What Your Boss Really Wants from You

Whether your boss is a perfect leader or a witless fiend, you must get along. To that end, leadership consultant Steve Arneson offers a guidebook that will help angst-ridden employees with baffling bosses. His 15 strategic questions can guide those who work for one of the four types of bad bosses: “the insecure boss,” “the ego-driven boss,” “the control-freak boss” or the “career-focused boss.” Some of Arneson’s counsel may seem a little overly focused on the boss as a person (like keeping a journal of your supervisor’s moods) and some is overly optimistic. For example, such suggestions as, “Stop talking about your boss negatively and start talking...objectively,” only work if you can discover your boss’s redeeming qualities. Helpfully, Arneson also includes advice for those who have a good boss or, at least, an OK one and want to improve their relationship. getAbstract suggests this manual to anyone with a boss, especially a problem boss. And if you are a boss seeking some insight, here’s what the world of work looks like from your team’s perspective.