Dealing effectively with a horrible boss starts with having a Biblical viewpoint, i.e. a Kingdom perspective.

With a Kingdom perspective you will have the motive and determination to turn your horrible boss situation into an opportunity for the expansion of the kingdom of God.

Understanding what follows in this post will give you the proper perspective for dealing with a horrible boss in a way that creates opportunity for the expansion of the kingdom of God.

Horrible bosses are people too  

Believe it or not, your horrible, abusive boss is still made in the image of God. And perhaps even more unbelievable, in all likelihood he is attempting to do the best job he can. Managing people is not easy, and it always looks easier to a subordinate.

As an employment lawyer representing both employees and employers, I have counseled a lot of managers and executives. None of them thought they were poor leaders.

Some described themselves as “tough” and “demanding” but never have I heard one describe themself as unfair or abusive. In other words, they almost certainly do not perceive themselves the way you perceive them. 

Giving your boss the benefit of the doubt by assuming that, like you, he is trying to do the best he can puts you in a much better position to respond properly to him.

Jesus said that those who gave grace (or “mercy”) would receive grace (or “mercy”) in their lives. I have always suspected Jesus made this promise to motivate us to be merciful to others because it is often so hard to be. If you do though, you have taken the first step toward effectively dealing with a horrible boss.

God-appointed position of authority 

God appoints positions of authority even if He does not appoint the persons in them. Authority is necessary to the proper functioning of the kingdom of God on earth. King Jesus rules through delegated authority on the earth. Therefore, even where positions of authority are not occupied by people who are obedient to Jesus, they are still a means of promoting order on the earth. God is a god of order.

Even when the kingdom of God is fully manifest on the earth, authority will still be necessary. Jesus told a parable about a certain nobleman who went away to receive a kingdom. When he left he gave his servants money and told them to do business with it until he returned. When he returned, after receiving the kingdom, he rewarded each accordingly to how well they had done with the money he had given them.

His reward for those who had been faithful was authority over cities. The kingdom of God is like leaven and will continue to permeate the earth,. God will eventually remove the tares from among the wheat, leaving only the wheat. Therefore, positions of authority are ultimately reserved for Christians.

Consequently, we must respect positions of authority, even if the people in them now do not merit that respect. Romans 13:1.

God’s tool for making you more like Jesus

Let’s face it, most of your friends will not risk your friendship by pointing out your weaknesses. Your boss, however, is interested only in your performance because it bears on his success. As a result, he will not hesitate to point out your weaknesses. 

Your basic horrible boss is even better for you in this respect because he is devoid of any filters that would water down his criticism of you out of concern for your feelings. Thus, he gives it to you straight. Foolish is the man who disregards an important message because of the manner in which it was delivered.

A condition of promotion 

As previously addressed on this blog, power is surrounded by problems. If you are good at solving problems people will line up at your door to give you more authority to solve problems. A horrible boss is a problem to be solved and those who solve the problem will be rewarded with additional authority. 

The reason solving the problem of the horrible boss is necessary is the other unfortunate truth about horrible bosses–they usually are not going anywhere. Subordinates judge their boss by how their boss treats them; the boss’s superior evaluates the boss on his performance.

Often the most productive bosses are the ones who are most demanding of and unsympathetic to their subordinates. The company does not care because the boss is a producer. Sure, if there are complaints they may talk with the boss or send him out for sensitivity training, but if he is producing he is probably not going anywhere.

Also, while your horrible boss may raise his voice with you, he does not raise his voice with his supervisor because that would get him terminated. So, they do not know the horrible boss you know. The person they know is doing what he is asked and gets things done.

With this Kingdom perspective, we are now ready to move on to the next post, which addresses how not to respond to a horrible boss. GS