Dealing with Bosses

Sarah spent the afternoon working on a quarterly report for her boss, only to hear this when she delivered it at day’s end: “This isn’t a final version, is it? It won’t be a problem for you to work overtime today and fix this, will it?” Her boss just de­­livered a question trap—a leading question.

When you’re thrust into working environments, you deal with all sorts of people on a daily basis. If you don’t get along with some of them, the hours can drag on. If these people are your bosses, the days can seem like torture. Here’s how to manage your manager.

“My boss carried several boxes of files into the office one day because his wife told him to remove them from their garage. They have been sitting in the office for more than two years! He won’t let me throw anything away.” What can this admin do about a boss who’s a hoarder?

The best executive assistants are indispensable. But, initially, many have trouble developing the trust and understanding needed for a strong assistant-boss relationship. Trudy Vitti knows how difficult the initial steps of a new assistant-boss relationship can be ...

Strike the right chord with a new boss by trying these tactics from other experienced administrative pros:

Sorting through files can seem like an archeological dig. Every time someone new comes in, that person doesn't understand the previous system and builds a new set of files—electronic and paper—on top.

The bond between a boss and assis­­tant is far from ordinary. And feelings of devotion often run both ways. Consider these true life-saving stories of assistants and their executives:

Nearly half (46%) of employees say they’ve worked for an unreasonable manager. Most (59%) stayed in their jobs, despite working with a bad boss, according to an OfficeTeam survey.

Good news for the bosses of the world: Most employees (59%) say their direct supervisors are doing a good or even great job. However, 20% of the respondents to the CareerBuilder.com survey say their supervisors’ performance is poor or very poor. The biggest gripes?

In your relationship with your boss, who sets the tone for the relationship? Your boss? Test your assumption. You probably have more power than you think to shape the way you work together. Ask yourself these seven questions to improve your relationship: