Is Your Boss Afraid of You?

Management roles grant organizational power, but they don't automatically teach professionals how to be humble, confident leaders. Many bad managers are insecure about their abilities and lash out when they feel threatened by creative, driven and outspoken employees. If you don't want a bad manager to sideline your career, watch out for these common signs that it's time to confront your boss or move on.

1. Your Boss Reassigns Your Projects

Bad managers are often spooked by workers who earn high praise from company leaders, and they may retaliate by taking away opportunities for you to shine. Fearful bosses are more concerned about maintaining their false superiority than producing the best results, and they actively create obstacles for promising employees. A boss who is determined to send you packing may even badmouth your work or increasingly reorganize the workload to devalue your role.

2. Your Boss Screens Your Work

A job search should be your next step when a boss insists on reviewing all your work or correspondence before it reaches clients or higher-ups. Good leaders trust fellow professionals to perform their jobs well instead of developing an inefficient, micromanaged environment. Paranoia can drive bad managers to take credit for your work or undermine your expertise, leading to a hostile workplace where you don't feel comfortable putting forth your best effort.

3. Your Boss Criticizes Everything You Do

If compliments and positive feedback gradually changed to petty, relentless criticism, you may have frightened your boss with your good ideas. In hopes of covering up their own shortcomings, bad managers try to project their fears onto you and make you second-guess yourself. When a boss nitpicks or avoids confronting the issue even after you ask how you can improve, it's time to find a manager who values your skills.

4. Your Boss Withholds Information

Fearful bosses understand the power of information, and they try to prevent you from succeeding by keeping you out of the loop. They may ignore your correspondence, avoid meetings with you or restrict your access to important resources. Consulting with HR representatives may help you force your boss to reopen the lines of communication, but you should prepare to meet resistance if the manager is influential in the company.

5. Your Boss Shuts You Out

When bad managers can't stop you from excelling in your role, they focus on cutting you off from company leaders. Threatened bosses are empowered by keeping you trapped in your current role and excluding you from events that could help you form relationships with other well-connected decision-makers. In such cases, you can show your boss that you aren't discouraged or intimidated by using your network outside the company to find a better position.

Even confident professionals can fall prey to jealousy, making it worthwhile to clear the air with your boss if you love your job. When you're dealing with a genuinely bad manager who refuses to seek a resolution, use your coveted talents in a successful job search or reach out to other mentors in the company to land a position that doesn't report to your nightmare boss.

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