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Bullies Lies and Lying Yelling

My boss stormed into my office and yelled and swore at me, saying that I did not give him the full story on a problem we had discussed the day before. He then misquoted what I had told him. When I said that to him, he told me I was lying. How do you deal with a boss like this?



Storming, yelling, and swearing at employees are three hallmarks of a card carrying bully. They are also three behaviors that you should not tolerate. If you let your boss stomp all over you once, he is likely to make you a permanent walking path.

The next time he goes into one of his tirades, you need to act forcefully and assertively. Address him by name, look him in the eye, use a businesslike tone, put some emotion and intensity in your voice, and tell him that you know he is upset, and you are too. And if he is going to yell and swear, the discussion is over. Research on tantrums of two-year-olds has found that mirroring the tantrum back to them can cause them to calm down. Since you are essentially dealing with an individual who has yet to emerge from the so-called terrible two's, this might help.

Your boss is exposing the company to possible claims, along with the likelihood of outrageous turnover. If you find that your boss is unable to treat you with the respect, trust, and professionalism that you deserve, perhaps there is a more suitable position for you elsewhere in the company, or simply elsewhere.



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