How to Avoid Getting Stuck with an A$$ for a Boss

Have you ever heard of the book, The No Asshole Rule: Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isn't? I didn't - until I read Guy Kawasaki's blog the other day.

The gist of the book is that, if you work at it beforehand, you can avoid having the "boss from hell".

Guy suggested that you use LinkedIn before you accept a company's offer of employment. By doing a little homework, you can (and should) screen out Asshole Bosses.

Personally, I think it's brilliant! By using the LinkedIn reference check option (which is FREE), you can look up said Asshole Prospective Boss (from hereon out to be called APB), to see if you have any mutual connections. If you do, contact them at once for their perspective on APB. Is the APB lecherous? Do they tend to take credit for their employees' contributions and NOT share the glory? If so, RUN LIKE THE WIND.

But, what if the APB doesn't use LinkedIn? Then what? I'll tell you what you do - you run a LinkedIn Reference check. This FREE service will show you the names of LinkedIn members who worked at the same corporation as the APB. Narrow down this list to the names of people who worked at the same location as APB. If that's still too many, look for people who reported to APB.

If someone has worked with him/her, ask questions. Lots of them. Basically you are doing your own reference check on the potential boss. All this is completely legal and should be basic common sense. I mean, do you change banks without asking around? Do you change stylists without checking around? And all these have much less lasting effects than who your boss would be.

Look out for prospective bosses who favor "kiss-ups". Or, for that matter, the ones who suck up to their own bosses and make their employees look totally useless without their "expert" guidance.

Be wary of ones who, when criticized by their own bosses, "pass the buck" down to their employees. If they can take credit for the good, they need to accept the criticism for the bad.

Ask if they have a quick temper. Seriously, think about it. Do you really want to work for someone who routinely "shoots the messenger"? I think not.

Does the prospective boss regularly take the credit for all the good work that is done by the department without sharing with his/her employees?

Has this person ever collaborated with this potential boss on a project? Do they regularly have a nasty disposition or cause internal conflict on projects? Remember that, often, history does tend to repeat itself.

What is their email style like? Do they routinely send out CYA (cover your asses) emails, ccing everone from their own bosses to the mailroom clerk? Would this person's email style be considered a "flaming" or "trolling" on any message boards?

Ask what kind of people work best with him/her. Do the phrases "self motivated" and "strong willed" come up A LOT? If so, there is probably a good reason. The APB tend to leave their employees feeling drained and/or down. Think about the biggest asshole you personally know for a minute. If this ABP sounds like that person, RUN.

Does this person share information about projects openly with their employees, or do they clam up? If they clam up, it sounds like he/she views their employees as competitors. Not a healthy way to manage a staff.

Would the person you are speaking with WANT this person to work on their team again? Let's be honest - every company and team has their own personal asshole on staff, and that can be GOOD. But not everyone WANTS to work with this person. Most of the time, the oafish behavior overrules any benefit of having an asshole/shark/bitch (or whatever you call this person at your work now and you KNOW you have one) on your team.

Finally, how would this person feel if you left a management "self-help" book or a copy of The No Asshole Rule: Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isn't on their desk? If the answer is DUCK, RUN, AVOID THEM THE REST OF THE DAY... keep that in mind when making your decision. I mean, if the person can't handle constructive criticism or teasing well, do you really want to work for them?

- Comments welcome.

Mary Stewart McGovern
President
Stewart McGovern Enterprises
www.stewartmcgovern.com

*****Check out Mary's new ebook, I've Graduated from College. Now What? Or, How to Go About Starting Your Career and Not Finding Just Another JOB. Now available for purchase on our website, www.stewartmcgovern.com!