Leadership
How to Deal with a Demanding Boss
The trap of unspoken rules and risks of managing upwards in the corporate workplace
Work relationships can be very complex. Unspoken rules prevail in the workplace. Many employees suffer from naivety and bad career advice.
I want to cut to the chase because social media, professional platforms like LinkedIn, popular publications, so-called self-help books, and even expensive seminars by reputable coaches are full of wrong advice for aspiring professionals. Managing up is a critical skill for success.
Let’s take the advice of being assertive and escalating unfair situations to your second-line or third-line managers as an example. This advice is risky.
Assertiveness is a good thing at work and in life. However, when it conflicts with unspoken rules in the workplace, it can be detrimental to one’s career development and progress.
When unfair behavior is observed in the workplace, going above your boss is recommended by some career advisors as a bold and assertive move. It sounds great and feels palatable, but it is a deadly move most of the time.
Apart from exceptional situations, complaining about your boss to their manager can hardly produce any good results…
