Surviving the Boss from Hell

OK, you have the Boss from Hell. You are not alone, of course. "Most people have trouble with about 50 percent of their bosses, so you have lots of company," write Michael Lombardo and Robert Eichinger in "FYI," a professional coaching guide.

Why so many bad situations? Partly it is the same reason that people have difficulties with a large percentage of their spouses, partners and children. We are talking about relationships, laden with issues of responsibility, accountability, expectations and power.

On top of that, being a supervisor is a difficult job. Many of the people who complain loudly about their boss would never themselves want to take on that responsibility. And the job is becoming tougher, especially during difficult economic times.

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Positive Inquiry Creates Lasting Change

When you think back on change efforts in your organization, how often has the change been looked upon as a "problem to be fixed"? In contrast, Appreciative Inquiry (AI) is an exciting model and philosophy that asks this question: What gives life to an organization and its people when they are most alive, effective, committed and empowered? With this framework, we approach organizational change from a positive versus a deficit-based dialogue. Read more

Ask The Expert

Q: What are the basic concepts behind a good blogging or social media campaign?

Chris Heuer, co-founder and partner with The Conversation Group, a San Francisco-based communications strategy firm, and founder of the Social Media Club, an international organization of Social Media professionals, provides his insights. Read more

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Helpful Links

• Toastmasters: 10 Tips for Public Speaking – Though Toastmasters International encourages improved public speaking through weekly practice with its club members, this Web page offers quick tips if you've got a speaking engagement taking place in the near future. In addition to its 10 tips, which include knowing your audience and learning about the room where you will be making your address, the site also offers links to other tips, including gesturing during your speech, presenting or accepting awards, and working with PowerPoint.
• Change Management Learning Center – From building a culture of change, to understanding why failure during times of transition is glorious, this site offers a rich list of online reading on the topic of change management. Compiled by Prosci, a Colorado-based change-management research company, the list includes articles from magazines such as Fast Company, to academic studies from top business schools such as Carnegie Mellon's Tepper School of Business.
• The NonProfit Times – Billing itself as "The Leading Business Publication for Nonprofit Management," this site offers daily stories breaking in the nonprofit management arena. While it offers special reports about salary surveys and the 100 largest nonprofit organizations in the nation, this site offers plenty of free content on all aspects of nonprofit management, including utilizing the Internet to maximize donations and how the economy has an impact on all aspects of nonprofit management.

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Edgeline is published the second Tuesday of each month by Leading Edge Associates, a consulting firm engaged in management training, organizational change, succession planning, executive coaching, diversity and media. Analisa Nazareno, managing editor of Edgeline, can be reached at abnazareno@sbcglobal.net.

© 2008 Leading Edge Associates. All rights reserved.