Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Boss: 13 Types and How to Survive Them

This book is a godsend for people who have been targeted for workplace abuse by a bully boss. Whether you are just beginning to put a name to the nightmare you've been experiencing, or a little further in your recovery process and trying to figure out how to interview for a new job so you don't end up with a bully boss again, this gives real, practical help and valuable information.

Reviewed by William E. Cooper for Reader Views (8/06) Have you ever had one of those bosses, one where you wonder where they came from or how they got where they are? We all have at one time or another. Well, here's a great book about how to recognize what they are and how to deal with or survive them. Ms. Haight describes 13 different types of poor boss, the characteristics of each, and some good strategies for the employees. As a retired Chief of Police, it was part of my job to ensure a great working environment, one where employees could grow and flourish. We succeeded, largely in part to the employees themselves and what they had and did contribute. While it is unfortunate such a book needs to be written, Ms. Haight has done a remarkable job with her research and details. She gives her readers the insight to recognize which is which, then the alternatives available to them. The people who ought to read this book first are the bosses described in it. Failing that, it is a clear, articulate read, certainly to be read by virtually every employee. Well done Ms. Haight.

The Washington Post featured this book in a two-artcle series. Readers wrote in describing their experiences with bosses in each of the 13 personality profiles and attesting to the usefulness of this book's advice. Once you understand the bad-boss personality profiles in this book, you can handle any situation in which a boss deliberately behaves badly and routinely gets away with it. This includes the kind of behavior that no one believes when you tell them about it, like bosses who steal from their employer, secretly sabotage company programs, and punish employees who have information that can expose them or who are just more capable or qualified than they are. The book also assures you that you are not imagining these things and you are not the problem. Unlike other books that deal with this topic, this book tells it like it really is for employees--it doesn't try to defend management and it doesn't send you into the lion's den. It also tells you what NOT to do and it tells you how to spot each of these bad boss types during an interview. And if you're a manager who has bad managers reporting to you, this book shows you how to recognize when they are manipulating you and creating problems that you don't see so you can weed the bad bosses out and keep the good employees. At the book's Web site (http://www.bigbadboss.com), there is plenty of regularly-updated information about dealing with bosses who misbehave on purpose. You may even submit your own story and have it published on the Web site along with advice tailored to your situation. Or, you may write to the author via the Web site and get advice privately about how to deal with your intentionally bad boss. Visit http://www.bigbadboss.com

Ms. Haight provides you with real hope. She shows astounding insight in her 13 versions of dis- and non-functional supervisors and self-diagnostics on how you might cope: change yourself (since the bosses won't change), lower your expectations, or simply leave. Though her case studies appear to cover more the commercial than government sectors, I have to agree with the first reviewer that she nails the descriptions. While she claims not to be diagnosing the reasons/pathologies for the bad boss behaviors, it takes very little inference from the reader to do just that. Since leaving a tenured professorship to go into government work, I have seen examples of -- and have been subject to -- every case she cites, even some compound versions, heaven help us. And my colleagues are thanking the Washington Post, who first brought this book to our attention. This is my third copy.

Ms. Haight is an excellent observer. While most of us just respond to our bad managers, she describes them in detail. I was so impressed with her understanding of bad bosses I have had in the past, it was as though she had been there. The advice is easy and more important, the tough talk about facing reality instead of wishful thinking is on point. I especially like that she reminds me it isn't my fault. That is Liberating! Her advice was doable! Highly recommended for anyone facing a work situation that is less than perfect. If nothing else, it helps the reader spot the problems before they become personal. Excellent!