Focus on the Job not the Boss.

Bosses may come and bosses may go.  Bosses have good days, and bosses have bad days.  Some bosses make work a joy.  Other bosses make the people around them miserable.

It is helpful for me to remember that the boss is not the job.  The reason that I am working is not to get the bosses approval, but to get the job done.  So when working for or with difficult people, I try to focus on the job I have in front of me and do that job to the best of my ability.

If the boss has specific guidelines for the way to do a certain job, I try to follow those guidelines as closely as possible.

Some bosses do not have any patience.  I once had a supervisor who required that I only give him information that required his decision.  He required me to give him this information in the form of a summary of the situation and some recommendations about what he should do.  Then he would question me on the recommendations.

I found that the best way to work with this boss was to prepare before meeting with him.

I was successful under this boss.  I also learned that his process of making decisions was very effective.  I did learn a great deal from him.

After time this boss moved away.  My new boss had a very different approach.  He empowered the people around him.  He corrected people by instructing them on what to do.  I enjoyed working for him a great deal.

In working for both bosses, I learned to focus needs on the job not the boss.  My performance was in my hands.  I controlled my performance no matter how pleasant or unpleasant my boss might be.