Does your boss experience mood swings on a regular basis? Does he or she suddenly become irritable, negative, or isolated for no apparent reason? This isn’t uncommon, especially in a demanding, high-stress environment—but moody bosses can be extremely difficult to work with.
你的老板是不是經(jīng)常情緒上有波動(dòng)?他或她是不是在沒有明顯原因的情況下會(huì)突然變得煩躁、消極或孤立?這很常見,尤其是在苛刻、高壓的環(huán)境中——但是和喜怒無常的老板很難在一起工作。
Here are 10 tips for managing a moody boss:
下面的這10個(gè)用來對(duì)付壞脾氣老板的小貼士:
Watch for patterns.
觀察模式
Since spiking your boss’s coffee with mood-altering pharmaceuticals is not an option, watch for patterns, such as timing and triggers; see the storm coming; and avoid over-reacting yourself.
既然不能在老板的咖啡里加入改變情緒的藥品,那么你可以觀察模式,例如老板發(fā)脾氣的時(shí)間和引發(fā)因素;預(yù)料暴風(fēng)雨的來臨;避免自己過度反應(yīng)。
If you’re having difficulty determining his or her pattern, open a line of communication between yourself and your boss’s administrative assistant (if they have one). The person closest to your boss will have the best reading of the current temperature—and the long-term forecast. Offer to help out your boss’s assistant whenever you can, to show sincere gratitude for the tip-offs you get.
如果你覺得判斷他或她的模式很難,那你可以和老板的行政秘書(如果有的話)交流一下。和你老板最近的人能最清楚當(dāng)前的氣氛——并能進(jìn)行長期的預(yù)測(cè)。無論何時(shí),只要能幫上忙,就去幫幫老板的秘書,對(duì)你得到的小秘密表示誠摯的謝意。
Limit your interactions if their mood is rubbing off on you.
如果他們的心情和接觸你有關(guān),那就減少交流
Many factors associated with moodiness are out of your control and it is very difficult to avoid emotional contagion. So if you can, temporarily limit your exposure to their mood swings in hopes that this is just a short term issue.
與心情相關(guān)的很多因素都無法控制,很難避免情感上的傳染。所以如果能的話,在他們情緒波動(dòng)時(shí)暫時(shí)減少和他們的接觸,希望這只是短期的問題。
Keep your cool.
保持冷靜
If you can’t avoid the boss, whatever you do, don’t inadvertently mimic this management style to other staff members, Taylor says. When your boss’s mood pendulum swings to the negative, be a sea of calm. Remind yourself that he’ll come back to center eventually. Show a relaxed, in-control demeanor yourself. Lighten things through humor and distraction to ‘jam the system.’
如果你無法躲開老板,無論你做什么,都不要粗心大意地向其他工作人員模仿這種管理風(fēng)格。當(dāng)你老板產(chǎn)生負(fù)面情緒時(shí),你要保持鎮(zhèn)定。提醒自己他最終會(huì)回到正軌的。放松一些,控制自己的言行舉止。開開玩笑或說些讓人分神的東西來讓事情變得輕松一些。
Make sure it's not you.
確保你沒出錯(cuò)。
Don’t assume it’s just them. Make sure to also reflect on your own mood and performance. Are you upbeat yourself? Are you meeting expectations? Some bosses can be moody towards employees when they are not performing to their standards, even though the boss may not have communicated things clearly. So be proactive and figure things out on your own.
不要假設(shè)一切都是別人造成的。確保反省一下自己的心情和行為。你是不是很樂觀?你是不是符合期望?有些老板當(dāng)員工們沒按他們的標(biāo)準(zhǔn)做時(shí)就不高興, 雖然有時(shí)他們可能并沒有清楚地說明標(biāo)準(zhǔn)。所以主動(dòng)一點(diǎn),自己把事情想清楚。
Don't take it personally.
不要往心里去。
If it is an occasional situation (and you’ve determined it’s not just you that they’re moody with), develop a way to bypass your boss’s bad mood. Take a walk, look at a favorite photograph, call a friend, and move on. If the moodiness is chronic, either set up time to discuss the situation directly with your boss–it may be that he or she is unaware of the impact of their behavior–or if that is not practical, talk to a trusted colleague or supervisor about what you can do to mitigate the damage to your psyche.
如果是偶然的情況(你確定老板不高興不只是你的原因), 找出一種方式避開老板的壞心情。散散步,看看最喜歡的照片,給朋友打電話,繼續(xù)向前進(jìn)。如果心情長期不好,要么找時(shí)間直接和老板討論一下這種情況——很可能他或她不清楚他們行為的影響——或如果這樣不切實(shí)際,找一個(gè)值得信任的同事或上司談一談,看看做些什么事情才能減輕對(duì)你心靈的傷害。
Document their behavior.
把他們的行為記錄下來。
Moodiness can turn vengeful, should your boss’s situation go from bad to worse. So protect yourself by documenting their behavior, and your work product. One day you may be in a position where you’ll need to explain things to their boss, and without documentation, your words may fall flat.
如果你覺得老板的情況越來越差,這種情緒化可能變成仇恨??梢酝ㄟ^記錄他們的行為和你的工作成果來保護(hù)自己。有一天你可能需要向他們的老板解釋一些事情,如果沒有記錄,你的話會(huì)蒼白無力。
Don't trigger mood swings.
不要引發(fā)情緒波動(dòng)。
Once you figure out your boss’s mood triggers, don’t add fuel to the fire just to meet a deadline or get something done. If tight turnaround time or bad news given out with no solution sends your boss’s demeanor into a nose-dive, take note, be patient and more strategic.
一旦你弄清了什么能引起老板的情緒波動(dòng),那么就不要因?yàn)橼s最后期限或沒把事情做完這種事而去火上加油。如果周轉(zhuǎn)時(shí)間很緊張或得到了壞消息卻沒有解決方案讓你老板的風(fēng)范跌入谷底,做做筆記,讓自己有點(diǎn)兒耐心并更具有戰(zhàn)略性。
Pick meeting times carefully.
小心選擇會(huì)議時(shí)間。
Figure out the best time to chat or check in with your boss. Approaching your boss near the end of a sales quarter may not be wise, if they are often stressed during that period of time with trying to meet the sales goals. Ask or determine the right time to interact with them, so you avoid times when they might be moody.
弄清和你老板交流的最佳時(shí)間。如果你的老板在銷售季接近尾聲時(shí)因想達(dá)到銷售目標(biāo)而經(jīng)常很有壓力,那么那時(shí)和老板交流并不明智。詢問并找出合適的時(shí)機(jī)和他們交流,避開他們心情不好的時(shí)候。
Don't confront the boss during a mood swing.
不要在老板情緒波動(dòng)時(shí)和他見面。
This is no time for a street fight. If your Darth Vader boss has swung to the dark side, don’t go on the offense with ‘Why are you suddenly so angry?’ If you have a good relationship with your boss, and all hell seems to have broken loose, you can certainly inquire about what’s wrong. But if it’s the all too common subtle mood swings, getting in the boss’s face is likely ill-fated. Better to stay out of the way until the clouds blow over, so you’re not a target.
沒時(shí)間搞游擊戰(zhàn)了。如果你的達(dá)斯維達(dá)老板心情很差,不要用‘為什么你突然變得這么生氣’的話來惹怒他。如果你和老板關(guān)系不錯(cuò),當(dāng)事情脫離正軌時(shí),你當(dāng)然可以問問哪里出了問題。但是如果只是普通輕微的情緒波動(dòng),去煩老板很可能就會(huì)為你帶來厄運(yùn)了。最好等到煙消云散時(shí),這樣你就不會(huì)成為目標(biāo)了。
If the problem persists, discuss it with your boss at the right time.
如果問題仍然存在,可以在恰當(dāng)?shù)臅r(shí)機(jī)和你的老板討論一下。
If the mood swings become a problem and starts to affect your work—don’t just complain to your colleagues and the higher ups; talk to the boss.
如果情緒波動(dòng)成為問題并開始影響到你的工作——不要僅僅對(duì)同事和高層抱怨;而要和老板談?wù)劇?/p>