BN component parties: Coping with a bad boss

This is a double-entendre blog entry. It's fun to be able to kill two birds with one stone by raising workaday management issues and yet, be able to have a gentle whack at current affairs. Within the BN coalition, UMNO is clearly the boss. This has been so ever since the first Alliance coalition in the 1950s. The schizophrenia that dogs UMNO is now out in the open ... again. Calling non-Malays pendatang is just not politically correct. But the UMNO members have regularly used racist remarks in their closed door meetings for years. Yet, with financial largesse available for distribution to component party leaders, the non-Malay BN parties have become bovine eunuchs, quite content to wallow in their ill-gotten and undeserved rent-seeking wealth.

Lately, there seems to be an awakening of sorts within the likes of MCA and Gerakan. Before they fall into their slumber again, perhaps it is timely for BN component parties to consider how to deal with a bad boss. Tara Weiss wrote in Forbes that, Having a bad boss is more than an annoyance. It's the main reason people leave their jobs. Increasingly, that's a tough choice these days. This is the dilemma of the BN component parties.

It's difficult to handle [uncomfortable] situations without taking some type of risk, and that's why a lot of people choose to ignore or live with it. So if your boss is a jerk and you feel you have no choice but to stay, how do you cope? Here are some basic tips:

Dealing with the unpleasant boss

Dealing with an unpleasant boss can be uncomfortable, if you choose to address the situation by confronting him. Weigh the problem and how much bringing it up with him might affect your career. If your boss is a yeller and is creating a tough--or even hostile--working environment, say something like, "These aren't the conditions I work best under. Let's talk about a way to make them better." What if that approach doesn't bring results? Would that be a good time to consider leaving the coalition?

Dealing with dummy bosses

Sometimes a boss who's perceived as a dummy can actually be good for your career. Use cluelessness as an opportunity to gain more responsibility. Ask if you can take on more projects and even help manage the team. Perhaps more important Cabinet posts?

Things to do before crossing over

If all else fails because the existing boss is too incapable of accommodating the requests (or demands), then leaving may be the likely option. Read the following with this view in mind.

Ideally, vet your boss before starting a new job. If you're in the final rounds of interviews with an employer, use networking to find someone on the inside. Ask about the person you're likely to work with. What's his skill set? Does he respect the views of his employees? Does he delegate or does he drive people crazy with questions?

Finally, ask the following to flush out any facts your source didn't spill earlier: What do you like--and not like--about working here?

If you don't like what you hear, don't take the job. Got it? Good!