Managing Conflict Up: How to Handle a Problem Manager

For many managers, the main ingredient in job satisfaction is not salary, benefits, work-life balance or the office gym – It’s the relationship with their boss. As the saying goes, people don’t quit jobs; they quit bosses.

Perhaps your manager is too hands-off, or too micromanaging; maybe he or she is indecisive or has bad judgment; or it could be that they’re simply not as smart and capable as you are and find that threatening. Whatever their shortcomings, it’s in your best interests, and it’s probably your responsibility, to make the relationship work. It’s also a measure of your interpersonal excellence, as per CMI’s Professional Standards and Competency Framework.