This week’s Fierce resource was originally published by The Muse and provides twelve strategies for dealing with a boss who consistently plays favorites.
Whether you have had a boss that played favorites or have witnessed it in some capacity, those managers are out there, and it is important to know how to deal with them.
It is human nature to be drawn towards certain people or personalities, but it is up to the individual leader to act in a professional manner and treat all of their direct reports with the same amount of attention and enthusiasm.
If you find yourself in a situation like this, it can be damaging on multiple levels. Perception of lower self-worth swirl around with the knowledge that your journey towards promotion may be significantly harder than some of your peers within the organization.
Stacey Gawronski, The Muse, offers some steps you can take to navigate this and improve the situation.
1. Behave normally. Reacting to the favoritism and bringing emotion into the situation is the worst thing that you can do. In truth, you don’t know where you rank on your boss’ totem pole so it’s best to not react negatively and REALLY get on their bad side.
2. Continue to build the relationship. Don’t assume that things will not change and you cannot change your boss’ perception of you. Continuing to produce high-quality work and proving to your boss that you are a valuable asset to the team is the best thing you can do.
3. Find a mentor. Before escalating the situation and confronting your boss or going straight to HR, find a mentor that can offer some guidance through the situation. Maybe they have been at the company for a while, and have been through the same experience. If not, they can help hone your strategy to get the recognition you deserve.
Read the article and discover the other tips.
Tags: #Demoralization, #Disincentives, #Personal Agendas, #Power Games, #Work Relationships
