Tame Your Terrible Office Tyrant™ (TOT): How to Manage Childish Boss Behavior and Thrive in Your Job

Part I. Bratty Behavior

Some of the most striking parallels between toddlers and TOTs are, well, also the most obnoxious. A boss who wants a report "Now!" bears an uncanny resemblance to an unruly little kid in the supermarket candy aisle.

A child who bullies others because he's bigger and tougher can be seen in a manager who constantly reminds his team "who's in charge." And yes, both TOTs and toddlers can pitch a whopper of a tantrum, although unfortunately, your boss isn't as likely to throw himself on the ground and cry. (One can dream, though!)

Like small children, bosses like to get their way. That often involves acting out in ways that you thought were limited to little kids faced with a plate of vegetables or the threat of no more video games. To make things worse, a petulant TOT, unlike a child, has direct authority over your livelihood. That's when Bratty Behavior is no longer just annoying ... it can be life changing.

By understanding what's behind the bluster, you can usually tame your TOT—or at the very least, mitigate unpleasant situations. You might sometimes feel inclined to fight fire with fire, but all that does is get you fired. So be creative and "manage up" when the Terrible Twos appear in the corner office.

Inside this section of Tame Your Terrible Office Tyrant, you'll learn how to recognize the telltale signs of an impending brat attack—as well as how to deal with ...