Your boss is a TYRANT

Your boss is a tyrant
If the devil wore a (Prada) suit, he'd look pretty much like your boss. He wants to control everything, and abuses his power. "Because he wants to dominate, he'll struggle to delegate the share the information he has," according to our expert. "This absence of communication often makes his team less effective. He can't stand free spirits, and makes you ask his permission before you say or do anything at all. You often hear him shouting, and everyone's afraid of him...but no-one respects him. There's an important difference." He's also obsessed with time-keeping and if he had his way he'd make you all wear electronic tags so he can check no-one who arrives at 9.05 is able to escape at 5.34.  

What does it mean? He's scared. Scared of losing the position he's had to work hard to obtain, scared of going down in the MD's estimation for being too soft, and scared of communication...which is a double-edged sword. If he communicated properly, he'd gives you the chance to take charge and direct, and he could lose out on the glory. A tyrant finds this hard to accept.    

How to handle him? Bear in mind that people turn into tyrants when others let them, so you need to learn to say no to your boss. "Don't be afraid of setting limits, right from the start," says our expert. "Explain clearly that you don't work weekends and you won't accept being talked to in that tone." Whatever you do, don't raise your voice. The more annoyed your boss gets, the more important it is for you to stay calm and composed. It's the only way of calming him down and coming out of the situation on top.

• Test: what type of boss is yours?
• Who does your boss remind you of?
• How does your boss handle crisis?
• Which of the MDs in the photo looks most like your boss?
• How does your boss take criticism?
• Does your boss socialise with you at lunchtime?
• How sympathetic is your boss?
• Office squabble
• The TYRANT
• Your boss is a NO-HOPER
• Your boss is a BLUFFER
• Your boss is NEUROTIC