Module 3: Working with Foreign Colleagues

Table of Contents

Activities

Activity 2

 

Part 1

The Nightmare Boss

 

What kind of bosses do you think might make ‘Nightmare Bosses’?

 

Click Answer Key

 


Part 2

A bad boss can have advantages.


You should use the situation as an opportunity rather than as a problem.

If you can use the opportunity, then you can allow your boss to be the rough surface upon which you sharpen your skills even if he/she asks for more than you can deliver.

 

You don’t have to like your boss. It is purely business. Always ask yourself, “How can I use this situation to my advantage?” No matter how bad your boss is, in the end it doesn’t matter. What matters is what you do about it.

 

Here are some tactics to employ to ‘come out on top’:

 

Audio Clip
Listen to the 9 ‘tactics’ in ‘What to Do When You Have a Bad Boss’ and decide which of the given phrases is used.

 

1. Be Organized

a. The more inspired you are, the better you will be.
b. The more organized you are, the more productive you will be.
c. The more productive you are, the slower you will be.

2. Results in Writing

a. … you have an e-trail to prove you finished assigned tasks
b. … you have a notification to prove you finished assigned tasks
c. … you have an email to prove you finished assigned tasks

3. Write Reviews

a. Have one email where you file all your accomplishments
b. Have one folder where you file all your accomplishments
c. Have one place where you file all your accomplishments.

4. Present Plans

a. Ask your boss which items they want you to let hide.
b. Ask your boss which items they want you to let slide.
c. Ask your boss which items they want you to let glide.

5. Make the Boss Look Good

a. When your boss looks cool, you look cool.
b. When your boss looks great, you look great.
c. When your boss looks good, you look good.

6. Don’t Argue Stand Your Ground

a. Explain that you did not know of the new expectations.
b. Explain that you did not know of the new regulations.
c. Explain that you did not know of the new complications.

7. Manage Your Boss

a. Try to know what your boss will need.
b. Try to find what your boss will have.
c. Try to anticipate what your boss will want.

8. Ask for What You Want

a. … in writing with a step by step plan
b. … in an email with a step by step plan
c. … in a letter with a step by step plan

9. Unbearable Situations

a. … leave on a convenient date
b. … leave on a positive note
c. … leave as soon as you can
 

 

 

How many of the tactics might be possible in ASEAN countries with foreign bosses?

NB
Assumptions
The tactics should be used when there are benefits to working for the bad boss:
Connections you’d like to reach (you can be ‘seen’ by higher level executives).
Potential growth with the company where you’re now on a ‘stepping stone’.
If there is no future, or the cons outweigh the pros of the situation, then you should skip steps 1–8!

 

(Source: Adapted from “The Nightmare Boss”
http://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/how-to-deal-with-a-nightmare-boss.html retrieved 20/02/2012)