Strategies for Surviving an Autocratic Boss
An autocratic leader can cause issues to staff morale and ultimately affect the outputs of employees within an organisation. A manager who is seen as ruthless and driven may demand (and get) results and this has been evidenced by a whole range of leaders historically, but in the modern workplace this type of leadership can have a negative effect.
Those who make unilateral decisions without consultation are able to get things done in a much more timely manner, but their style will often discourage team members from making their own suggestions or taking part in the decision making process, which can demotivate and stifle innovation and creativity.
Should you encounter such a beast then here are some hints and tips for coping:
Understand what motivates an autocratic leader
- An autocratic leader has a desire to dominate those around them and will display behaviours of having an authoritarian personality.
- They will create a strong vision of their own reality and use this to overcome resistance in order to achieve results
- They will see things in a way that is very clear to them and this makes the decision-making process easier.
- They are straightforward and direct and generally they will not concern themselves with the feelings of others.
- They will not tolerate underperformance or excuses as they will strive for perfection. It is this approach that will often lead to relationship issues with colleagues.
- They may feel that without this control, others would be less productive or just there to get the salary without having the interests of the company in mind.
Know the weaknesses of an autocratic leader
- There will likely be a significant number of people who would like to see autocratic leaders fail.
- The majority of these people will be the employees and subordinates, especially those that do not profit from this leadership style, or receive any kinds of advantages from the leader.
- Those who have been forced to leave the organisation due to the autocratic leader would be even keener to see them fail.
- It is difficult for the leader to succeed when surrounded by people who resent this success.
- Often colleagues of autocratic leaders are afraid of the consequences of speaking up, but once the leader is in trouble then everyone who has a personal issue against them will speak up.
Never take it personally
- An autocratic leader is not interested in feelings or emotions. This may make them appear cold and insensitive in their decision-making processes.
- It is common to see the response of becoming passive-aggressive as a coping strategy.
- People adopt a work-to-rule mentality and only do what they are told, but may apply delaying tactics or excuses for causing their manager to not meet targets.
- If you don’t take this style personally and try not to be passive-aggressive, you can keep productivity at a constant level.
- It is important to know that the negative behaviour of an autocratic leader is not your fault, or the fault of any of your co-workers.
In summary, autocratic leaders can be problematic and their style does not suit all individuals or organisations. Some people will see the environment as detrimental to their own development. Their approach does allow for decisions to be made quickly and decisively and in certain situations this is vital. Should you find yourself managed by someone who you feel to be autocratic, then you need to strive to complete the tasks you are set in a professional and timely manner. By doing so you may achieve more autonomy yourself.
Ultimately if you still find yourself in a situation where you are struggling to work with a manager who is showing these qualities then you may benefit from a department or role change so you are able to connect with a manager who can provide a more supportive and democratic approach – not all good managers are autocratic.
Check out our eLearning module Managing Unreasonable Managers for some more tips on how to manage your manager!
