Coping with an egotistic boss

It can be very difficult to work under a person who is egotistic. You will have to deal with attributes like narcissism, conceit and the like because at workplace there are several hassles other than those related to work. Endless temper fluctuations can prove to be rather exhausting as also continual niggles and botherations. The problems faced while working under a narcissistic boss are thus immense; unceasing alterations in behavioural and attitudinal patterns invariably take away work focus.

But there is something appreciable about narcissistic bosses too. They have a very good acumen for commercial pursuits. Whenever they converse, they do so with great persuasive power. They portray a certain charisma and tend to be captivating. Therefore, working under such a boss can also be quite gratifying. If that be so, how do you go about then?    

Psychology characterizes many categories of egotistic people – dishonest, extremists and uncompromising. There is also the selective category that regards itself as high and mighty and in the process displays a snooty behavior. However, for the purpose of this article, the reference will be to absolutely generalist ones. 

An egotistic superior – supervisor, line manager or director – will invariably lounge around in own veneration. Self adoration is what is sought and if there is any incongruity of views with him, the condescension so typical of egotists will come into sight almost immediately. Such people are the centre of attention of all their actions. Each and everything, whether crucial or trivial that is to their advantage will always appear upright and excellent to them. They will perpetually feel pleasant about such issues; and also value them liberally. It has been proved beyond doubt that bosses of this category are quite insistent on utilizing your valuable sweat and precious time.

Self-centred approach of any person renders him hollow, ostentatious and pompous. More often than not, he does not know how to show consideration to your hard work and the time spent on it. Every organization has an odd individual like that and the possibility of getting to serve under such a boss cannot be discounted. Here are some tips to cope with him:    

·   Reflect pragmatically:  First and foremost, you need to reflect about the significance your job holds out for you. Should your job be important and have the makings of a budding opportunity, then there is no alternative but to live with the exasperation that you may suffer. The fact that an egotistic boss remains unbeaten, you should make the best of all things; your present job could prove to be actually gratifying and worthwhile. But if you feel that you can hunt another job with ease, then there is no point hanging with your current boss. Adios and that’s it! At your new workplace, you should make known your likes and dislikes as also the limits you are willing to cross, particularly with regard to your workdays and timings of work. Never agree to work on days that are essentially closed holidays or your compensatory offs.

·   Deem logically:   An egotistic boss is indeed rather appealing. He is good at enticing others and hence has tremendous persuading and inducing capability. Your boss may assign you a task that is perhaps not in your charter of responsibility. He could even give you directions that are illogical in entirety. Under such circumstances, you should deliberate things in a clever manner and evaluate the correctness of the course of action being proposed. Even while bargaining for salary or a raise, he may win you over saying that his offer is perhaps the best. You ought to make a very conscious decision in acquiescing with an egotistic superior.

·   Applaud & acclaim:   In dealing with an egotistic boss, commending and extolling are very important factors for pulling along. Frequent eulogizing will work wonders. In case you are able to portray an impression that you have a very opinion of him on account of his accomplishments, rest assured that he will regard you as a trustworthy personl. As an individual, remember that the only significance that your boss holds out to you is one of amusement. Regard him as just an individual soaked up in his own self and who only affixes his signatures on your monthly salary cheque.

·   Stage-manage conversation:  You just cannot survive if you have an egotistic boss; stage-managing talks is advisable. You will be able to escape from awkward state of affairs without difficulty and succeed in moulding things the manner in which you think is appropriate. You can agree to disagree alright, but telling him something negative at the first instance will not be taken in the correct perspective. Never ever contradict your boss ab initio, never ever convey to him a straightforward thumbs down because there can be serious ramifications for you. You should make known your concurrence with whatever he says, but after some time tell him that there is something else too that can benefit him, though the discretion to accept or reject it is entirely his prerogative.

·   Remain apathetic:  Coping with an egotistic boss is not necessarily a daily torment. But a boss is a boss and you can do nothing about it. However you can always be indifferent and unconcerned; an attitude like that assists you in paying no attention to his impertinent behavior that he is capable of adopting at the drop of a hat. Whenever you retort, make sure that you do so only to win. Do not join an immediate war with your boss if ever you feel you are at a disadvantage. On the contrary, arrive at any conclusion only after some deliberations. It is always better to erect a screen in front of you so that anything undesirable that he says is filtered automatically.  

The tips enumerated above can help you overcome workplace predicaments when you serve under an egotistic boss. But to say that you will not have resentment, rage and dissatisfaction afflicting you will be rather presumptuous. Bitterness and umbrage will periodically strike you, but you need to turn your back on them. If you seek to have a high-quality time at your disposal to focus on your work, you have to look right through any feeling of frustration that you may experience on account of your egotistic boss.