Have You Seen The Horrible Bosses Sequel?

(I Hope It Doesn’t Remind You Of Someone You Know)

Horrible Bosses Two is in theaters, and whether you’ve seen the movie or not, whether you are a boss or an employee, it’s a good reminder to check whether those two words also sum up your current work situation. Bosses with exalted, entitled views of their authority may act out not unlike ‘terrible twos’ toddlers. And not surprisingly, your difficult boss also requires parental-style managing (minus the patronizing, of course).

Give an “all-powerful” person or child the word “No,” or a bad situation they can’t change, and watch the TOT emerge. They’re used to getting what they want, based on their power and past experiences. When this doesn’t happen, you start seeing regressive behavior … the worst of which is the famed tantrum. And the employee bearing the brunt of it may become the only remaining voice of reason, and the only one capable of improving the situation.

For that my article suggests quite a few tools, apart from the aforementioned laughter. It’s written with the employee in mind but I also recommend it to managers – if only to make sure they don’t have any of those pesky TOT features.