I Don't Like My Boss, What Should I Do? (Ask Christa! S6E61)

Introduction

Hi everyone and welcome to Ask Christa! where I answer listener questions about business challenges and workplace issues. Thanks for tuning in to episode 61, which is also the first episode for Season SIX, which focuses on Dealing with Bad Bosses, and I’ve had a few of those myself. I think we all have. A major theme we’ll talk about this season is how most people aren’t prepared to become a manager, and if you’re having issues with YOUR boss, chances are your boss is having issues with THEIR boss, too. As you can imagine, this cycle keeps the bad-bosses ever present in our workplaces, no matter where you work.

But it’s 2026, folks. There are more resources available to us to help us prepare for management roles, help us be better managers, and even learn about and figure out how to manage a bad manager.

My show being just one of them.

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But First! Like, subscribe, and head over to my site AskChrista.com, that’s Christa with a CH, to Ask Me about YOUR business challenge or workplace issue. While your there, click the BLUE follow button so you know when new episodes drop, and sign up for my weekly newsletter called More Answers, where you’ll receive a quick boost and a resource or two to get you through your work week.

Listener Question

Here’s the listener question, “I don’t like my boss. It’s a personality thing. She constantly reminds us of upcoming deadlines, and maybe she’s trying to be helpful, but we’re all adults and it comes across as nagging and annoying. She takes things so literally that none of us can use humor or sarcasm to lighten things up. It’s getting to a point when I don’t want to be in the same room with her and when I get an email from her, I cringe. I stall and try to avoid every possible interaction with her. Obviously that’s not a feasible coping strategy long term, though. What should I do?”

There’s No One Answer for How to Work with a Boss You Don’t Like

Well… this one stumped me. Not because I don’t have an answer—I have plenty of answers, but I’m not sure which one will be the most helpful.

For example, there’s the pragmatic answer: you don’t have to like your manager while you’re at work, you have to know what you’re there to do, do it well enough to be satisfied with your work, and do what you can to develop and grow. Sooner or later, you’ll be promoted or moved around or your manager will be, and that will solve the issue.

There’s the action-orientated answer: find resources that will help you manage what bothers you most, and in this case, it’s a boss whose style is perceived as part unnecessary micromanager and part nanny. The first part, micromanagement, is important when you’re new to a role, but the second part… yeah, that’s just annoying. So… find resources that will help you manage both.

There’s the 'walk a mile in my shoes answer' and consider what your manager might go through every day and understanding where she’s coming from before judging her actions then burning up inside because they bother you so much. Who on the team has missed deadlines? Anyone? Does she have a boss who becomes difficult if your team misses a deadline? Is her style really an issue that impacts you day in and day out, or is it something where you can open up your own understanding of where she’s coming from—just enough to get past the pesky behaviors that bother you so much. 

There’s the skills-based answer: learn skills for how to get along with people and work with others even if you don’t like them. Yeah, this is a big enough problem that there are in fact resources that can and will help you. Let’s talk about those…

Additional Resources

For your resources, located in the show notes, I’ve included three resources that will get you through this:

The first is an EXCELLENT video from the Manage This! Series out of the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto. The host, Mandi Gosling, introduces the episode with… OH SO MANY incredibly relatable and relevant examples of boss behavior that leads a lot of employees to dislike their boss. For anyone who has had a bad boss in the past, the first minute will feel like you’ve found home. The episode features Associate Professor and Psychologist Maja Djikic (Maya Dgeekich), who, like me, is someone who HATES the term “managing up.” She doesn’t like it because it implies that people have to change who they are in order to influence behaviors we are hoping to influence. I don’t like it because it implies that the responsibility of managing leadership behavior is on those reporting UP to a manager. Let’s face it, most times when we talk about managing up, it’s in the spirit of trying to to get someone higher up the chain of command to behave in a way they should be as a fundamental responsibility, such as LISTENING to employees, offering PATIENCE before jumping to conclusions, focusing on evidence-based DATA to make decisions instead of gut feel. For those of you who remember the early Star Wars movies, “managing up” is a lot like the Jedi Mind Trick.

Anyway, you’ll LOVE this episode, and you’ll LOVE the series if you’re looking for additional resources to help you deal with a bad boss.

Next up: Another article from The Muse. It’s called, “How to play nicely with a boss you hate,” written by Jennifer Winter a few years ago—still. Relevant. Not all of her three points will resonate with everyone, but if you’re the type of person who believes in controlling your impulses and who prefers to regulate your emotions in the workplace—two VERY difficult things to do long term when you don’t like your boss, I think you’ll find the article insightful and instructional. She shares some of her experiences, which I think will also resonate, and a lot of times the way to start feeling like you can manage a situation where you don’t like your boss is realize: you’re not alone.

Last resource is from the Indeed Editorial Team, a group I offer as a resource here on Ask Christa! quite frequently. Their articles not only inform, but also provide various additional resources, including evidence-based business research. So many people forget that people actually conduct RESEARCH about BUSINESS so we can be better at it.

Wrap Up & Submitting Your Questions

And that’s a wrap for Episode 61 as we kick off Season 6, which focuses on Dealing with Bad Bosses. Yes, please, hit like and subscribe here, but why not send in a question YOU might have, too? Go to my site, AskChrista.com, that’s Christa with a C-H and click on Submit Your Question. You’ll also see all my other episodes there, listed by category and season, and every season has a theme. Sign up for my More Answers emails to get quick tips and resource boosts to help you at work, too.

As always, thank you for your support. And remember, if you have a business challenge or a workplace issue—Ask Christa!