F.I.R.S.T. - What you can do with the boss from Hell!

• Ever had a boss that you think is doing nothing else all day, but picking on just YOU?
• Ever had a boss that thinks that you can do nothing right?
• Ever had a boss who makes your life a living misery by criticising you?

Then before you leave the job try F.I.R.S.T.

This acronym comes from a book discussed in an article at PalmBeachPost.com entitled Bullying bosses turn dream jobs into nightmares. It's a key component of a book by Shaun Belding called Winning With the Boss From Hell: A Guide to Life in the Trenches.

1. F – Fly under the radar. Try not to make yourself a target for your boss.
2. I – Ignore what your boss is saying by reframing his or her behavior. The example given is that instead of thinking that a boss is picky, look at it as a boss who desires perfection.
3. R – Retrain the boss by offering your own reinforcement for positive behavior when it comes.
4. S – Stand your ground when it is appropriate and without breaking any company rules.
5. T – Talk turkey to your boss when you feel you can take the risk without anything coming back against you.

The basic assumptions underlying the contents of the article and the book seem to focus on the boss and while it is true that there are managers who seem to spend their days doing nothing else, but criticising their staff, just occasionally one of these bosses may actually have something to complain about!

There is something to be said for an employee actually spending a little time exploring his/her own behaviour first and trying F.I.R.S.T. only as a second option

It might be useful to consider whether commentary directed about YOUR work could possibly have at least a grain or two of truth associated with it.

I have come across noxious bosses, I have also come across people:

• who simply will not listen to direction,
  
• who have an uncanny knack for stuffing up everything they lay their hands on
  
• who are present in the work place simply to count the hours until they can get home and
  
• who actually believe that their employer OWES them a living simply because they turn up at work each day!

I have no problem with the advice provided in the acronym F.I.R.S.T.

However first, I think an employee would be better off looking at his/her own behaviour and the outcomes of their work and asking the question: - "Could the boss have a point?"

If the answer is YES, then fix the problem - ie what you are doing or how you are doing it!

If the answer is NO then and only then try F.I.R.S.T.