5 worst bosses ever!

That toxic mentor, that lecherous superior at work, the one with the 'God Complex'...who is the worst boss of them all? Smita Singh draws up the graph of 5 worst Big Bad Bosses who add up to complete losses for your self-esteem, growth potential and that light as air wallet in your bag!

1. It Wasn’t Me
When the buck just never stops and the only thing trickling down is the weight of projects gone wrong, you know you are working with ‘The One That Never Owns Up’. And if you ever try to make him or her own up, you better have someone up there with an ear to listen, a sharp gaze to assess and a level head that knows justice- a pretty big task if you ask.

Tackle the monster: The only way to work with a shirker is to put it all down on paper and keep back-ups and make absolutely sure you had your ears clean and open and in working condition while taking down any ideas or instructions, good luck then!

2. I am the Chosen One
She or he is omnipotent, is the God of big and small things and never quits, and you have the dubious honour of serving The Chosen One. In control of her life and yours, her schedule and yours, this big boss has it all planned out- the exact words, the time, the place and the strategy. All you have to do then is to make her look good, and you better have some divine intervention on your side because pleasing her is no ordinary human chore!

Tackle the monster: You will never know or learn your own worth because you’ll probably never get to do any stuff yourself or the credit for it. So the trick here is to over-perform, make a show of what you do and make the person superior to your boss aware of your contribution.

3. Toxic Mentor
If you learnt the ropes form this one but find yourself tied in knots most times, it’s the toxic mentor keeping you in your place, preventing you from soaring high. So if you are flying blind and it keeps getting tough, it’s time to realize the mentor’s turned a jealous insecure enemy and is making sure that you fly into turbulent weather after moving the radars just a little bit.

Tackle the monster: Pay your respects and tip toe out before you ruin more than just the most important relationship of your professional life. Be sure to keep a few objective friends on your side because you may never know your true worth if you have stuck with this abusive relationship for too long - remember, it works for your mentor to keep you coming back for more. So don’t look down and fly away.

4. Nit Picker Supreme
If he’s picking your brains dry today about a fax you may or may not receive tomorrow, if she’s busy telling you how the right side of your desk is not as neat as the left side of your colleague’s, relax. They are a rare sub species of the geeko-perfectionist group, they not only know what they want, they know how they want it done down to the last tiny detail till you feel like an exhausted mechanical arm of a giant machine- with a mind of its own of course.

Tackle the monster: Just take a deep breath and stuff that scream where it came from. If you react to their nit picking, they tend to go full throttle and attack with renewed vigour, almost like a psycho lover. Instead, ignore their rants and play as cool as possible and do your own thing but do it well, this will most likely reduce their outbursts.

5. I am a Sinner and a Saint, Go figure!
It’s a mad mood world out there every morning and our sympathies with you for dealing with literally the worst boss ever. Your friend and philosopher one day, your worst foe the next, this one’s enough to drive you insane. Yes, the Academy of Management in the US identifies the ‘Jekyll and Hyde’ superior as the worst boss of all! So whether he got up on the wrong side of the bed, or she fought traffic, you are unfortunately the first one to find out.

Tackle the monster: Make a quick exit. There really isn’t any trick to handle this one other than moving on. But if you can’t get out, well…two’s company isn’t it?!