To go far, know how to manage difficult bosses

Having worked in an industry that is notorious for big egos, I can relate to many of the themes raised in the commentary “How to stop Uber’s rotten culture from spreading” (June 20).

I particularly enjoyed Mr Bill Gates’ quote: “So many of the people who want to be like Steve (Jobs) have the a**hole side down. What they’re missing is the genius part.”

It sums up the dilemma that employees of temperamental bosses face. What makes working for one such boss a badge of honour but makes working for others a reason to quit without taking pay in lieu of notice?

I am inclined to agree that the key differentiator is “genius”, or perhaps a better word is “vision”.

To put it simply, an effective boss has the ability to sell his or her vision to the employees.

As long as one believes in what one is doing, one tends to forgive the negative traits of a boss.

In a dynamic organisation, a temperamental boss is seen as a “perfectionist” demanding high performance standards.

Jobs inspired Apple to make revolutionary, life-changing products.

He may have torn people down but he also gave them something to be proud of.

Unfortunately, this part is lost on a good portion of the population who achieve a bit of success and managerial responsibility.

The concept of having a say in someone else’s livelihood becomes intoxicating, and behaving badly just because one is able to can be addictive.

So what can an employee do? Learn the skill of boss management.

Management may be promoted as the science of managing one’s underlings, but a good part of management involves managing upwards.

To do this, firstly, one must recognise whether one’s boss has got the genius part or merely the a**hole part.

If the boss has the genius part, then one must learn to accept the good with the bad.

If one’s superior is merely an a**hole, an employee must still learn how to manage upwards.

The key is to focus on the positive. One should ask the question “What is it about him or her that makes him/her good enough to be my boss?”

When one focuses on what a superior is doing right rather than wrong, one develops the ability to absorb the good without absorbing the bad.

Ultimately, performance reviews depend on the ability to get things done, and to do so and achieve anything, one must learn the skill of making the boss, a**hole or not, useful.