frustrate you and does them consistently, realize that those behaviors are not likely to change at all. Anticipate that the boss will continue to behave that way. Rather than be totally frustrated, just ask yourself what you can do when your boss continues to do what has frustrated you in the past.
If your boss is doing something illegal, then that’s a different story. That you need to report or you could end up in jail as well. That’s not the scenario I’m referring to right now. I’m talking about the legal things your boss does that frustrate or anger you.
Assuming that those things are going to continue to happen, what can you do to be effective in the situation without trying to change your boss? That’s the question I encourage you to place your time and energy into answering.